Chivalrous Onion Chives

Once my onion chives are out, I know spring is right around the corner. A wonderful substitute for scallions, onion chives are a staple in my kitchen. They’re often the first to appear after winter, and the last to leave after fall. Allium schoenoprasum, common chive, or onion chive is closely related to other species of the Allium (onion) family. It’s a hardy, clumping perennial with beautiful pom pom flowers that attract bees and butterflies while being pest resistant.

They are hardy down to zone 3, making them a great plant for your edible food forest. While they do best in full sun, you can also keep them in the shade. They tolerate a wide variety of soils and pH, and are very drought tolerant. Like most plants though, prolonged wet feet may cause them to rot, but they are fine if you’ve had heavy rain for a few weeks.

Propagation is easy as they divide by bulbs as well as grow well from seed. I usually cut off the seed head and stick them into the ground whole.

Use them in cream cheese, tartare, as garnish–everywhere you’d use scallions you can use them too!