Aromatic plants – How to plant chives
Planting, maintaining and harvesting aromatic plants, whether in the ground or on the balcony, means giving yourself the opportunity to accommodate a number of small dishes with very specific scents. Find out here how to plant chives and take good care of your feet.
Aromatic plants have been known and used by humans for millennia and in almost all civilizations. Chinese, Egyptians and even Sumerians have left traces on the subject, showing that aromatic plants have as much interest in medicine as in traditional cuisine. But to use the taste benefits of aromatic plants like chives, you still have to know how to cultivate it.
Planting Chives – The Complete Guide
Chives are an aromatic plant that produces leaves that look like “stems”. The latter is full of water and the more they are, the more they taste. Do you want to grow chives in the garden, on an aromatic spiral or on a balcony? Follow our advice to get started.
Chives in the open ground
To start, you will need to plant your chives in rich soil with a good supply of compost for planting. When planting or sowing, i.e. in March / April, water abundantly to avoid any risk of drying out during the first weeks which would be fatal to the young foot.
Chives on your balcony
As with planting in the open ground, chives need to be planted in good quality soil rich in humus which will retain water better than another. Water abundantly at the time of planting but take care not to leave water in the cup below your pot, this could cause the roots of your plant to rot.
The size of the pot is not really important for a chive stalk which will grow in function, but a too-small pot will dry out much faster then, if you have the place, take prefer a good size pot.
How to maintain a chive stalk?
Chives are not particularly fragile, but care should be taken to water them regularly to prevent the leaves or “stems” from becoming too tough or rising too quickly in bloom. If the flowers are very popular with pollinators of all kinds, they are also a sign that the stems are becoming much worse for consumption. As soon as the flowers appear, cut them so to preserve the stems.
To prepare your chives for the winter weather in the ground or on your balcony, cut it short and completely and then mulch it. A perennial plant, your chives will only grow back more vigorously in spring!
Chive harvest
The chives are harvested as they grow, but above all, as you need them. It is by harvesting it fresh that you will have all the taste of this flavoring and that you will be able to use it to the best.
Chives conservation
In the refrigerator, the chives will keep only a few days before losing their interest. You can chop it up and put it in a small box before freezing it for reuse later, but again it will lose a lot of its flavor, so you will need to put a lot more in your dishes.
Incorporating chives in butter, again after having chopped it, is certainly the best way to keep the taste for a longer period. You can also put some flowers in it!
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