When to Plant Chives in Canberra, Cold / Highland Guide
Sow September to April. Right now in September you can sow.
Grow Chives in your space
- Planting window
- Plant Oct-Feb. Fully dormant in winter.
- Days to harvest
- 60 days
- Sunlight
- Full sun to part shade. Tolerates more shade than most herbs.
- Water needs
- Regular watering, especially in pots. Tolerates some drought but leaves become tough and...
- Spacing
- 15cm apart, 25cm between rows
- Soil pH
- 6.0-7.0
Published · Last reviewed · By GardenBuddy.au
Growing advice is reviewed by hand. Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.
This Chives guide is written for the Cold / Highland zone, which takes in Canberra, Cooma and Bright. Somewhere else? Your postcode picks the right one.
Not your zone? Cairns Brisbane Sydney Melbourne Alice Springs Perth
Also handy: will it frost this week? and what grows in shade.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
One of the most reliable and forgiving herbs in the Australian garden. Perennial clumping herb with mild onion-flavoured hollow leaves and edible purple pompom flowers. Grows in all 7 Australian zones with minimal fuss. Excellent border plant and companion for roses and fruit trees.
Planting Calendar for Cold / Highland
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S/T/D | S/T/D | S/T | T | - | - | - | - | S/T | S/T/D | S/T/D | S/T/D |
S = Seed Tray T = Transplant D = Direct Sow
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Current Growing Conditions
Soil temperature: 12.9°C (optimal range: 10–30°C) ✓ Ready to plant
Modelled from Open-Meteo forecast (Canberra), not a live sensor.
How to Grow Chives in Cold / Highland Australia
When to Plant
Plant Oct-Feb. Fully dormant in winter.
- Soil
- Rich, well-drained soil with compost. Tolerates most soil types.
- pH Range
- 6.0-7.0
- Sunlight
- Full sun to part shade. Tolerates more shade than most herbs.
- Spacing
- 15cm apart, 25cm between rows
- Watering
- Regular watering, especially in pots. Tolerates some drought but leaves become tough and hollow when stressed. Keep soil consistently moist but not waterlogged.
Companion plants: Rose, Tomato, Carrot, Apple tree, Grape vine
Avoid planting near: Beans, Peas
Cold / Highland Growing Tips for Chives
Recommended Varieties
- Common chives, very cold hardy
Key Challenges
- Short active season
- Late spring start
Pro Tips
- Extremely cold hardy. Will survive hard frosts
- One of the most reliable herbs for cold zones
- Pot culture allows earlier start indoors
Harvesting Chives
When ready: Harvest when leaves are 15cm+ tall. Use scissors to cut to 2-3cm above soil level.
How to harvest: Cut entire clump to 2-3cm with sharp scissors. Leaves regrow in 2-3 weeks. Do not pick individual leaves. Cutting the whole clump promotes even regrowth.
Common Chives Pests in Cold / Highland Zones
Organic prevention (Aphids (Onion aphid)): Good air circulation. Avoid overwatering. Healthy plants resist aphids.
Where to next
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Open the planting dashboard Join GardenBuddy.auCommon Questions About Chives
When do you plant chives in Australia?
It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:
- Tropical (Cairns): Mar to Jul
- Subtropical (Brisbane): all year
- Warm Temperate (Sydney): Jan to May, Aug to Dec
- Cool Temperate (Melbourne): Jan to May, Aug to Dec
- Cold / Highland (Canberra): Jan to Apr, Sep to Dec
- Arid / Semi-Arid (Alice Springs): Jan to Mar, Jun to Dec
- Mediterranean (Perth): Jan to May, Aug to Dec
Does chives grow all year round in Canberra?
No. In the Cold / Highland zone the planting months are Jan to Apr, Sep to Dec. Outside that window it either bolts, sulks or gets cut down by the weather.
Which zone am I in?
Type your postcode into the box under the heading and the page tells you, and links this crop in your own zone if it differs. Or look it up on the grow zone map. This page is the Cold / Highland zone, Canberra is its reference city.