When to Harvest Garlic Chives

Growing Range

• Grow garlic chives in any moist, well-drained garden soil in a sunny location in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 and warmer. In mild winter areas, such as in zones 8 and warmer, the foliage remains semi-evergreen, but new foliage doesn't appear until the warming days of late winter or spring. Garlic chives grow best in the cooler months of the year when the soil is also cool and moist. During severe drought or hot, arid summers, plants tend to die back somewhat.

Harvest Time

• Trim your plant any time you need the garlic-tasting clippings for a kitchen masterpiece. If firm green leaves are on the clump, harvest at your leisure. Use scissors or hand pruners to chop off a foliage clump at a height of 3 to 4 inches above the ground. New growth then sprouts and, four to eight weeks later, enough leaves exist to allow another harvest. If you want flowers, refrain from harvesting leaves so that flowers promptly form during the summer. Do not harvest plants that are stressed by drought or dormant with matted down or rotting leaves in winter.

Flowers

• The leaves of garlic chives usually don't grow taller than 12 inches, but the long, upright flower stems rise up to 18 inches tall. The top of a flower stem displays a flattened globe of tiny white blossoms that smell like violets. When cut, the flowers make long-lasting additions to fresh bouquets. The flowers and stems also dry well for use in dry arrangements. The flowers are edible, but don't use the flower stems when the tastier, more tender tissues in the leaves are available for harvest.

Additional Tips

• If you let garlic chives flower and set seed, you can sow the seeds, harvest the small seedlings and eat them in salads or sandwiches as you would alfalfa sprouts. Once leaves on mature clumping plants are harvested, use them immediately or place them in a plastic bag. Refrigerate the clippings for up to one week. Even if you do not need garlic chives leaves in the kitchen, it's still good to cut back clumps so a continual new flush of tender leaves is available weeks later. Give excess clippings to friends or toss them in the compost pile.