Borage: Sowing, planting and harvest calendar
How do you sow borage outdoors?
Sow common borage, Borago officinalis, directly where it is to grow in spring according to your climate and seed packet, in soil that is neither frozen nor waterlogged. It likes sun and tolerates light shade. Weed and prepare a fine surface; direct sowing limits root disturbance during transplanting.
Sow thinly, cover with fine soil at the depth given on the packet and water gently. Keep the soil moist until germination without standing water. Then thin to about 50 cm between plants, adjusting for variety and growth. For a pot, allow a container at least 30 cm wide with good drainage, for one plant.
Watch young plants and water in dry spells, especially in pots. Borage attracts pollinators and usually needs little extra feeding in the ground; adjust this for poor soil or container growing. It may self-seed if you allow seeds to ripen.
When does borage flower?
Common borage, Borago officinalis, is an annual whose star-shaped, usually blue flowers appear mainly in summer after spring sowing. The timing and length of flowering depend on sowing, climate and growing conditions; do not expect every plant to flower continuously from spring to late summer.
Choose sun or light shade with well-drained soil. Water in dry spells: some soil moisture in summer helps growth, while standing water should be avoided. Check moisture more often in pots. Routine pruning is not needed.
It can self-seed readily if seeds ripen, but a new generation grows rather than the same plant returning each year. Let some flowers set seed if you want this renewal, or limit self-seeding by removing plants after flowering before seeds scatter. Leave flowers for pollinators too.
How do you harvest borage?
Harvest according to your plants' development rather than a fixed date. Pick a few young leaves and newly opened flowers with clean tools, without stripping the plant. Leave flowers for pollinators and, if you want self-sown seedlings, allow some seeds to ripen.
For culinary use, identify common borage correctly and discard damaged or dirty parts. Use the harvest promptly; keep it briefly chilled and rinse before use. Washing or drying does not guarantee safety.
Borage contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Do not make tea from its leaves because of these substances. Drying leaves or flowers does not justify drinking infusions all year round or assuming therapeutic benefits.
Before each cut, check whether a bee is visiting the flower and wait for it to leave. Support the little stem so you can cut without pulling on the whole branch. Put flowers in a shallow container separate from the leaves to avoid crushing them. When sorting, remove faded flowers and debris, and keep the plant's identification with your harvest.
Borage
- Type : Flowers
- Botanical Family : Boraginaceae
Characteristics
- Lifecycle : Annual
- Exposure : Partial Shade
- Frost Hardiness : Frost Sensitive
- Cultivation Difficulty : Easy
- Mature 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
Other characteristics
- Soil Type : Humus-rich
- Soil pH Preference : Neutral
- Pollination : Insect-pollinated
- Propagation : Sowing