Chives - A Super Easy Herb to Grow

Kirsten harvests chives

Tonight we had fresh chives on our boiled potatoes.  Super yummy!  My eight-year-old daughter Kirsten harvested and snipped the chives for me.  I'm always ready to let the kids help out in the garden and in the kitchen.  You can't go wrong when you let them help with chives.

Kirsten snips the chives

Common chives are hardy to zone 3, so they are a great herb to grow in Uinta County.  I started my chives by seed in a cup one spring, then transplanted them outside later in the summer when they had a pretty good root system.  They do well in sunny to partly shady areas.  One caution - don't plant them next to your grass, because when the grass moves in it's a pain harvesting them.  Unless you don't mind a little grass with your chives.

My chives in bloom

Chive flowers are pretty in the garden and the kids love to pick them to make little nosegays for mom.  They are edible too!  I'm not sure exactly what my chives are called, but they are a common type with purple flowers.  Recently Kirsten and I started some garlic chive seeds.  They will have white flowers.  I can't wait to try them.

by Sara

Helping Spring Come Early!

Snow Drop - April 2011

It's really tempting to complain about the weather this spring, with frost and snow almost every day for the last few weeks.  We can't do anything to change the weather, but there are some little things we can do to invite spring into our yard as early as possible.  Spring blooming bulbs are just the thing.

Crocuses - April 2011

When I was a kid I was always excited in the fall to spot the first snowflake.  I admit, I still am excited about it.  But come March, I am on the lookout for the first blossom in my yard.  The first few earliest bulbs don't make a big show, but at this time of year they are a big deal.  Take snow drops and crocuses, for example.  Both are fairly small flowers.  Compared to many of the summer blooming plants, they aren't that exciting.  But it's all in the timing, and right now in my yard they are everything.

Crocuses - April 2011

The weather and snow cover determine when the bulbs will come out, of course.  Some years I've spotted the first blooms in the middle of March.  This year I found the first snow drops blooming during the last week in March.  My earliest crocuses opened on April 1st.  For the last 3 weeks I have enjoyed them in my front yard several times a day in my comings and goings.  Sometimes in the morning they are buried under snow, but I know they are still there.  In the afternoon when I get home the snow is melted, and I am tickled all over again to see the bright colors.

Sara's Park Strip - April 2011

If you want an easy way to make spring come early, I suggest planting spring bulbs this coming fall.  Make sure to plant some early types, like snow drops and crocuses.  They are a great reminder that winter really is not going to last all year.

by Sara