Borage

Herb · warm season

Blue star-shaped borage flowers
Photo: Dinkum, Wikimedia Commons (CC0)

When to plant

  • Sow seeds outdoors about around your average last spring frost.
  • Ready to harvest about 55 days after planting.

Bees love it. Self-seeds freely. Flowers are edible.

Frost dates depend on where you live. Enter your ZIP code to get exact dates.

Growing basics

Sun
Full sun (6+ hours)
Spacing
18 in
Soil temperature
At least 60°F
Time to harvest
About 55 days
Containers
At least 3 gallons
Plant family
Other
Harvest per plant
About 0.2 lb
Seeds keep
About 5 years

Companions

Good neighbors: Tomato, Strawberry (June-bearing), Winter squash

Keep apart: Horseradish. Horseradish spreads aggressively. Give it its own spot.

Keep apart: Mint. Mint spreads aggressively into neighbors. Keep it in a pot.

Keep apart: Fennel (bulb). Fennel slows the growth of most garden plants. Grow it on its own.

Keep apart: Sunchoke (Jerusalem artichoke). Sunchokes spread aggressively and shade neighbors.

Grow it well

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