They are the first little green thing that pops up in my garden every year, usually very early spring. I love having them around to snip and throw into mashed potatoes, corn cakes, you name it.
Plus they look so pretty.
They're easy to grow too, and will come back year after year. This is the small section that we have growing on our deck in a rail planter. They're handy to have right outside our kitchen door. We even snip them when there's snow on the ground!
Chives are hardy, but they need to have good soil, and plenty of water. Pretty much just plant out some sees and let them grow! Every couple of years you're supposed to dig them up in the fall, split them apart and space them out a little more, and it will also expand your chive garden.
They're also really easy to dry! All you have to do is lay them out flat on a baking sheet, bake them at a low temperature (like 150) for about 10 min until they're crispy. They won't feel very hot, just dry. Then you can take them and put them in a ziploc bag and crunch them up, and store them in a spice container (I use tiny little ball jars)
The flowers are just as good when dried! They have a semi bitter taste to them but they are equally amazing used with potatoes!
