Meet the neighbours · herb
Garlic Chives
Flat-leafed chives with a real garlic bite — a handy stand-in while the bulbs are still ripening.
Garlic chives are the mid-season neighbour you call when the garlic bulbs are still in the ground and you need something punchy now. They have flat leaves and a genuine garlic flavour, and like regular chives their root is a cluster of small bulbs.
Pull a few stalks from the base and gently separate off the bulbs when you want a stronger garlic hit; otherwise, snip the leaves like ordinary chives.
How to grow it
- Grows in a clump like regular chives; divide and share clumps every few years.
- Tolerates sun to part shade and returns reliably once established.
- Pull a few stalks from the base and gently separate the bulbs for a stronger garlic flavour.
How to use & eat it
- A useful mid-season stand-in for garlic while the real bulbs are still ripening.
- Dandelion Omelette: blanch 6–10 washed dandelion leaves for 1–2 minutes, then drain. Sauté one chopped stalk of garlic chives (with the bulb) in oil until tender, add the blanched greens, and sauté another minute. Pour 2 lightly beaten eggs over top, season, and cook until set.
Makes friends with
Companion planting is just good neighbouring — these do better beside Garlic Chives.
DandelionChivesTomato
Cook with it
- Radish Green PestoA genuine discovery story — Cindy grew radishes only as a row marker for carrots, tried the greens on a whim, and now calls this the "BEST pesto Ever!"
- Fresh Rhubarb Summer SalsaA crisp, colourful summer salsa that uses raw rhubarb the way you'd use a tangy vegetable — excellent on burgers, tacos, or straight up with chips.
Other neighbours
- TomatoThe loud, generous neighbour who shows up with more than you asked for.
- DandelionFar more nutritious than its 'weed' reputation suggests — leaves, flowers, and roots are all useful.
- ChivesHardy, self-seeding, one of the first plants up in spring.
- TatsoiA cold-hardy, fast-growing Asian green Cindy discovered almost by accident from a seed swap — now a permanent fixture in her garden.