Borage
How do I sow borage outdoors?
To sow borage outdoors, it is best to do so in spring, once any risk of frost has passed. Choose a sunny spot with well-drained soil. Before sowing, carefully weed the soil and loosen it by working it with a hook or grelin.
Borage seeds are quite large, so we recommend sowing them 1 to 2 centimetres deep in furrows spaced about 30 centimetres apart. Cover the seeds with fine soil and pack lightly. Water gently so as not to displace the seeds and keep the soil moist until emergence.
Be careful not to over-water to prevent the seeds from rotting. Once the plants are well developed, thin them out, leaving a distance of 30 to 40 centimetres between each plant. Borage is a hardy plant that attracts pollinators and requires no chemical fertiliser. Take advantage of its pretty blue flowers and edible leaves to dress up your dishes!
"When does borage flower?
Borage is an easy plant to grow to benefit from its magnificent blooms. The starry blue flowers of borage generally appear in spring and last throughout the summer. To encourage abundant flowering, it's important to choose the right location for planting. Borage prefers well-drained, sunny soil.
It is recommended to sow borage seeds directly in the ground in spring, after the last frosts. It is also possible to sow in autumn for earlier flowering the following spring. Borage is a plant that reseeds easily, so once you've planted it in your garden, it will come back every year with new flowers.
To encourage flowering, be careful not to overwater borage, as it prefers dry soil. In addition, it's important to regularly remove wilted flowers to encourage new growth and prolong flowering. With these few tips, you can enjoy the beauty and benefits of borage in your natural garden.
How to harvest borage
Borage is an easy plant to grow and harvest in a natural garden. The best time to harvest borage leaves is in early summer, when the plant is in full growth. Simply cut the leaves with scissors or a knife, taking care not to damage the plant. Borage flowers can also be harvested for culinary use or to make infusions.
Once harvested, borage leaves can be stored in the fridge for a few days. They are best eaten fresh to take advantage of their health benefits. You can also dry them in the shade to keep them for longer. Borage flowers can be dried to make infusions all year round.
By carefully harvesting and properly storing borage leaves and flowers, you can enjoy this multi-purpose plant all year round in your natural garden.
Borage
- Type : Flowers
- Botanical Family : Boraginaceae
Characteristics
- Lifecycle : Annual
- Exposure : Partial Shade
- Frost Hardiness : Frost Sensitive
- Cultivation Difficulty : Easy
- Adult Height : 60 cm
Sowing & Planting
- Greenhouse Growing : Not Required
- Sowing Depth : 1 cm
- Plant Spacing : 30 cm
- Row Spacing : 30 cm
Maintenance
- Maintenance : Moderate
- Water Requirements : Moderate
Seeds
- Soil Type : Humus-rich
- Soil pH Preference : Neutral
- Pollination : Insect-pollinated
- Propagation : Sowing