Garlic Chives

Most indian home gardens have at least one curry leaf plant, from which leaves can be frequently harvested to use in meals. Garlic Chives have a similar scope to become widespread in Indian gardens. It is very easy to harvest (simply cut a few leaves) and has a rapid turnover rate for new leaves. Garlic is a staple in most Indian households, and many indian households seldom make a dish without garlic in it. Garlic chives multiply very rapidly, and as time goes on, bulbs can be separated and repotted to establish new colonies of plants. The plants also produce seeds that naturally disperse and grow into new plants wherever soil and moisture is available. It is not hard for home gardeners to become completely self-sufficient for their garlic needs in this way. 

The white, ball shaped flower stalks of garlic chives are also beautiful and are bellowed by bees. When enough sunlight and moisture is available, garlic chives will send out flushes of flowers. These flowers, their stalks and the buds are edible with an even stronger garlic flavor than their leaves. Bees love the flowers, which are a rich source of nectar.

Garlic chives make an excellent and low maintenance alternative to garlic in gardens and farms. Unlike common garlic, which needs very specific temperature and daylength conditions to produce a crop, Garlic chives produce a reliable harvest throughout the year. Garlic chives retain their flavor and aroma when dried and can make a good seasoning for food. It can also be added to biofertilizers, like jeevamrut and fermented plant juice (FPJ) to enhance the pest repellent and antifungal properties of those concoctions. 

The leaves can be used as a leafy green, working especially well in dals, paranthas, salads, etc. We believe customers can easily come to love this crop as it is much easier to use than regular garlic (the painstaking work of peeling ech clove comes to mind.)

The whole bulbs are often used to make a type of kimchi (korean fermented pickle) called Buchu-kimchi, which is considered a delicacy in Korea. This is a delicious side dish to serve with meals, and has the additional benefit of being a healthy probiotic. (Koreans reportedly were less affected by symptoms of covid due to their regular consumption of kimchi and other probiotics!)

Quickly establishing into evergreen clusters of plants, Garlic chives act as an amazing refuge for beneficial insects, especially during the dry season. Because it flowers profusely, even in hot summer months, it keeps bees and butterflies well fed. Spiders and other predatory insects take shelter in the dense shade of the plant during peak summer. 

The characteristic smell of garlic is also a well known repellant for several pests, including animals like deer, rabbits and mice. This makes Garlic chives an effective border plant for fields and a good companion plant. Because of its extensive root system, society garlic can help prevent erosion and it also accumulates nutrients from deep in the soil into its leaves. These can be trimmed periodically and then be used as a mulch, green manure, or composted to make these nutrients available for other crops. 

Unlike its sterile relative, Society garlic, Garlic chives produces seeds which can be used to propagate new plants. Although this allows them to spread, the young plants are easily identified and easy to remove (and eat!) Seed grown plants are likely to be more genetically suited to your growing conditions, and over many generations you may develop a much more vigorous and productive variety naturally.

Garlic chives have an extraordinary, dense root system that quickly colonizes even the poorest soils. Thus, it can be used to help stabilize soils on slopes or on the edges of water bodies. Over time, as old roots die and new roots are regenerated, this contributes to increasing the organic matter of the soil. Garlic chives can grow well in soils that are too shallow for most crops, often thriving even in areas with less than two inches of soil. Its roots can help hold onto moisture in the soil, and provide refuge for soil microbes after the dry season begins..

As the plant quickly produces new vegetative growth, it can be periodically cut back to use as mulch for other plants. When used as a mulch, Garlic chives leaves break down rapidly into compost, and also repel pests because of their strong smell. Members of the garlic family are known to have potent antifungal properties and so the mulch can also help prevent fungal disease in plants.