Herb
Chives
Allium schoenoprasum
Mild onion flavour – the lavender pompom flowers are edible too.
Full to partial
Regular
Average
Very easy
Yes
Leaves & flowers
Perennial
Hardy
2 L
12 cm
Root
Carrot
Chives repel carrot rust fly and aphids while their onion scent masks carrot odor.
Vegetable
Tomato
Chives repel spider mites, aphids, and some tomato pests while their nitrogen-fixing root activity enriches soil for tomato growth.
Fruit
Strawberry
Chives attract pollinators to strawberry flowers and repel spider mites and aphids that damage strawberry fruit and foliage.
Leafy green
Kale
Chives repel cabbage moths and aphids while their shallow roots avoid competing with kale's nutrient needs.
Leafy green
Lettuce
Chives repel aphids and thrips damaging lettuce leaves while requiring minimal space in dense plantings.
Situations where this plant is a reliable fit — from someone's kitchen sill to a wind-blown rooftop.
Windowsill
Bright indoor light, small pot, no outdoor access — the classic kitchen sill.
Workplace desk
Office corner, moderate light, forgiving of weekends away.
Balcony
A few pots on a flat outdoor perch — some sun, some wind.
Vertical wall pocket
Living-wall pouches or stacked planters — very shallow roots only.
Ladder planter
A tilted step-ladder with a shallow tray on each rung — sun-facing, five tiers of herbs, salad and strawberries in the footprint of one pot.
Pallet wall garden
A wooden pallet stood upright and lined with landscape fabric — every slat becomes a shallow salad-or-herb pocket. Cheap, huge productive area, needs frequent watering.
Gutter garden
Lengths of plastic rain gutter stacked on a wall or fence — only 10 cm deep, but perfect for cut-and-come-again salad, spring onions and shallow-rooted herbs.
Pocket planter
A canvas or felt panel of sewn-in pockets, hung on a sunny wall — instant vertical garden, works well on a balcony rail too.
Wooden crate
A shallow wine or veg crate lined with hessian — perfect for salad and shallow-rooted herbs.
Raised bed
A traditional plot or timber-sided bed — deepest root run, widest planting choice.
Water jar
A jam jar of water on the sill — no soil at all. Regrow from kitchen scraps.
Recipes in the library that lean on this plant. Grown at home is grown for a reason.
Courgette & Herb Fritters
20 mins · 2
One-Pan Herby Chickpeas
20 mins · 2
Sweet Potato Rösti
20 mins · 2
Pea Shoot & Mint Frittata
15 mins · 2
Herbed Flatbreads
15 mins · 4
Herb Scones
25 mins · makes 8
Root in water, transfer to soil
21 days
★★★☆☆
Yes
How to do it
If you have a clump with roots attached, stand it in water for 5 days, then pot in compost. Otherwise start from seed — it's cheap.
What to expect
A few snips of fine green tops in 3 weeks; perennial once potted.
Honest note
Better as a once-grown perennial than a true scrap-regrow.
Where to source
Get growing in United Kingdom
Shop local first
The best plants come from a real nursery, and the best trowel comes from the old-fashioned ironmonger down the road — people who know their stock and can advise. Try local first, both for the plant and the kit. It keeps small growers and small hardware shops alive.
Searching near London
For pots, compost, seed trays, twine and other kit — Amazon has the essentials if the local option isn't right. Not a plant nursery; use the local map above for the plant itself.
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