Gods, you're in zone USDA 3-4-something and your chives are just as well developed as mine which can be found in a zone equivalent to around USDA 7! Not fair! ;P
I cut a few old plastic pots into rings one year (a 20cm straight-walled pot became three rings) to place here and there in the garden in between other plants (even ornamentals), and in these I sowed my mixed greens (cut'n'come again). This way they got the shade they needed from the surrounding plants, and the rings made it easier to find them later on and not mistake them for weeds. I harvested the oldest leaves of each plant from as soon as they were big enough to stand some picking, that way I never had the problem with them growing bitter because there were always new growth sprouting in the middle of the plant. I know the following can't be done outdoors where you are, but I even had a few plants that kept me with a little bit of fresh greens all through the winter.
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Date: 2012-05-17 07:01 am (UTC)I cut a few old plastic pots into rings one year (a 20cm straight-walled pot became three rings) to place here and there in the garden in between other plants (even ornamentals), and in these I sowed my mixed greens (cut'n'come again). This way they got the shade they needed from the surrounding plants, and the rings made it easier to find them later on and not mistake them for weeds. I harvested the oldest leaves of each plant from as soon as they were big enough to stand some picking, that way I never had the problem with them growing bitter because there were always new growth sprouting in the middle of the plant. I know the following can't be done outdoors where you are, but I even had a few plants that kept me with a little bit of fresh greens all through the winter.