When to plant Chives
Computed from land-grant Extension planting-window rules (cited below), localized to real ZIP-level median frost dates, not a single national guess. These are national-generic rules by hardiness class; individual state Extension offices layer their own regional adjustment on top (earlier in the Deep South, later in the Upper Midwest). Enter your ZIP for your own dates, or read the four representative locations below.
Planting windows and crop timing here are computed from USDA/NOAA climate data and the university extension sources cited below, not a site visit or soil test. Treat this as a starting point: local conditions vary, and a local nursery or extension office can advise on your exact site. See our full Disclaimer.
Representative timing, by climate band
When to plant Chives in four US climates
Each column is the most nursery-dense location in our directory within that USDA zone band, computed from that location's own real median frost dates, not a made-up example.
| Stage |
Zones 1-5 (cold winters)
Fort Plain, NY |
Zones 6-7 (temperate)
McMinnville, TN |
Zones 8-9 (warm)
Apopka, FL |
Zones 10-13 (hot, frost rare or absent)
Loxahatchee, FL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start seed indoors | Not available | Not available | Not available | – |
| Direct-sow outside | Not available | Not available | Not available | – |
| Transplant outside | Apr 22–May 20 | Mar 24–Apr 21 | Feb 10–Mar 10 | – |
| Fall planting | Not available | Not available | Not available | – |
| Expected harvest | Not available | Not available | Not available | – |
Zones 10-13 (hot, frost rare or absent) (Loxahatchee, FL): Frost is rare here (about 359 frost-free days a year); most years see little or no hard freeze. This is a hardy crop. In climates like this one, hardy and semi-hardy crops typically go in during the cooler months (fall through late winter), not on a frost-relative schedule.
Chives go in by division around your last frost date, not on a tight schedule. Colorado State University Extension's Herb Gardening guide (CMG GardenNotes #731) rates chives hardy to USDA zone 3, and Clemson Cooperative Extension's fall-herbs guide narrows that to zones 4a through 8b. University of Minnesota Extension confirms chives handle Minnesota winters outright (Growing herbs in home gardens).
Colorado State's own instruction is to plant bulbs, or divide established clumps, in fall, with new growth appearing as early as March. The two-week window either side of frost shown on this page is the frost-relative proxy for that same "as soon as workable" timing, not a number CSU itself stated in weeks. Once established, expect a harvest every four to six weeks through the growing season, per CSU, with no sourced first-harvest day count for a brand-new planting.
Chives are sold at the nursery almost entirely as a potted division or small plant, since it's propagated by dividing clumps rather than from seed in most home settings, and hardy to zone 3, it overwinters in the ground across virtually all of this site's climate range.
Frost hardiness
Hardy. Tolerates hard frost. Can go in the ground before the last frost date.
Sourcing notes
Hardy perennial (onion family), USDA zones 3-9 (CSU) to 4a-8b (Clemson); UMN confirms hardy to Minnesota winters, propagated by division. CSU: plant bulbs/divide in fall, first growth may appear as early as March; harvest every 4-6 weeks through the growing season. No sourced days-to-first-harvest figure.
Related crops
Growing zones for this crop
Nurseries near these locations
Sources
- Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center, How to Grow Fall Herbs in South Carolina (accessed 2026-08-04)
- Colorado State University Extension, Colorado Master Gardener Program, Herb Gardening (CMG GardenNotes #731) (accessed 2026-08-04)
- University of Minnesota Extension, Growing herbs in home gardens (accessed 2026-08-04)