Overview

Chives are perennial flowering plants in the onion and garlic family. Blooming in small pink to lavender flowers in late May, they make lovely ornamental plants. The leaves and the flowers of chives are edible and have many culinary uses because of their mild flavor. The flower seeds are very tiny, generally bean shaped and black. Choose a windless, sunny day to harvest your chives seeds.

Step 1

Inspect your chives' flowers daily, looking to see when they lose their color and begin to dry.

Step 2

Snip off the flower head when the flowers are light brown and dried up. Hold a piece of paper under the flower as you snip to catch any seeds that may fall out.

Step 3

Shake the flower head over a jar or bowl until the small black seeds fall from it.