How to Grow and Care for Borage

The borage plant is an easy, fast-growing, annual herb with vivid blue flowers and both the flavor and scent of cucumbers. While it is consideredan herb, it's often grown as a flowering plant to entice pollinators into vegetable gardens.

Borage is somewhat gangly, but its star-shaped, hanging flowers steal the show. It also boasts a greenish-gray stem and leaves that are covered in a prickly fuzz, which acts as a deterrent for insects.

Borage is considered a good companion plant for tomatoes, squash, and strawberries. It’s even supposed to deter tomato hornworms and improve the flavor of tomatoes growing nearby. Note that borage can be mildly toxic both to people and pets.

How to Plant Borage

When to Plant

Plant borage in the garden in the early spring after the threat of frost has passed. Or, start seeds indoors three to four weeks before your area's projected last frost. Transplant seedlings into the garden once the soil has warmed, making sure to harden them off first.

Selecting a Planting Site

Borage can tolerate a variety of soil conditions, if there is good drainage. Select a location that gets at least four hours of direct sunlight daily, watching out for taller plants nearby that might shade the borage as they grow in the spring. Borage also can be grown in containers.

Spacing, Depth, and Support

Borage is most commonly planted from seeds, as nursery plants aren't typically available. Plant seeds 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep. Thin seedlings when they are six to eight inches tall spaced from 18 to 24 inches apart. A support structure won't be necessary.

Borage Care

Light

Borage will grow in full sun to partial shade. However, growing borage plants in full sun will give you the best chance of lots of blooms and stocky stems.

Soil

Borage can thrive even in dry, nutrient-poor soils. However, it prefers a moderately moist, well-drained soil. It also can tolerate a fairly wide soil pH range, though it likes slightly acidic soil. Amending your soil with organic matter will help to give your plants a nutritional boost.

Water

As your borage is growing from seed and getting established in your garden, water it at least every few days to keep the soil evenly moist but not soggy. Once the plant is mature, you can allow the soil to dry out between waterings.

Temperature and Humidity

Borage is a particularly hardy herb, able to withstand temperatures on both ends of the spectrum. However, while it is tolerant of both heat and cool weather, it won't be able to withstand a hard frost. It has no special humidity needs.

Fertilizer

Borage plants growing in poor soil will benefit from periodic feeding with any fertilizer labeled for use on edible plants, following label instructions. Fertilizer that's high in phosphorous will aid in flower production.

Pollination

Borage self-pollinates and tends to attract bees and other pollinators to the garden.

Types of Borage

Most gardeners plant the pure species plant, Borago officinalis. However, there are two common cultivars, as well as a closely related species:

• B. officinalis‘Variegata’ has white mottling on the green leaves. Its flowers are less intense than common borage.
• B. officinalis‘Alba’, also called white borage, blooms later in the season than the blue varieties with lovely white flowers. 'Alba' is a sturdier plant than common borage.
• Creeping borage(B.pygmaea)is a sprawling species with pale blue flowers that bloom from late spring to late fall. It is a short-lived perennial species.

Borage vs. Comfrey

Borage and comfrey are both flowering plants from the Boraginaceae family. They look similar to one another when they’re not in bloom.

However, their flowers can be used as a distinguishing feature. Borage flowers are typically blue, while comfrey flowers are pink, purple, and white. In addition, comfrey generally grows in clumps, while borage can be more sprawling.

Harvesting Borage

Borage will reach maturity in about eight weeks, when you can harvest the leaves and flowers as needed. The plants will start to decline if they are not deadheaded and are left to go to seed. Staggering your planting times will give you a longer bloom period, along with a longer harvest time.

Simply pick off the leaves and flowers you need by hand or use garden scissors. They are best used fresh after harvesting, though you also can keep them in the refrigerator for a few days.

How to Grow Borage in Pots

Growing borage in a pot is a great option if you don’t have enough space in your garden beds. Use a container that’s at least 12 inches deep with ample drainage holes. An unglazed terra-cotta pot is ideal, because it will allow excess soil moisture to escape through its walls.

Tip

Note that container-grown plants will typically need more frequent watering than those grown in the ground, though you shouldn't allow the soil to become soggy.

Pruning

Regularly deadheading the plants, the process of removing spent blooms, will encourage the plants to keep blooming for several weeks. Also, if you prune back borage by one-half in midsummer, it will grow tender new leaves for a late summer harvest.

Propagating Borage

Borage is typically propagated via seeds, but it also can be grown from volunteer plants that sprout up after a mature plant has self-seeded. This is a quick and inexpensive way to cultivate new plants. Here's how:

1. Gently dig up a volunteer seedling when it's at least six inches tall, keeping its roots as intact as possible. Wetting the soil around it first can help to slide out the roots.
2. Choose a suitable growing site, and replant the seedling at the same depth it was previously growing.
3. Water to moisten the soil.

How to Grow Borage From Seed

Borage plants produce numerous black seeds that can be collected to plant the following spring.

1. Simply shake the seeds from the flowers as the blooms degrade and store them in an airtight container.
2. Then, once the weather has warmed in the spring, shake the seeds over the soil in your preferred growing site.
3. Cover them with 1/4 to 1/2 inch of soil.
4. Water to keep the soil lightly moist but not soggy.

Potting and Repotting Borage

A well-draining, all-purpose potting mix will do for container-grown borage. The plant doesn't take well to transplanting, so plant them in a large container to make repotting unnecessary.

Common Pests & Plant Diseases

There are few pest or disease problems with borage. Powdery mildew can occur, especially in subpar growing conditions. To prevent the disease, make sure the plant has sufficient air circulation and that they are properly watered.

From: thespruce