When to plant chives?
Sow chives in March, April and May, 0.5-1 cm deep, and plant them out from April to June, once they are about 10 cm tall. Campania, Sicily and Umbria have no sheet, and no month is written.
When, by region
| North | Centre | South | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sowing | The calendar marks March, April and May. Indoors, early spring is the time the RHS gives for plants to go out in late spring or early summer, about 10 cm (4 in) tall. Later sowings, through spring and summer, can be made indoors, on a windowsill. Outdoors, in spring, 0.5-1 cm (¼–½ in) deep. Bought plants can go in during any month: spring is the best time. Before June, harden off the indoor ones. | Umbria's 2025 sheets do not include chives, and no month is written. | Campania has no chives chapter. Neither does Sicily. A month, and a temperature, are not written. |
| Spacing | Thin to 15-20 cm (6-8 in). Clumps, in the ground, sit at least 15 cm (6 in) apart, at the same depth as before. In a pot, one in at least 20 cm (8 in) wide and deep. Divide every 3 or 4 years, in spring or autumn, and replant about 15 cm (6 in) apart. After flowering you can cut the whole clump to about 5 cm (2 in). | As in the north for the RHS. Umbria does not write a spacing. | As in the north, until a southern guide writes its own spacing. A density in plants per hectare, on the sheet, is not there. |
It takes sun or partial shade, on soil that holds moisture and does not stay sodden. Divide the clump every 3 or 4 years.
March, April and May, April, May and June, 0.5-1 cm (¼–½ in), about 10 cm (4 in), 15-20 cm (6-8 in), 15 cm (6 in), a pot of 20 cm (8 in), the 3 or 4 years, about 5 cm (2 in) and the autumn division are from the RHS. Campania has no chives chapter. Neither does Sicily. Umbria 2025 does not name it. Parsley, another cut-and-come-again herb, is in when to plant parsley. The months are in the March calendar, April, May and June.
March, April and May
The RHS calendar marks sowing in March, April and May, and planting out in April, May and June. Indoors, early spring gives plants ready in late spring or early summer, about 10 cm (4 in) tall. Sow a few seeds to a cell, 0.5-1 cm (¼–½ in) deep, somewhere warm and bright. Later sowings, through spring and summer, can be made indoors, if you want a run of young plants on the windowsill. Outdoors, in spring, at the same depth, in sun or partial shade, thinned to 15-20 cm (6-8 in).
Potted plants can go outside in any month. Spring remains the best time. Indoor-raised ones, if they go out before June, are hardened off. The pot is in starting seeds indoors.
No month in the centre or the south
Campania, in the 2026 guide, has no chives chapter. Sicily, in the 2025 guide, neither. Umbria, in the 2025 sheets, does not name it. A sowing month, a transplant month and a temperature are not written. The RHS months, and the packet, still apply.
It is a herbaceous perennial in the onion family. The leaves, narrow and hollow, reach about 30 cm (12 in). Cut them from late spring until the plant dies back in autumn. The harvest calendar marks May to November. Parsley is in when to plant parsley.
A clump that stays
Plant in sun or partial shade, in fertile soil that holds moisture and does not stay sodden. Space the clumps at least 15 cm (6 in) apart, at the same depth as before. In a pot, one in at least 20 cm (8 in) wide and deep. Through the first summer, water in dry spells. After that, in the ground, only if the dry spell is long. In a pot, through the growing season, keep the compost evenly moist. The pot is in the container garden.
Every 3 or 4 years, lift the clump, in spring or autumn, divide it and replant at once about 15 cm (6 in) apart. After flowering you can take off the stalks, or cut the whole clump to about 5 cm (2 in): it reshoots within a few weeks. In crop rotation perennials stay outside the plan, in a permanent corner. Chives are one of those, and they stay there for years.
In the app
Every plant in the catalogue has its own sowing calendar, and weather alerts for your area help you judge whether to sow now or hold off.
Frequently asked questions
When do I sow in the north?
The calendar marks March, April and May, 0.5-1 cm deep. Indoors, early spring gives plants to move out in late spring or early summer, about 10 cm tall. Later sowings, through spring and summer, can be made on a windowsill. Plant out from April to June.
What dates do Campania, Sicily and Umbria write?
None. Campania 2026 has no chapter. Sicily 2025 neither. Umbria 2025 does not name it. The RHS months, and the packet, still apply.
How far apart, and in a pot?
Thin to 15-20 cm. Clumps sit at least 15 cm apart. In a pot, one in at least 20 cm wide and deep. When you divide, replant about 15 cm apart. A southern density, in plants per hectare, is not written.
Do I replant it every year?
No. It is a perennial. The RHS divides it every 3 or 4 years, in spring or autumn, so the clump does not get overcrowded. It stays outside the rotation of annual vegetables.
When do I cut it?
From late spring until it dies back in autumn. The calendar marks May to November. After flowering you can cut the clump to about 5 cm, and it reshoots within a few weeks.