In stock

Borage Seeds - Borage officinalis

Regular price: $5.99

Unit price: per

Borago officinalis - Non-GMO, Open-Pollinated, Heirloom, Untreated
The Ultimate Bee Magnet: Considered one of the best plants for attracting honeybees and native pollinators. Planting borage will significantly increase the pollination of nearby fruiting plants like squash, tomatoes, and strawberries.
Edible Star-Shaped Flowers: Produces beautiful, drooping clusters of vibrant, sky-blue, star-shaped flowers that have a refreshing, mild cucumber flavor. They are perfect for garnishing salads, desserts, or freezing in ice cubes for summer drinks.
Cucumber-Flavored Leaves: The young, tender leaves also have a distinct cucumber-like taste and can be used in salads, soups, or sandwiches.
Excellent Companion Plant: A treasured companion plant that is believed to deter pests like tomato hornworms and cabbage worms while enriching the soil as it grows.
Effortless to Grow & Self-Sows: An incredibly easy-to-grow annual that thrives on neglect. It readily self-seeds, ensuring a new patch of this wonderful herb will return to your garden year after year.
Dynamic Soil Accumulator: The deep taproot mines nutrients, particularly potassium and calcium, from deep in the soil, making them available to shallower-rooted plants as the borage decomposes.
Fast-Growing & Productive: A quick-growing plant that provides an abundance of edible flowers and leaves, while also working hard to improve your garden's ecosystem.

$5.99

Quantity

USDA Hardiness Zones

2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

USDA Zones 2-11 - Borage is grown as a hardy annual across all of these zones. It readily self-sows to return the following year, often behaving like a perennial.

Best Performance - Thrives in full sun and moderate temperatures, ideally between 60-80 degrees F. It grows quickly and produces the most abundant flowers in these mild conditions.

Northern Zones (2-6) - A perfect summer annual. Direct sow seeds after the last frost date. It will germinate and grow rapidly, flowering throughout the summer until the first hard frost of fall.

Hot Climate Zones (7-11) - Best planted in the fall for a spectacular and long-lasting winter and spring bloom. Spring plantings are also successful but the plant may bolt or struggle in the peak heat of mid-summer. Providing afternoon shade can help extend its season.

Soil Temperature - Germination is best in soil temperatures between 65-85 degrees F.

Growing Season - Borage is a very fast grower. It can go from seed to flowering in as little as 60-70 days. Succession planting every 3-4 weeks will ensure a continuous supply of fresh flowers and young leaves.

Learn more about USDA Hardiness Zones here

USDA Hardiness Zones

2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

USDA Zones 2-11 - Borage is grown as a hardy annual across all of these zones. It readily self-sows to return the following year, often behaving like a perennial.

Best Performance - Thrives in full sun and moderate temperatures, ideally between 60-80 degrees F. It grows quickly and produces the most abundant flowers in these mild conditions.

Northern Zones (2-6) - A perfect summer annual. Direct sow seeds after the last frost date. It will germinate and grow rapidly, flowering throughout the summer until the first hard frost of fall.

Hot Climate Zones (7-11) - Best planted in the fall for a spectacular and long-lasting winter and spring bloom. Spring plantings are also successful but the plant may bolt or struggle in the peak heat of mid-summer. Providing afternoon shade can help extend its season.

Soil Temperature - Germination is best in soil temperatures between 65-85 degrees F.

Growing Season - Borage is a very fast grower. It can go from seed to flowering in as little as 60-70 days. Succession planting every 3-4 weeks will ensure a continuous supply of fresh flowers and young leaves.

Learn more about USDA Hardiness Zones here

Planting Tips

When to Plant:
Borage has a long taproot and does not transplant well, so direct sowing is strongly recommended. Plant seeds outdoors after all danger of frost has passed in the spring. You can plant successive crops every 4 weeks to ensure a continuous harvest of young leaves and flowers.

Where to Plant:
Choose a location with full sun to light partial shade. Borage is not fussy and will tolerate a wide range of soil types, but it performs best in well-drained garden soil. Because it self-seeds so readily, choose a spot where you are happy to have it return each year.

How to Plant:

Direct Sowing: Sow seeds about 1/2 inch deep. Space seeds 4-6 inches apart, and then thin the seedlings to their final spacing of 12-18 inches apart to give them room to become bushy.

Watering: Water the seedbed well after planting and keep it consistently moist until germination, which usually occurs within 7-14 days.

Care & Maintenance:

Watering: Water young plants regularly. Once established, borage is quite drought-tolerant but will be more productive and have better-tasting leaves with consistent moisture.

Fertilizing: This plant thrives in average to poor soil and does not require fertilizing. Overly rich soil can lead to lush foliage with fewer flowers.

Self-Seeding: Borage will drop its seeds and new plants will emerge readily. To control its spread, simply pull up any unwanted seedlings or deadhead the spent flowers before they set seed.

Handling: Be aware that the leaves and stems are covered in a fuzzy, somewhat prickly texture. This texture softens significantly with cooking.

Harvesting: Harvest flowers as soon as they open for the best flavor. Pick young leaves when they are tender; older leaves can become coarse and overly fuzzy. Harvest frequently to encourage the plant to produce more.

Planting Tips

When to Plant:
Borage has a long taproot and does not transplant well, so direct sowing is strongly recommended. Plant seeds outdoors after all danger of frost has passed in the spring. You can plant successive crops every 4 weeks to ensure a continuous harvest of young leaves and flowers.

Where to Plant:
Choose a location with full sun to light partial shade. Borage is not fussy and will tolerate a wide range of soil types, but it performs best in well-drained garden soil. Because it self-seeds so readily, choose a spot where you are happy to have it return each year.

How to Plant:

Direct Sowing: Sow seeds about 1/2 inch deep. Space seeds 4-6 inches apart, and then thin the seedlings to their final spacing of 12-18 inches apart to give them room to become bushy.

Watering: Water the seedbed well after planting and keep it consistently moist until germination, which usually occurs within 7-14 days.

Care & Maintenance:

Watering: Water young plants regularly. Once established, borage is quite drought-tolerant but will be more productive and have better-tasting leaves with consistent moisture.

Fertilizing: This plant thrives in average to poor soil and does not require fertilizing. Overly rich soil can lead to lush foliage with fewer flowers.

Self-Seeding: Borage will drop its seeds and new plants will emerge readily. To control its spread, simply pull up any unwanted seedlings or deadhead the spent flowers before they set seed.

Handling: Be aware that the leaves and stems are covered in a fuzzy, somewhat prickly texture. This texture softens significantly with cooking.

Harvesting: Harvest flowers as soon as they open for the best flavor. Pick young leaves when they are tender; older leaves can become coarse and overly fuzzy. Harvest frequently to encourage the plant to produce more.

Borage Seeds - Borage officinalis

Cultivate your garden with timeless wisdom

We believe in steady growth and deep roots. The Mindful Grower is your sanctuary for thoughtful gardening advice, sustainable practices, and the kind of plant wisdom that connects you to the earth beneath your feet.