Chives · Pushkin, St.-Petersburg, Russia

When to plant chives in Pushkin

Main outdoor window

28 Apr - 19 May

A climate estimate. Check your soil, forecast and cultivar.

Timed from last spring frost

14 May

In Pushkin, on your chosen risk.

Ready to pick

27 Jun - 27 Jul

If you plant at the start of the window.

The average last frost. Half of all years are later than this.

Estimated soil-warming check. The historical frost estimate is 16 Apr. An air-temperature model suggests soil suitable for chives may warm to about 7°C (44.6°F) around 28 April. This is a planning estimate, not a soil measurement. The calendar uses the later date; measure your bed at sowing depth and check the forecast before planting.

Step by step in Pushkin

Download these planting dates (.ics)

Import into Apple Calendar, Google Calendar or Outlook. Dates use the selected risk level and are planning estimates, not frost alerts.

Each window is a planning range. Check the forecast, soil and cultivar before planting; a later date is not automatically safer in hot or wet conditions.

Start indoors

19 Mar - 9 Apr

Eight weeks before your last frost, under cover or on a windowsill.

Sow direct

28 Apr - 19 May

Delayed by a soil-warming estimate derived from historical air temperatures. The frost-only date would be 16 Apr. Measure your soil before planting.

Plant

28 Apr - 19 May

Delayed by a soil-warming estimate derived from historical air temperatures. The frost-only date would be 16 Apr. Measure your soil before planting.

Harvest

27 Jun - 27 Jul

Frost tolerance
Very-hardy
Damaged below
-25°C (-13°F)
Min soil temp
7°C (44.6°F)
Spacing
20 cm
Sowing depth
6 mm (0.2 in)
Sun
Full

Chives through the year

Against the frost risk in Pushkin

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Frost risk Start indoors Sow direct Plant Harvest Today
Open My Garden

Seasonal context

Rainfall and the growing season in Pushkin

July has the highest average precipitation (97 mm); February has the lowest (42 mm). Compare this pattern with the planting windows and your water supply.

Jan 49 mm
Feb 42 mm
Mar 43 mm
Apr 55 mm
May 71 mm
Jun 92 mm
Jul 97 mm
Aug 96 mm
Sep 65 mm
Oct 76 mm
Nov 69 mm
Dec 58 mm

During wetter months, check that beds and containers drain after heavy rain. During drier months, plan how you will keep seeds and new transplants watered. Monthly averages can hide long dry spells and intense storms; they do not show soil moisture, humidity or this week's weather.

Source: NASA POWER, corrected MERRA-2 precipitation, 2001–2020. Values are approximate monthly totals, including the water equivalent of snow, from the nearest 0.5° × 0.625° grid cell. This reference period differs from the temperature record. Rainfall provides context and does not change the calculated planting dates. Method and limitations.

Monthly growing conditions in Pushkin

Compare the planting window with the local temperature pattern. These are historical monthly averages, not this year's forecast or measured soil temperatures. Average frost days do not tell you whether a particular night will freeze.

NASA POWER climate averages, 1995–2024
MonthAverage lowAverage highFrost days
January -12.2°C (10.1°F) -6.7°C (19.9°F) 30.3
February -11.7°C (11°F) -5.4°C (22.3°F) 27.8
March -7.1°C (19.3°F) -0.5°C (31.1°F) 29.7
April -0.8°C (30.5°F) 8.1°C (46.6°F) 18.6
May 4.8°C (40.6°F) 15.1°C (59.3°F) 3.9
June 10°C (50°F) 19.6°C (67.3°F) 0.0
July 12.9°C (55.1°F) 22°C (71.6°F) 0.0
August 11.5°C (52.7°F) 20.6°C (69°F) 0.0
September 7.2°C (44.9°F) 15.1°C (59.2°F) 0.5
October 2°C (35.7°F) 7.3°C (45.1°F) 9.9
November -3.7°C (25.3°F) 0.2°C (32.3°F) 21.8
December -9.4°C (15.1°F) -4.6°C (23.7°F) 29.0

For chives, also check drainage, sunlight and cultivar requirements. See the rainfall context above; humidity, irrigation and local pest pressure are not calculated.

Local growing check

Before choosing chives for Pushkin

  • July is the wettest month in the rainfall grid, averaging about 97 mm. Check how your own bed drains and plan watering around actual soil moisture; monthly rain totals are not an irrigation schedule.

The temperature and rainfall tables on this page show the underlying climate estimates. How these suitability checks work · Record what happens in your garden.

Before you plant chives

Use the calendar to plan ahead, then check the conditions in your own garden.

  • Measure the soil at sowing depth. Aim for at least 7°C (44.6°F); the calendar estimates soil warmth from air temperatures and cannot measure your bed.
  • Frost tolerance does not make saturated or frozen soil suitable for planting. Wait until the bed can be worked without smearing or compacting it.
  • Harden off plants raised indoors: gradually expose them to outdoor light, wind and temperature before their final move into the bed.
  • Check mature size, drainage and cultivar suitability before choosing a permanent position. A suitable planting window does not guarantee long-term survival or fruiting.

Build a healthy clump before frequent cutting

Use a drained bed or container in sun or partial shade. Keep young plants supplied with moisture and remove weeds between the fine leaves. Divide crowded established clumps so the replacement pieces have both roots and growing shoots.

Cut usable leaves near their base while leaving enough growth for recovery. Flowers attract pollinators; remove spent heads before seed ripens if you want to limit volunteer plants. Do not identify edible chives from the appearance of an unknown ornamental allium.

What to record this season

How quickly did the clump replace leaves after each cutting? Add the cultivar, sowing date and conditions to your growing record so you can compare next season.

Further reading: NC State Extension: Allium schoenoprasum . General crop guidance; local dates on this site are calculated separately. Source checked 19 September 2026 by Safe to Plant; this is not an expert review.

The reference describes plant identity and cultivation. Its regional calendar months and hardiness observations do not validate the calculated dates for another location.

How the dates are calculated and their limits · Keep a growing record · Report a local discrepancy

Why these dates

Use a drained bed or container in sun or partial shade. Keep young plants supplied with moisture and remove weeds between the fine leaves. Divide crowded established clumps so the replacement pieces have both roots and growing shoots.

Check the named variety and local forecast before exposing young growth. The catalog cold-damage figure is a reference, not a guarantee: plant age, acclimatisation, wind and the duration of a freeze affect damage.

This calendar uses frost-relative offsets as a starting point. Chives are timed from 8 weeks before that frost for an indoor start, with planting out 4 weeks before it, and this page simply resolves those offsets against the frost date computed for Pushkin.

The calendar also applies a soil-warming estimate derived from historical air temperatures. Where that estimate is later than the frost-based date, it delays the window. Soil in your own garden can warm earlier or later; a thermometer at sowing depth is a better final check. Cold, wet conditions can slow germination and increase decay risk.

See every crop timed for Pushkin →

Growing chives in Pushkin

Can I grow chives in Pushkin?

The calendar estimates a planting window, not a guarantee of success. July is the wettest month in the rainfall grid, averaging about 97 mm. Check how your own bed drains and plan watering around actual soil moisture; monthly rain totals are not an irrigation schedule.

When should I plant chives in Pushkin?

Aim for 28 Apr - 19 May in an average year. If you would rather not gamble on the weather, wait until 27 Apr - 18 May - by then frost has finished in nine years out of ten.

Can I plant chives earlier in Pushkin?

The historical frost estimate is 16 Apr. For Chives, an air-temperature model estimates soil warmth of about 7°C (44.6°F) around 28 Apr. This is not a soil measurement or a forecast. Check your bed at sowing depth; cold, wet conditions can slow growth and increase decay risk.

When might chives be ready to harvest in Pushkin?

The estimated period is 27 Jun - 27 Jul, based on 60 to 90 days from the modeled planting date. Cultivar, planting material and growing conditions can change this interval; check the plant as well as the calendar.

How much frost will chives tolerate?

Check the named variety and local forecast before exposing young growth. The catalog cold-damage figure is a reference, not a guarantee: plant age, acclimatisation, wind and the duration of a freeze affect damage.