Outdoor chives can be harvested from the moment they begin to grow in spring through the early frosts of autumn. Chives delight gardeners by being among the first shoots of green to appear in the herb garden. Still, do let the plant grow to at least 6 inches (15 cm) in height before you begin tentatively pruning for your kitchen. This will ensure that growth will continue throughout the season.
While you could mow down an entire chive plant for its greens, careful harvesting will keep your chive plants healthy and good looking. Always cut each leaf or flower stalk off at the lowest point you can reach. Whatever is left of a stalk will turn brown and hard after you cut it, and leaves will become brown at the cut ends. Neither of these features makes an attractive addition to your garden. Cut off stalks and leaves in a scattered distribution, never taking more than a few leaves from one part of the plant, so you don’t get “bald spots” in your chive plants.
Avoid cutting the blooming stalks with your leaves for dinner. Once a bud begins to open, its stalk begins to change into a sturdy stem to support the weight of a flower. Such a stem will be tough, fibrous, and lacking in flavor.
To harvest chive blossoms themselves, cut them off at the base of their stems. If you just pop these flowers off, the stems will quickly turn into unattractive sticks that will get in the way whenever you try to cut chives later in the season.
When harvesting, use a sharp knife to trim stalks and leaves close to the base of the plant.