Garlic chives are a tasty alternative to garlic. While they have a somewhat milder flavor, they save us from having nasty garlic breath after a meal. In Asia, this herb has been a staple of culinary culture for centuries and is gradually conquering our local kitchens as well. Much like our classic chives, garlic chives are perfect for refining tarte flambée, scrambled eggs, and quark dishes, or can be briefly blanched as a delicious addition to Asian recipes. In addition to the leaves, the decorative flowers are also edible.
Seeds - Garlic Chives
€3,50
Type:
Seeds
Properties
| Plant information | |
|---|---|
| Year-round | |
| Medium feeders | |
| Allium tuberosum | |
| 20 - 30 cm | |
| Perennial | |
| Green | |
| Versatile kitchen herb for seasoning dishes. | |
Planting instructions on the envelope
Garlic chives have a habit of adapting to their environment. If you plant them in poor soil, they stay small but develop a particularly sharp aroma. In nutrient-rich soil, they grow much larger and produce many leaves, though these are somewhat milder in taste. From March onwards, the light-dependent germinator can be sown in a pot, whereby the seeds must not be covered with soil. Since garlic chives do not form bulbs, they must be propagated by dividing the clumps. If you plant this kitchen herb in a sunny location, you will enjoy it for several years. In winter, the above-ground part dies back completely before it awakens to new life in the spring of the following year.
Detailed planting instructions: Garlic chives
There are people who don't like garlic much, and that is perfectly legitimate. Often it is not the flavor that is unconvincing (though that can be the reason, of course), but social pressure that stands in the way of enjoyment. Anyone with an important appointment the next morning, whether at the office or the dentist, usually denies themselves the pleasure of garlic the night before. A good alternative could be garlic chives. They have the typical garlic aroma, but much milder – and they don't leave you with garlic breath the next day. The name stems from the fact that they visually resemble chives, although the leaves are broader.
Garlic chives have a characteristic that clearly distinguishes them from other plants. They are so-called cold germinators, which need it cool in the first few weeks after sowing. That is why they can be planted in the open bed as early as the end of April. If you want to start them in a seed tray indoors, that is possible, but it is not quite as simple as with other kitchen herbs. You will learn exactly how to do this in the next section.
Starting them is a bit tricky
The early cultivation requires your attention. Start by filling some deep bowls or small pots with seed-starting soil, placing the seeds in them, and then covering them with a layer of substrate about one centimeter thick. For the next 15 to 30 days, you must ensure that the soil remains consistently moist and that the pots or bowls are kept in a place where the temperature is always around 20 degrees. But that is not all, because as mentioned: garlic chives are cold-germinating plants. As soon as the maximum 30 days are up, the leek needs a proper cold shock. Temperatures around freezing point are ideal now, at most plus and at least minus four degrees.
The refrigerator or the still wintry terrace (or balcony) are now the new home for your young garlic chives for the next four to six weeks. After this time, it may get a little warmer; five to eleven or twelve degrees are now optimal – again for four to six weeks. Now the seedlings are both large and robust enough to be planted in the bed, at least once the night frosts are definitely over. In the coming years, frost will no longer be a problem; garlic chives always hibernate outdoors; caution is only necessary with the germinating young plants.
Sowing and then don't confuse them with grass!
So, let's just assume that you—in one way or another—have reached the point where the garlic chives can head out into the world that is your garden. If you have the opportunity, it wouldn't be a bad idea to place these leeks more in the middle of your bed, not at the edge where grass might grow. Because once this plant has started to grow, it looks suspiciously like grass for a while. You wouldn't want to accidentally drive over it with the lawnmower and have all your preparation be for nothing!
A little care is also part of it in the coming weeks and months. For example, you must ensure that the soil in which the garlic chives are sitting is always moist. Not wet—this plant does not like that—but consistently moist. This means that during long dry spells, you have to water them thoroughly, but there must be no waterlogging. If the sun is shining, it is best to water early in the evening or early in the morning. Fertilizer does not hurt the leek either, provided it is organic or mineral-based. Apply it directly when planting out and then always in spring. For every fertilization, vigorous watering is recommended.
Watch out for pests – always observe garlic chives closely
You can harvest the garlic chives for the first time in June—and then repeatedly until October, as they regrow quickly. If you bring them inside afterwards, the harvest can continue through the winter. Only take as many stalks as you need at one time, then the leek will grow back better. The stalks are cut off above the ground, but not too close, so as not to prick any potentially emerging shoots.
Despite the aroma of garlic and chives, garlic chives are not immune to pests. For example, aphids are not a rarity, at least if you grow the leeks in a pot. To get rid of the aphids, conventional pest control agents are of course forbidden, because then it's over with consumption for a long time. However, what you can do: Cover the soil well so that it doesn't fall out, and then submerge the stalks upside down in a water bath for about two hours. The lice will then drown or float away. If you have problems with chive rust, however, there is not much else you can do but cut back the affected stalks directly and hope that the regrowing stalks are healthy. It is really bad if onion flies infest the young sprouts—then you can discard the leek directly. To prevent infestation, you can purchase appropriate protective nets.
