When to Plant Chives
Chives are a hardy perennial herb. They can take a hard frost.
Start seeds indoors 8 to 10 weeks before the last spring frost, and plant out in the 4 weeks before the last frost. Or sow them where they will grow, 1 to 4 weeks before the last spring frost. The first harvest comes about 45 to 60 days after transplanting.
Example dates
The same rules in dates for three climates, using typical frost dates. Enter your ZIP code above for the dates where you live.
| Task | Last frost Mar 15first Nov 15 | Last frost Apr 15first Oct 25 | Last frost May 15first Sep 30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start seeds indoors | Jan 4 – 18 | Feb 4 – 18 | Mar 6 – 20 |
| Harden off | Feb 8 – 14 | Mar 11 – 17 | Apr 10 – 16 |
| Plant out | Feb 15 – Mar 15 | Mar 18 – Apr 15 | Apr 17 – May 15 |
| Harvest | Apr 1 – Aug 19 | May 2 – Sep 19 | Jun 1 – Oct 19 |
| Direct-sown: Sow outdoors | Feb 15 – Mar 8 | Mar 18 – Apr 8 | Apr 17 – May 8 |
| Direct-sown: Harvest | Apr 15 – Sep 2 | May 16 – Oct 3 | Jun 15 – Nov 2 |
Growing chives
A hardy clump that returns each spring; cut leaves near the base and divide crowded clumps every few years.
- Spacing: 8 in apart, in rows 12 in apart. In a raised bed, 4 per sq ft at square-foot spacing.
- Days to harvest: 45 to 60 from transplanting, then about 20 weeks of picking.
- Rotation: chives are in the onion family. Plant them where nothing from that family grew in the last two years. See crop rotation.
- Traditional companions: beet, bell pepper, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, celery, cherry tomato, collards, head lettuce, hot pepper, kale, kohlrabi, leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce, tomato. See companion plants for chives.
- Usually kept apart from: bush bean, pea (shelling/snap/snow), pole bean.
Plan your beds with these dates
Draw your beds, tap squares to plant chives and everything else, and get every crop's dates for your ZIP code in one calendar. Free, in your browser.
Open the garden plannerQuestions
When do I start chives indoors?
8 to 10 weeks before the last spring frost: with a last frost of April 15, that's Feb 4 – 18. Enter your ZIP code above for your own dates.
Can chives go in before the last frost?
Yes. Chives are hardy: plant them out in the 4 weeks before the last spring frost.
How long do chives take to grow?
About 45 to 60 days from transplanting to the first harvest, which then lasts about 20 weeks. Varieties differ: check the seed packet.
More planting dates
Sources
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal, by station: freeze dates at 32 °F)
- WSU Extension: Pacific Northwest Gardener's Handbook, Chapter 7: Vegetable Gardening
- Iowa State: The Other Onions
- Cornell Cooperative Extension, Rockland County: Vegetable Planting Guide (Hort 52)
- University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners (UC ANR): Use and Culture of Culinary Herbs (table from the California Master Gardener Handbook)
- Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Texas A&M System (J. Masabni): Growing Herbs (E-561, 2009)
- WSU Extension King County Master Gardeners: Tip Sheet #8: Growing Herbs
- Clemson Cooperative Extension HGIC: Small-Scale Gardening (square-foot planting guide)
- UC Master Gardener Program, UC ANR: Companion Planting Chart: Companion Planting for Edible Crops
- University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension, Kenosha County: Companion Plants for the Vegetable Garden (column, 2012)
- Oregon State University Extension Service: Herbs and Flowers in the Vegetable Garden
- SDSU Extension: Square-Foot Garden Sample Planting Layout (P-00379, 2026)
- University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, Yavapai County: The Art of Companion Planting (Master Gardener presentation, 2023)
- N.C. A&T State University Cooperative Extension: Five Veggies You Can Grow at Home