General
The slightly fuzzy leaves of borage have a gentle cucumber-like flavour. But mostly, borage is grown to encourage the bees and other beneficial insects.
Latin
Borago officinalis.
Boraginaceae family.
Difficulty
Easy.
Season & Zone
Season: Cool season.
Exposure: Full-sun, sun and part-shade.
Zone: All.
Plant Type
Annual (A)
Planting Seeds
Outdoors: Sow seeds where they are about to grow. They have a large taproot, and dislike being disturbed.
Indoors: For the earliest plants, sow a few inside in small containers.
Preparing Soil
Borage tolerates rather poor soil, so there's no need to fertilize heavily. They will tolerate shade.
Planting
Thin seedlings to stand 60cm (24") apart as they produce large, spreading plants.
Diseases & Pests
None.
Harvest
Keep the flower heads picked off to avoid self-sown plants.
Pick fresh flowers for freezing or drying for bouquets. Cut the fresh leaves during the summer to add to salads or spreads.
Companion Plants
Tomatoes, Squash, Strawberries.
