Borage in Zone 3A — Great Plains

Borage is a fantastic addition to any Great Plains garden. Its beautiful blue star-shaped flowers attract pollinators, and the leaves have a refreshing cucumber-like flavor that's delicious in salads and drinks. Plus, it's incredibly rewarding to grow a plant that thrives even with our intense sunshine.

Our short growing season and extreme weather can be a challenge, but borage matures quickly, fitting nicely into our 108-day window. Direct sowing after the last frost is the easiest method, and you'll be enjoying fresh borage in no time.

Transplanting borage seedlings outdoors should happen mid May through early June. Before you put them in the ground, harden them off. Give them about a week of gradual exposure to the outdoors, starting with a few hours a day in a sheltered spot.

Space your borage plants 12-18 inches apart to give them room to grow. Keep an eye on the weather during this time. Late frosts or unexpected hail can happen, so be ready to cover your young plants if necessary.

Direct sowing is the preferred method for borage in the Great Plains. Wait until late May through early July, after the danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed up a bit. Borage germinates best when the soil temperature is consistently above 60°F.

Prepare your garden bed by loosening the soil and removing any weeds. Sow the seeds about ½ inch deep and 12-18 inches apart. Keep the soil consistently moist until the seedlings emerge, which should take about a week or two. Borage self-seeds readily, so be prepared to have it pop up in unexpected places the following year!

Borage needs moderate watering, especially during our hot Plains summers. While it's not extremely drought-tolerant, it's also not fussy and can handle some variability. Getting your watering right is key to keeping it happy.

During the peak of summer, when temperatures soar into the 90s, check the soil moisture regularly. A good way to check is the "finger test": stick your finger about 2 inches deep into the soil. If it feels dry, it's time to water. Aim for about 1 inch of water per week, either from rainfall or irrigation. Given our low-to-moderate humidity, watering at the base of the plant is ideal to avoid potential fungal issues.

Signs of underwatering include wilting leaves and slow growth. Overwatering, on the other hand, can lead to yellowing leaves and root rot. A layer of mulch around the base of the plants can help retain moisture and regulate soil temperature, which is especially helpful with our extreme temperature swings.

You can expect your first borage harvest mid July through mid September, about 55 days after sowing. The best time to harvest the star-shaped blue flowers is when they are fully open and vibrant. The young leaves are also edible and have a mild, cucumber-like flavor.

To harvest the flowers, simply snip them off with scissors or your fingers. For the leaves, harvest them when they are young and tender. Avoid taking too many leaves from one plant at a time to ensure continued production. Borage is a continuous harvest plant, meaning you can keep harvesting throughout the growing season as long as the plant is healthy.

As our short growing season comes to an end in early September and the first frost approaches, you can harvest any remaining flowers and leaves. You can dry the flowers for later use or add the leaves to compost. If you let some of the plants go to seed, you'll likely have borage popping up again next spring!

Even though borage is relatively easy to grow, here are a few common problems you might encounter in the Great Plains:

Self-Seeding Aggressively

• What it looks like: Borage seedlings sprouting up everywhere in your garden, even in places you didn't plant them.
• What causes it: Borage is a prolific self-seeder. The seeds drop and can remain viable in the soil for a long time. Our variable rainfall can spread seeds around.
• How to fix/prevent it: Deadhead the flowers before they go to seed to prevent unwanted seedlings. You can also pull out any volunteer plants that pop up where you don't want them.

Powdery Mildew

• What it looks like: White or grayish powdery coating on leaves, stems, and sometimes flower buds. Leaves might curl, yellow, and eventually die.
• What causes it: Powdery mildew is caused by fungi that thrive in warm days, cool nights, and moderate humidity. Dry leaf surfaces actually favor it.
• How to fix/prevent it: Improve air circulation by spacing plants properly and pruning if needed. Remove and destroy affected leaves. Neem oil or potassium bicarbonate sprays can help. A milk spray (1 part milk to 9 parts water) can also be surprisingly effective.

Can Become Leggy

• What it looks like: Tall, spindly plants with few leaves, especially towards the bottom.
• What causes it: Insufficient sunlight or overcrowding.
• How to fix/prevent it: Ensure your borage plants get at least 6 hours of sunlight per day. If they are overcrowded, thin them out to provide more space. You can also pinch back the stems to encourage bushier growth.

Great Plains Specific Challenges: Our hot summers and variable rainfall can stress borage plants, making them more susceptible to powdery mildew. The wind can also cause leggy growth, so providing some wind protection is essential. Also, watch out for hail, which can damage the leaves and stems.

Borage is a great companion plant for several vegetables and herbs in the Great Plains garden. It attracts pollinators, which benefits tomatoes, squash, strawberries, and cucumbers, boosting their yields.

• Tomatoes: Borage deters tomato hornworms and attracts beneficial insects that prey on other tomato pests.
• Squash: Attracts pollinators, leading to better fruit set.
• Strawberries: Borage is said to improve the flavor and disease resistance of strawberries.
• Cucumbers: Attracts pollinators, resulting in more cucumbers.

Avoid planting borage near fennel, as they can inhibit each other's growth.