Calibrated to Pick your zone and the dates re-calibrate.

The Guide Flowers Vol. 003

Borage

in Zone 5, this week

Borage is a big, easy, bushy herb with fuzzy leaves and beautiful blue, star-shaped flowers. Bees absolutely love it, which is why gardeners plant it near vegetables like tomatoes, squash, and strawberries. The young leaves taste like cucumber, and both the leaves and the blue flowers are edible, though you should eat them only in small amounts. Borage grows fast, sprawls out, so give it room, and it drops seed and comes back on its own year after year. It likes the warm part of the year in most gardens and is killed by frost; in hot, humid places it is grown in the cooler months instead. Borage (Borago officinalis), also called starflower, is a large, fast-growing, frost-tender annual herb in the borage family (Boraginaceae), native to the Mediterranean. It builds a bushy, sprawling plant about 2 to 3 ft tall and 1 to 2 ft wide, clothed in coarse, bristly, gray-green leaves, and carries loose clusters of nodding, star-shaped, sky-blue flowers from late spring into fall. Borage is one of the best bee and pollinator plants a garden can grow, a traditional companion set near tomatoes, squash, and strawberries, and a vigorous self-seeder that naturalizes readily once established. Both the cucumber-flavored young leaves and the blue flowers are edible, used fresh as a garnish and in drinks and salads, though borage is best eaten in moderation. It grows through the warm months in cool and temperate regions and is killed by hard frost; in hot, humid climates it is grown instead as a cool-season plant.

Fig. 01 · Borage, mature Zone 5

Mature in

45-60d

from transplant

Sunlight

Full sun to part shade

6-8 hrs daily

Water

Moderate

Spacing

12-24"

between plants

Soil pH

6-7

slightly acidic

Today · in your zone

What's happening right now

July 24 · Zone 5 · Stage 01 · Germination

Off-season for borage in zone 5.

The season at a glance

Planting calendar

In Zone 5, borage can be planted May.

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

plant

too cold

plant

too late

too cold

bloom

indoors

plant out

bloom

Keep them blooming Deadhead spent blooms through the bloom window to keep new flowers coming.

Seasoned

Stagger your sowings

Succession planting

For a steady supply of leaves and flowers, sow a new small batch of borage every 3 to 4 weeks, though one planting plus the seedlings it drops usually keeps going by itself. Where summers are hot, stop sowing during the hottest months, because borage struggles in that heat.Borage can be sown successively every 3 to 4 weeks through the growing window for a continuous supply of young leaves and fresh flowers, though a single spring sowing plus its own self-sown volunteers often keeps a patch going on its own. In hot regions there is a real summer pause: stop sowing through the hottest, most humid months, since borage declines and mildews in that heat.

Every 4 weeks · sow a short new rowUp to 9 sowings a seasonToo hot to sow midsummer

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

sow

bloom

keep sowing

too hot

continuous bloom

The season, mapped

Seed to garden

Sow borage seeds straight into the garden where you want plants, since it does not like being transplanted. Plant after your last frost in most gardens, or in the cool season where summers are hot, covering the seeds about half an inch deep. They come up in one to two weeks. Space plants 12 to 24 inches apart because borage gets big, and it will drop seed and come back on its own.Direct-sow borage where it will grow; it has a taproot and does not transplant well, so starting it indoors is not recommended. Sow after the last spring frost in cool and temperate regions, or in fall and the cool season in hot ones, covering the seed about 1/2 in (it germinates fine in darkness or light, but should be covered). It comes up in 1 to 2 weeks. Thin or space plants to 12 to 24 in, since borage grows large and sprawling, and it self-sows readily for future seasons.

01

Sow outside

May 1 - May 28

Start method

Direct

Soil temp

65-70°F

From seed to fruit

The growing journey

Stage 01 · Germination

Germination

Days 5-12 · current stage

The first little leaves come up in about one to two weeks.Seed leaves (cotyledons) push up within roughly 1 to 2 weeks in warm soil; borage germinates readily where it is sown.

Plant the seeds right in the garden, cover them about half an inch, and keep the soil damp until they sprout.Sow directly and cover seed about 1/2 in; keep soil evenly moist until seedlings emerge. Do not start indoors, since borage resents transplanting.

FROM PLANT · Plant borage seeds right in the garden, about half an inch deep, because it does not like to be moved. They come up in a week or two.Direct-sow borage where it will grow and cover seed about 1/2 in; it has a taproot and does not transplant well, so skip indoor starts. Seedlings emerge in 1 to 2 weeks.

FROM PLANT · Sow after your last frost in most gardens. Where summers are hot, plant it in fall or the cool season instead.Sow after the last frost in cool and temperate regions; in hot, humid climates sow in fall and the cool season instead, since borage struggles in extreme summer heat.

Seedling

Days 12-25

Real, slightly fuzzy leaves appear and the plant starts to grow.First true leaves develop and grow bristly; the young plant establishes a taproot quickly.

Space plants about 12 to 24 inches apart while they are small, because borage grows big.Thin or space seedlings to 12 to 24 in while small, since borage gets large; water at the base.

FROM PLANT · Space seedlings 12 to 24 inches apart while they are small, because borage gets big and needs air around it.Thin or space seedlings to 12 to 24 in while young; borage grows into a large, sprawling plant and needs the room for airflow against powdery mildew.

Established / vegetative

Days 22-38

The plant gets big and bushy quickly, with fuzzy leaves.The plant bulks up fast into a large, branching, sprawling mound of coarse gray-green foliage.

Give it space and sun, go easy on fertilizer, and wear gloves since the stems are prickly.Give it room and full sun; keep feeding light so it does not grow soft and floppy. Wear gloves when handling the prickly stems.

FROM PLANT · Do not over-fertilize borage. Rich soil just makes a big floppy plant with fewer flowers.Keep feeding light and soil lean; rich soil and excess nitrogen make borage grow soft, oversized, and floppy with fewer flowers and more mildew.

FROM PLANT · Wear gloves with borage, since the stems are prickly, and pick the leaves while they are young and tender.Handle borage with gloves; the stems and older leaves are covered in stiff bristles. Harvest leaves young, before they turn too prickly to enjoy.

Budding

Days 35-50

Clusters of drooping flower buds form at the tops of the stems.Branched clusters of nodding buds form at the stem tips, roughly 6 to 8 weeks from sowing.

Keep the soil from drying out completely, and watch for white powdery mildew in humid weather.Keep moisture steady in hot, dry weather; begin watching for powdery mildew in humid spells.

FROM PLANT · As buds form, keep the soil from drying out completely in hot weather, but do not keep it soggy.Keep moisture steady as buds form in hot, dry weather, but do not overwater; borage is drought-tolerant and rots in constantly wet soil.

Flowering

Days 45-60

Blue, star-shaped flowers open, about eight weeks after planting, and keep coming for weeks while bees visit.Sky-blue star flowers open in a long succession from roughly 8 weeks after sowing until frost or summer heat ends the plant; bees work them constantly.

Snip off faded flowers for more blooms (and pick some to eat), but leave a few at the end to drop seed.Deadhead or cut flowers to prolong bloom and limit excessive self-seeding; harvest young leaves and open flowers for the kitchen, and leave a few late heads to self-sow.

FROM PLANT · Snip off faded flowers to keep more coming and to keep borage from seeding everywhere. Leave a few at the end so it reseeds.Deadhead or cut flowers regularly to prolong bloom and curb excessive self-seeding; borage blooms for many weeks if older flowers are removed. Leave a few late heads to self-sow.

FROM PLANT · Pick open flowers and young leaves from unsprayed plants, snapping off the fuzzy green part behind each flower. Use them fresh (the leaves taste like cucumber) or freeze the flowers in ice cubes, and eat borage only in small amounts.Harvest fully open flowers and young leaves from unsprayed plants; pull off the fuzzy sepals behind each flower. Use the cucumber-flavored leaves and blue flowers fresh, or freeze flowers into ice cubes, and eat borage in moderation.

Self-seeding and seed saving (optional)

Days 65-95

Flowers left on the plant make seeds that drop and grow into new plants next time. You can also collect the seeds.Flowers left on the plant form nutlets that drop and self-sow; borage returns freely from volunteers, and seed is easy to collect from dried heads.

Leave a few flowers to make seed so borage comes back, or collect the seed. Snip the rest if you do not want too many volunteers.Leave some late flowers to set and drop seed for volunteers, or collect seed from drying heads; deadhead the rest if you want to limit self-sowing.

FROM PLANT · Borage reseeds itself easily. Leave some flowers to make seed for next year, or collect the seed. Snip flowers off if you do not want too many volunteers.Borage self-sows freely: leave some late flowers to set and drop seed for volunteers, or collect seed from dried heads. Deadhead if you want to limit how much it reseeds.

Beginner

Know your soil

Your soil

Identify yours

Not sure what soil you have? Grab a small handful of damp soil from your garden bed and squeeze it. If it crumbles apart easily, it's sandy. If it holds together but breaks when you poke it, it's loam (what most vegetables want). If it stays in a hard, slippery ball, it's clay.

What this crop wants

Borage is not fussy about soil and grows well even in poor ground, as long as water drains away and does not pool. Ordinary, well-drained garden soil is perfect. Very rich soil just makes big floppy plants, and soggy soil rots the roots, so pick a spot that drains well and go easy on the compost.

If your soil doesn't match

You have sandy soil

Mix 2-3 inches of compost into the top 6 inches of your bed before planting. Compost holds moisture (which sandy soil drains too fast) and adds the nutrients sandy soil tends to lack. Repeat each season. Compost breaks down over time.

You have clay soil

Mix 2-3 inches of compost AND a few inches of coarse sand or perlite into the top 6 inches of your bed. The compost feeds the plants; the sand breaks up the clay so air and water can move through. Don't add sand without compost. It can compact like concrete.

Containers and raised beds

If amending your soil sounds like too much work, or if your soil is heavy clay, full of rocks, or contaminated, build over it. A raised bed at least 12 inches deep filled with a 50/50 mix of compost and sandy loam gives you ideal growing soil with no battles. A 5-gallon container with quality potting mix does the same for one plant at a time. Both bypass your native soil entirely.

Learn more about your soil

The specs

Care guide

The numbers that matter, at a glance.

Sunlight

full sun to part shade · 6-8 hrs/day

Water

moderate

Spacing

12-24 inches

Soil

loam, sandy loam

Days to maturity

45-60 days from transplant

Soil pH

6 to 7

Container OK?

Yes · 3+ gal pot

Germination temp

65-70°F

Soil chemistry

Soil pH for borage

Preferred

6 to 7

Tolerated

5.5 to 8

Borage is not picky about soil pH (how acidic or alkaline the soil is). A normal garden range of about 6.0 to 7.0 is ideal, and it tolerates soil well outside that, so you usually do not need to change anything.Borage performs best across roughly 6.0 to 7.0 and is broadly adaptable to soil chemistry; extension descriptions record it growing in acid, neutral, and alkaline soils alike (tolerating roughly 5.5 to 8.0). pH adjustment is rarely warranted, so focus on drainage and modest fertility instead.

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Steady hand on the hose

Watering

When & how much

Frequency

Keep the soil damp while the seeds sprout and the young plants get going. After that, borage is tough and drought-tolerant, so water only when the soil has dried out. Do not keep it soggy, and water the soil, not the leaves.Keep the soil evenly moist through germination and until seedlings are established, then water only when the soil dries; borage is notably drought-tolerant once established and resents constantly wet soil, which rots its roots. Water at the base and keep the foliage dry to limit powdery mildew.

Amount

While plants are young, give about an inch of water a week counting rain. Once borage is grown in, it needs much less; water deeply now and then and let the soil dry out in between. It handles dry weather better than wet.During establishment, aim for steady moisture, roughly an inch of water per week from rain plus irrigation; once established, borage needs far less and tolerates dry spells, so let the soil dry between deep waterings. Overwatering does more harm than a little drought.

Method

Water the ground around the plant, not the leaves. A soaker hose or a watering can at the base is best, because dry leaves resist mildew. If leaves get wet, water in the morning so they dry off by midday.Water at the base with drip or a soaker hose and keep the foliage dry; overhead wetting in warm, humid weather invites powdery mildew. If you must water overhead, do it in the morning so leaves dry quickly.

Signs of trouble

Too much water

If the lower leaves yellow, the plant wilts even though the soil is wet, or the base turns soft and mushy, you are overwatering or the soil drains poorly.Yellowing lower leaves, wilting despite wet soil, and a soft, rotting stem base signal overwatering or poor drainage; persistently wet foliage also raises powdery-mildew pressure.

Too little water

Borage often wilts a bit in the afternoon heat and perks back up in the evening, which is normal. If it stays wilted, looks dull, and stops growing, it is too dry, especially right after planting.Wilting in the heat of the day that recovers by evening is normal for this big, thin-leaved plant; persistent wilting, dulling leaves, and stalled growth mean it is genuinely too dry, most critically during establishment and heavy bloom.

Feeding rhythm

Feeding

Frequency

light

Type

Balanced or low-nitrogen

When to start

At planting, then sparingly

Borage barely needs feeding and even grows in poor soil. Mix a little compost or balanced fertilizer into the ground at planting and that is usually all it needs. Too much fertilizer, especially the high-nitrogen kind, just gives you a giant floppy plant with fewer flowers.Borage is a light feeder that thrives even in poor soil, so it needs little supplemental fertilizer. A modest amount of compost or a balanced feed worked in at planting is plenty. Excess nitrogen produces soft, oversized, floppy plants that flower less and are more prone to powdery mildew, so favor a balanced or slightly low-nitrogen feed and skip routine feeding once plants are established.

N · P · K = 10-10-10

The three numbers on fertilizer (N-P-K) are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. For borage, a balanced one like 10-10-10 is fine, used sparingly; avoid a high first-number (nitrogen) lawn feed, which gives leaves instead of flowers.A balanced ratio such as 10-10-10 worked in lightly at planting suits borage; some growers give a monthly half-strength balanced feed, but a high-nitrogen lawn-type feed only pushes floppy foliage over flowers.

Flower care

Deadheading borage

Flower form

star-shaped, five-petaled, sky-blue (sometimes pink or white), nodding in branched clusters, under 1 inch across

Deadheading means snipping off flowers once they fade. Doing it regularly keeps borage blooming for weeks instead of going to seed, and it also cuts down on how much borage reseeds itself. Snip spent flowers off before they drop seed if you want fewer volunteers, or leave a few at the end of the season so it comes back on its own. Picking flowers to eat or for a vase does the same thing.Deadhead or cut borage's spent flowers regularly to prolong bloom; it flowers for many weeks when older flowers are removed and slows once it is allowed to set seed. Deadheading also curbs its prolific self-sowing, so remove spent flowers before seed drops if you want fewer volunteers, and leave a few late heads if you want it to return on its own. Cutting stems for the vase or for edible flowers does the same job.

Who grows well together

Companion planting

Borage is one of the classic companion plants, and its superpower is bees. It flowers for a long time and is a magnet for honey bees, bumble bees, and native bees, so planting it among vegetables draws in pollinators and helpful insects. Gardeners traditionally set it near tomatoes, squash, and strawberries: near squash, melons, and cucumbers it helps pollination; near tomatoes and strawberries it is a long-standing companion said to help them along and bring in the beneficial bugs that eat pests like hornworms. Those pest-fighting claims are garden tradition rather than proven fact, so enjoy borage mainly as a pollinator plant. Just give it lots of room, since it gets big and sprawly, and keep it a bit apart from squash so both get airflow, because they can share powdery mildew. Borage's best-grounded companion value is as a premier insectary and pollinator plant: its long succession of nectar-rich blue flowers strongly attracts honey bees, bumble bees, and native bees, along with beneficial predators, which is well documented by extension. Interplanted around squash, melons, and cucumbers it is credited with improving pollination, and it is a long-standing traditional companion for tomatoes and strawberries (West Virginia University lists it among strawberry companions), with grower lore that it improves their vigor, flavor, and pest resistance and draws in predators of tomato hornworm. Those neighbor-benefit and pest-repellent effects are traditional practice rather than trialed results, so they are framed as tradition. There is no biologically antagonistic companion to avoid; site borage for full sun and airflow, give it generous room because it sprawls, and keep it from crowding squash since the two share powdery-mildew susceptibility.

Other

Bees and pollinators (insectary planting)

Borage is one of the very best plants for attracting bees and other pollinators, and it flowers for a long time. An edge or patch of borage brings pollinators and helpful insects to the whole garden.Borage's strongest, best-documented companion function. Its long-blooming, nectar-rich flowers recruit honey bees, bumble bees, native bees, and beneficial predators, supporting pollination and biological control nearby. Plant it as an insectary edge or interplant; this is a habitat and pollination benefit rather than a documented pest-repellent effect. Well-grounded

Squash, melons, and cucumbers (pollination)

Borage's bees help pollinate squash, melons, and cucumbers, which need lots of bee visits to set fruit. Plant borage nearby, but leave room so both get airflow, since they can share powdery mildew.A pollination-support pairing. Cucurbits are bee-pollinated and benefit from more pollinator visits; borage's heavy bee draw makes it a sensible interplant around squash, melons, and cucumbers. Space it generously, since borage and squash share powdery-mildew susceptibility and both want airflow. Well-grounded

Tomatoes

Borage is a traditional companion for tomatoes. Gardeners say it helps tomatoes grow better and brings in insects that eat tomato hornworms. Treat this as helpful garden tradition, and enjoy the bees either way.A classic traditional pairing. Borage is set near tomatoes on the tradition that it improves their growth and disease resistance and recruits predators of tomato hornworm; the mechanism (habitat for beneficials) is plausible but the benefit is traditional practice, not trialed. The dependable payoff is the pollinator and beneficial-insect habitat borage provides. Traditional

Strawberries

Borage is a well-known strawberry companion. Its flowers bring in bees to pollinate the berries, and gardeners plant a few among strawberries to help flavor and yield. Give it room so it does not shade the low strawberry plants.A documented traditional companion for strawberries (West Virginia University lists borage among strawberry companions; UC ANR notes growers tuck a few plants into beds to enhance flavor and yield). The reliable benefit is bee pollination of the berries; keep the large borage plants to the edges so they do not shade the low strawberries. Traditional

Provenance tagged inline · see methodology for the labeling system Key

Cutting for the vase

When to cut

Borage is mostly for its bees, its blue edible flowers, and its cucumber-tasting young leaves. Pick young leaves before they get too fuzzy and prickly, and pick open flowers on a dry day, snapping off the fuzzy green part behind each one. Only eat borage that has not been sprayed, and eat it in small amounts. Use the leaves in salads and drinks and the flowers as a garnish or frozen in ice cubes. Wear gloves because the stems are prickly.Borage is grown for garden color, a strong pollinator draw, edible flowers, and cucumber-flavored leaves. Harvest young, tender leaves before they turn too bristly, and pick fully open flowers on a dry day, pulling off the fuzzy green sepals behind each bloom. Use only unsprayed plants and eat borage in moderation. The leaves go into salads, teas, and cool drinks; the blue flowers are a garnish or can be frozen into ice cubes. Wear gloves, since the stems are prickly.

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Bloom yield

What to expect

One borage plant is big and flowers for weeks, giving you plenty of blue flowers and young cucumber-tasting leaves; one or two plants are usually plenty. Keep snipping faded flowers and more keep coming, and it reseeds itself for next year.A single borage plant is large and long-blooming, producing a steady succession of small blue flowers over many weeks along with an ongoing supply of young cucumber-flavored leaves; one or two plants easily cover a household's garnish and pollinator needs. Deadheading sustains bloom, and the plant self-sows to renew itself.

Borage flowers the same season you plant it, about eight weeks after sowing, and you can pick young leaves even earlier. There is no waiting year, and it usually comes back on its own from dropped seed.Borage flowers the first season from seed, roughly 8 weeks after sowing, so there is no establishment year; young leaves can be picked even sooner, and the plant self-sows for the following year.

What changes yield

Season fit: borage yields most in mild conditions; extreme summer heat and humidity cut it short, so it is grown through summer in cool regions and in the cool season in hot ones.Deadheading cadence: regular deadheading or cutting sustains bloom; unpicked plants set seed and slow.Spacing and airflow: generous spacing limits powdery mildew and keeps large plants productive longer.Soil and feeding: lean soil and light feeding give sturdier, better-flowering plants; rich soil makes floppy foliage.Self-sowing: allowing some seed set renews the planting for free the next season.

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Pick your variety

Recommended varieties

The plain blue borage is the classic choice and the best one for bees, and it reseeds itself easily. If you want something different, 'Alba' has white flowers instead of blue, and variegated types like 'Bill Archer' have pretty cream-and-green leaves. They are all the same easy plant with edible flowers and cucumber-tasting leaves, and they all come back from their own dropped seed.For most gardens the ordinary blue species is the one to grow: it is the strongest bee draw, self-sows freely, and gives the classic edible sky-blue stars. 'Alba' is a white-flowered form of the same easygoing plant, useful in white or cottage plantings, and the variegated selections ('Bill Archer', 'Variegata') are grown more for their cream-splashed foliage than for a different flower. All are the same species, are edible-flowered and cucumber-leaved, and come readily from saved or self-sown seed; the simple, open single flowers of every form serve pollinators well.

Common blue borage

the wild species, Borago officinalis; sky-blue star flowers, the best type for bees and self-sowing

'Alba'

white-flowered borage; same habit and cucumber-flavored leaves, with clean white blooms

'Bill Archer'

variegated borage; leaves splashed cream and green, blue flowers, more ornamental

'Variegata'

a general variegated selection grown for cream-marbled foliage

In the vase

Vase life

Borage is a plant for the garden, the bees, and fresh use, not for storing like vegetables. Pick young leaves before they get too fuzzy and prickly, and pick open flowers on a dry day. Snap off the fuzzy green part behind each flower before eating it. The leaves taste like cucumber in salads and drinks, and the blue flowers make a pretty garnish or can be frozen in ice cubes. Only eat borage that has not been sprayed, and eat it only in small amounts: borage leaves contain natural compounds called pyrrolizidine alkaloids that can harm the liver if eaten in large or frequent amounts, so keep borage to a garnish or an occasional few leaves. Wear gloves when you pick it because the stems are prickly.Borage is grown for bloom, a top pollinator draw, and edible leaves and flowers, so the refrigerate and freeze fields do not apply as they would for produce. Harvest young, tender leaves before they turn too bristly, and pick fully open flowers on a dry day; pull off and discard the fuzzy green sepals behind each flower before eating. The leaves taste of cucumber and are used in salads, teas, and cool drinks; the blue flowers are a garnish and can be frozen into ice cubes. Use only unsprayed plants, and eat borage in moderation: the leaves contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which NC State notes can damage the liver and lungs, so use them only sparingly, and borage also has a diuretic effect in large amounts. Wear gloves when harvesting, since the stems and older leaves are prickly.

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When something goes wrong

Common problems

Frost killed the plantsPlants killed by frost

01 of 06

What happened Borage cannot take frost. A hard freeze killed it, which is just what happens at the end of the season in cold areas.Borage is frost-tender; a hard freeze kills it outright, and the first fall frost ends the planting in cold regions. This is normal, not a mistake. Next season Plant borage after your last frost, and know the first fall frost ends it. In hot areas, grow it in the cool season. It usually reseeds itself.Sow borage after the last spring frost and expect the first fall frost to end it; in hot regions grow it in the frost-free cool season. It self-sows to return.

Leaves got a white powdery coatingWhite powdery film on the leaves (powdery mildew)

02 of 06

What happened A white powdery mildew covered the leaves, usually from crowding, humidity, or warming weather.Powdery mildew took hold, favored by warm, humid, still, crowded conditions and worsening as summer heat and humidity build; it is borage's main disease. Next season Give plants more room and sun, water the soil instead of the leaves, and pick off bad leaves. In hot, damp areas grow it in the cool season.Space plants generously for airflow, grow in full sun, water at the base, and remove affected leaves; in hot, humid regions grow borage in the cooler season.

Borage got big and floppyPlant grew huge, soft, and floppy with few flowers

03 of 06

What happened The plant got big and floppy with fewer flowers, usually from too much fertilizer or water, or not enough sun.Too-rich soil, excess nitrogen, shade, or overwatering push borage into soft, oversized, sprawling growth at the expense of flowers. Next season Go easy on fertilizer and water, give it full sun and space, and it will be sturdier with more flowers.Grow borage in lean soil and full sun, feed lightly if at all, and give it room; it performs best when not pampered.

Borage quit flowering and set seedPlants stopped blooming and went to seed

04 of 06

What happened Borage slowed its flowering because it started making seeds, or because it got hot. Snipping faded flowers keeps more coming.Left unpicked, borage shifts energy into setting seed and slows blooming; heat also drives it to finish. Regular deadheading keeps it flowering longer. Next season Keep snipping faded flowers for more blooms. In hot weather it will finish naturally, and its dropped seed brings new plants.Deadhead or cut regularly to sustain bloom; in hot regions expect a natural finish and rely on self-sown volunteers or a cool-season sowing.

Young plants fell over or the base rottedSeedlings collapsed or the base rotted

05 of 06

What happened A rot at the base, from soggy soil, killed the plants. Overwatering or poor drainage is the usual cause.Root and stem rot from cold, wet, poorly drained soil; borage is drought-tolerant and rots when kept soggy. Next season Plant in soil that drains well and do not overwater. Borage would rather be a bit dry than soggy.Sow into well-drained soil, water only when the soil dries, and avoid soggy ground; borage prefers to run a little dry.

Lots of borage volunteers appearedBorage popped up all over the garden

06 of 06

What happened Borage dropped seed and came up everywhere. It reseeds a lot, which can be handy or a nuisance.Borage is a prolific self-seeder and may naturalize or become weedy; a single plant can produce volunteers for a couple of seasons. Next season To have fewer volunteers, snip flowers off before they seed, and pull unwanted seedlings while small. Leave a few if you want borage back.Deadhead before seed sets to limit self-sowing, and pull unwanted volunteers while young (they are easy to remove); leave a few if you want it to return.

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The usual suspects

Pests & diseases

Pests

Aphids

P · 01

Diseases

Powdery mildew

D · 01

Root and stem rot in wet soil

D · 02

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Seasoned

Where to plant next year

Crop rotation

Rotating borage is not very important. Plant it in a different spot each year if you can, keep it away from squash so mildew does not spread between them, and clean up old leaves at the end of the season. Borage reseeds itself, so you will often get new plants popping up on their own.Rotation is a minor concern for a fast, self-seeding annual herb in a family (Boraginaceae) that rarely overlaps with vegetable crops. Moving borage to a fresh spot and clearing debris limits carryover of powdery mildew, and keeping it away from powdery-mildew-prone squash helps both. Because it reseeds readily, plan on volunteers and thin or relocate them for airflow.

Family

Boraginaceae

Years between

1 years

in the same bed

Avoid following

Borage is in the borage family, which has few common vegetables, so there is little to avoid. Just do not replant it in the same spot if it had bad mildew, and clean up old leaves at the end of the season. Note that borage drops seed and usually comes back on its own nearby.Borage is in the borage family (Boraginaceae), a family with few common garden vegetables, so rotation conflicts are minimal; simply avoid replanting it in a bed where borage or other borage-family plants had heavy powdery mildew, and clear plant debris at season end. Because borage self-sows freely, expect volunteers regardless of any rotation plan.

Plant after

legumesleafy greens

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In the app · pre-launch

When plant taps you on the shoulder

The plant app sends a timely reminder at every critical moment of your borage season. The wording adjusts to whichever you pick: beginner or seasoned. Here are three you'll see in Zone 5.

plant

Last frost arrives

Time to plant borage

Sow borage seeds around your last frost (or in the cool season if summers are hot). Plant them right where you want them, cover about half an inch deep, and space them 12 to 24 inches apart.

plant

Seedling arrives

Space out your seedlings

Space your borage plants 12 to 24 inches apart now, because they get big and need air around them.

plant

Flowering arrives

Time to pick and deadhead

Your borage is flowering. Pick young leaves and open flowers to use fresh (in small amounts), and snip off faded flowers for more blooms. Leave a few at the end to reseed.

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Common questions

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How we built this guide

Methodology & sources

Every date, temperature, spacing, and recommendation on this page is sourced from university cooperative extension publications, peer-reviewed agricultural research, NOAA climate data, and direct extension calendars. Where claims are softer (traditional gardening wisdom not formally documented), we say so.

Research-backed Documented in cooperative extension publications or peer-reviewed research

Well-grounded A known agronomic principle, but not formally tested for this specific pair

Traditional Time-tested gardening wisdom, limited formal research support

Last reviewed

July 2, 2026

Data version

crops_data_final · v1.0 · schema 2.9

Sources cited on this page

16 publications

Verified entries

Companion-planting claims tagged inline · zone dates verified against 5+ extensions

See all sources cited on this page

University of Minnesota Extension umn_ext
University of Maryland Extension umd_ext
Cornell Cooperative Extension cornell_ext
Iowa State University Extension iastate_ext
Michigan State University Extension msu_ext
NC State Extension ncsu_ext
Penn State Extension psu_ext
U. of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Extension uiuc_ext
UC Davis Postharvest Center ucd_postharvest
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension tamu_agrilife
Virginia Cooperative Extension 426-331 vce_426_331
Piedmont Master Gardeners piedmont_mg
UGA Vegetable Garden Calendar uga_calendar
Clemson Home & Garden Information Center clemson_hgic
UC IPM Statewide IPM Program uc_ipm
NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals noaa_normals

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