"I've ditched the bunching onions. For some reason they just always come along all weeny and small..." Sunnibel, you must have one of the smaller bunching onions, like the variety "Four Seasons". It is very hardy & multiplies like chives, but has very small scallions - only 10" long or so, and about pencil width or smaller. Some of the larger varieties can be seen in the photo below: Onion trials These onions were part of a nine-variety trial of bunching onions (garlic was in the blank spots). Those in the foreground are "Franz" and "Stevenson", heirlooms from an SSE member. They are both very vigorous, and virtually indistinguishable. The clump in the background is "Welsh". Close-up of "Welsh" (note quarter in foreground) The rest of the trial was grown on another site, and unfortunately, no photos were taken. The photos are of first-year plants started early from seed. The second part of the trial was to test for winter hardiness, and the degree of multiplication. Large-stemmed varieties (like "Welsh") had heavy winter kill in my Zone 5 location, and multiplied very little if at all. Smaller-stemmed varieties ("Franz", "Stevenson", "Four Seasons") were much hardier, and had virtually no winter loss. They also multiplied extensively, splitting the first year, and again in the Spring. They form clumps very quickly. The majority of the plants were eaten, given away, or destroyed after the trial. I did keep a few plants, though. The thing is... they were moved, and I can't positively identify the varieties. I have a clump of either "Franz" or "Stevenson". If you would like to try them, PM me through my member page, I'll send some plants when the weather warms.

Suspect its not a true chive. I have a wild onion that has the same size hollow leaves as regular chives at about 18-24 inches tall, and sends up a stiff stalk right about now. These stalks swell and a marble sized cluster of tiny bulbils form, while the greens die out for the summer. I will pluck off the seed balls and crumble these nearby the rest. In late fall, mine start to produce the greens again and these can be picked from late fall through to about April. I like these as they are easier to manage, and if the bulbil clusters are pulled off, they don't spread to everywhere else unless you want them to. I dug up a few ofd the bulbs in the soil and they are only about the size of a pea when mature. Mine have been growng here since my dad planted them over 40 years ago. There is also a garlic chive that produces black seeds after they flower. The leaves of garlic chives are thick and flat compared to regular chives.

I actually have both, but tend to use regular chives more. The garlic chives have a flat leaf and bloom white flowers later in the summer. I only had grown chives in pots before. Now that they're in my garden, they've grown much taller and wider than expected.

Are you talking onion chives (purple flower), or garlic chives (larger white flower)? Both are hardy in open ground. Both go dormant in winter and come up from seed that dropped the fall before and the original clump comes up from the bulb. Garlic chives will be invasive if you let the white flowers go to seed and don't deadhead them. Use the white flowers you trim off for salad or cooking. Onion chives have a smaller purple flower and are a little less invasive. But again the flowers also are good for eating in salad or cooking. When I use them I go out and cut down no more than 2/3 from the top. Every 3 to 4 years I uproot the entire plant, separate it and replant the bulbs before they grow to much in the spring. Or do nothing. They will survive no matter what you do or don't do. If you can only grow in containers that is no issue. Use a well draining soil, but make sure that it is a large container. And space out the bulbs, they will fill in. If you start from seed just sprinkle seed on top of the soil and water well, they will sprout and the rest will happen naturally. Keep them in 2 separate pots as they are different plants. Garlic chives have strappy flatter leaves while the onion chives are smaller around and more rounded not flat. They are very easy and taste great! Rosie