Wash the leaves and roots with a gentle stream of water to remove any unwanted creepy crawly hitchhikers. Don't use the garden soil in the pots. It will quickly turn into a brick. I often use soilless mixes such as Sunshine mix. Or you can mix potting soil with peat moss and perlite or vermiculite in a one-third mix of each.
Chives are a common herb relative of onions.
Chives grow to about 12 to 18 inches tall. They produce a lovely round lavender flower in the summer. Both the leaves and flowers may be eaten. Although chives won't flower this winter, the bright green hollow leaves can be chopped into sour cream, yogurt or salads for a mild onion flavor. Garlic chives have flat leaves and add a hint of garlic to dishes.