The basics of growing potted chives are the same outside and inside. You’ll use the same seeding, the same soil, and the same transplanting methods. The critical difference in outdoor potted-chive growing is that the plants need more help withstanding harsh temperatures. A chive plant in the garden year-round has the soil below it helping to temper the effects of daily temperature fluctuations. A plant in a pot indoors is kept at a rather stable temperature, too. But an outdoor planter has very little soil to buffer the effects of a sudden freeze or a chilling wind. The plant will lose moisture more quickly, and dramatic temperature fluctuations can injure the roots, which can lead to a less vigorous plant.
How can you thwart these problems? First, keep an eye on the soil to be sure it doesn’t dry out too much between waterings. If your plant is in a smaller container, consider bringing it inside when the weather is unseasonable or extreme. The best way to extend your outdoor season is to start bringing the plant out early in spring, on warm and pleasant days, and bringing it inside at night until the nights grow relatively mild. If your planter is too cumbersome to carry around, you can cover it with an old blanket at dusk. You can also set a particularly heavy planter on a wheeled platform so that you can roll it indoors.
Planting in larger containers has the advantage of creating a more stable planting medium. The bigger the planter, the better its soil will retain moisture and heat. Only large planters stand a chance of protecting the plant through the winter, and they will also benefit from being moved close to the house and well bedded with straw.
Smaller pots can be brought indoors for a winter harvest, or they can be sunk into the ground as frost starts to put them on their seasonal cycle of winter dormancy. To sink a pot, dig a hole the size of the pot in the ground in a safe, protected location (alongside the house or a shed is good, or in a preexisting garden). Set the pot into the hole, fill dirt in along the edges to make a snug fit, and treat your herb like an outdoor plant.