Wild Chives

Wild Chives appear to be taking northern NJ by storm. I see their dark green spikey stems in gardens and on highway verges everywhere I go. I even have a healthy sized patch in my own garden. "IF" I have identified them properly, they have a baked potato in their future. However, before I start munching on random greenery, it would be nice to be absolutely sure. Has anyone got any thoughts they could share?

For the record: They have a dark green tubular stem, grow in tight clumps, and are up well before the grass that surrounds them. They have a strong onion/chive smell. If you dig them up, the root of each stem contains a pale white, pea sized, onion like bulb.

Wulfsden, I'm so glad you asked this question, because I, too, have onion-like plants growing up in my lawn. In an episode of "Almanac Gardener" they said these are actually wild garlic. I don't know if these are the same as what grows in your garden, but your description is exactly the same as what's growing here in NC.

My question is: Are they edible? Anything that grows this easily should be in my salad/sandwich.

Most of us just call them wild onions but it sounds like we are talking about the same thing. During survival training, we used them to sort of "spice" up a big pot of whatever kind of greens we could find that we thought were edible. According to out instructor, if it smells like an onion and taste like an onion, its an onion. But he warned us against another onion like plant that was poisonous if consumed in any quantity. That little plant looked very similar to a wild onion but did not smell or taste like onion. Native americans and early pioneers made wide use of wild onions but proceed with caution when you try them. Here is some info that might help..........http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=wild+onions+edible&aq=1&oq=wild+onions

You are most likely right. The wild chives get the purple flower, and I know from last year that these plants don't, so they are probably wild onions. (Wild garlic and garlic chives are quite similar too.) Thanks for the links. Based on what I have read, if it looks like an onion, and it SMELLS like an onion, it's an onion. All these wild types are all edible, but not to all tastes. However, if it looks like an onion but has no smell, it's toxic. Leave it alone.

Last year I dug up and transplanted a few of these into 4" pots. They are unkillable. Water them. Don't water them. Throw them into a pile in a corner on their side through a harsh freezing winter. Nothing makes them even blink. I put a pot or two in with my other stuff. The smell may discourage some pests.

Now there is an idea. I grow onions and chives in the top container of some stacked containers. These stacks are top watered and water drains down through all the pots. Im thinking maybe something from the onions/chives will effect the whole stack and help repel some of the bugs.

I just happened to run across this on the Ed Hume site:

Wild Green Onions
My garden has been invaded by wild green onions. I have used round-up and it doesn't phase them. How do I get rid of them?

This is a very difficult weed to control. Grub them out as best you can, then treat the soil with a pre-emergent weed control product...which should help control the seed. Grub any of the mature plants if they reappear. Your local garden store can recommend the particular product they feature

Wow... Those stacked pots are amazing. Nice job!