Borage

[Alan]

anbody here grow this in their garden to attract pollinators. I grew a few plants last year and one of our neighbors about a half mile away has 10 bee hives, I could watch the bees come and go like clockwork everyday doing their job, it was really cool to see how hard those little pollinators work to feed their hive (and me of course)! Someone told me that borage is great in salads, have yet to try it because it seems a bit "fuzzy", maybe i'll have the fortitude to try it out this year! Any advice on preparation?

[kimikat]

Seems to me I saw something about that on the food network.

I remember the first day those bees did that, I was terrified to walk through them. There were ALOT on every plant.

[kimikat]

Here are a couple of Borage Recipe's

www.gardensablaze.com/HerbBorageRec.htm

The link below has several uses for borage, including medicinal, ie it is an expectorant.

www.herb.co.za/herbal/borage_more.htm

[brook]

Haven't checked the links, so if this is repetitious I apologize. But borage flowers are edible, and make a great addition to salads.

Borage should be interplanted with your tomatoes, btw, because it helps deter tomato hornworms.

[lavandulagirl]

Ego borago gaudia semper ago. Borage is one of the earliest known remedies for depression.

[jeannine]

I grew some several years ago, between the maters BTW. I didn't notice that helped all that much. But the garden area wasn't the best, it was the previous owners garden, and the general health of the plants wasn't what I was accustomed to in my city gardens. The following year I didn't plant a garden at all, but those beautiful Borages came back! That was the last time I had Borage in my garden, now that the garden has a new and improved home I'm hoping I'll find some space to plant the last of my seed! I also read that the flowers can be used in salad, and I think I remember reading that if you dry the leaves you can brew a tea with them. I will have to go check some of my old issues of Country Side to see if I can find out more.

Jeannine

[bunkie]

we grow borage too...didn't know that it was for depression?! we love the cucumber tasting flowers. and they do come back voluntarily each year. peace, bunkie.

[flowerpower]

So if I start it now, I will get flowers this yr? Any advice on starting it?

[lavandulagirl]

FP - Loose soil (should be no problem for you, since you've got that Stout method going on), technically it's an annual, but there are biennial verieties, so you may not get flowers the first year. Give it room - it can get pretty big - I'd thin to 18" to 2 ft. It's a great bee and butterfly attractor when it flowers. I've heard growing it near strawberries is a good thing from a companion planting stand point, but make sure the borage isn't a bully! I think I may have read that in the Rodale book....

[lavandulagirl]

Oh - and it has tender feet - direct sow, or transplant really early on...

[bluelacedredhead]

I had borage in the herb garden at our last house. I didn't plant it; it was already there. But I just recall it being prolific. I didn't use it as much as I should I suppose. And I never thought to bring any with us when we moved, probably because I didn't use it. I got one of my old herb books out last night. I'll see if I have any notes about borage in it.

[flowerpower]

OK I thought I read it was a biennial. I guess I better start it now.

[bluelacedredhead]

so FP, how did the planting go?? I have to start the Borage seeds that Sammy gave me, but she only had a few to share, due to an unfortunate incident. So I must make the most out of the one's I have.

I didn't start the borage I had at the last house. It was already there...
Pointers Pleez!

[flowerpower]

I can't remember if I didn't start it or if it didn't germinate. I think I still have seed for it. If so I will try again.

[bluelacedredhead]

That's alright. I'll read the pages on borage in Bunny Foster's herb book again before I do anything with Sammy's precious seeds.