Borage in Zone 7A — Northeast

Borage is a fantastic addition to any Northeast garden. Its beautiful blue, star-shaped flowers are not only edible and add a refreshing cucumber-like flavor to salads and drinks, but they also attract pollinators to your other crops, which is invaluable during our short growing season. Plus, the satisfaction of growing something so useful and beautiful is hard to beat!

Our region's climate can be tricky with its late frosts and relatively short summers, but borage is a forgiving plant and easy to get established. You can easily fit in a couple of sowings within our 198-day growing season, ensuring a steady supply of flowers and leaves from early June until the first frosts arrive.

You can transplant borage seedlings outdoors in late March through late April, once the danger of hard frost has passed. Even though borage is frost-hardy, a sudden cold snap can still set back young plants, so keep an eye on the forecast.

Before transplanting, be sure to harden off your seedlings. Gradually expose them to outdoor conditions for about a week, increasing the time spent outside each day. This will help them adjust to the cooler temperatures and stronger sunlight of our Northeast spring.

When transplanting, space your borage plants about 12-18 inches apart. This will give them enough room to bush out without overcrowding.

Direct sowing is the preferred method for borage, and it's incredibly easy. You can start sowing seeds directly into your garden beds from early April through mid August. Borage germinates best when the soil temperature is around 60-70°F, which it usually is by this time.

Prepare your soil by loosening it and removing any large rocks – we know all about rocky New England soil! Sow seeds about 1/2 inch deep and 12-18 inches apart. Keep the soil consistently moist until the seedlings emerge, which should take about a week.

Borage self-seeds readily, so be prepared to find new plants popping up in your garden. You can either let them grow or thin them out as needed. I often just let them go; free plants!

Borage needs moderate watering to thrive in our Northeast gardens. While it's a pretty easy-going plant, it's not truly drought-tolerant, so don't neglect it completely.

During the spring and early summer, when rainfall is typically more frequent, you might only need to water your borage plants once or twice a week, depending on how much rain we get. Use 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.

In the hotter, more humid days of mid-summer, you may need to water more frequently. Try to water at the base of the plants to avoid wetting the foliage, which can increase the risk of fungal diseases in our moderately humid climate. Yellowing leaves can indicate overwatering, while wilting leaves mean it's time to give them a drink. A good layer of mulch around your borage plants will help retain moisture and keep the soil cool.

You can expect your first borage harvest in early June if you start sowing in early April. Depending on your last sowing date, you can continue harvesting through early November, right up until the first frosts of late October.

Harvest the star-shaped blue flowers when they are fully open. The young leaves are also edible and taste like cucumber. To harvest, simply snip off the flowers or leaves with scissors or your fingers. Be gentle to avoid damaging the plant.

Regular harvesting encourages continued production. The more you harvest, the more flowers and leaves your borage plant will produce. As the end of the season approaches and the first frost looms, harvest as many flowers and leaves as you can. You can dry the flowers for later use or add the leaves to salads or other dishes.

Here are some common problems you might encounter growing borage in the Northeast:

Self-seeding Aggressively

• What it looks like: Borage plants popping up everywhere in your garden where you didn't plant them.
• What causes it: Borage readily drops seeds, and they germinate easily, especially in our reliably moist conditions.
• How to fix/prevent it: Deadhead the flowers before they go to seed. If you want some volunteers, let a few flowers mature, but remove the rest. You can also pull up unwanted seedlings as they appear.

Powdery Mildew

• What it looks like: White or grayish powdery coating on leaves and stems.
• What causes it: Fungi thrive in warm days, cool nights, and moderate humidity – common conditions in the Northeast. Dry leaf surfaces actually favor it.
• How to fix/prevent it: Improve air circulation by spacing plants properly and pruning if needed. Remove affected leaves. Neem oil or potassium bicarbonate sprays can help. A milk spray (1 part milk to 9 parts water) can also be effective.

Can Become Leggy

• What it looks like: Tall, spindly plants with fewer leaves and flowers.
• What causes it: Insufficient sunlight or overly rich soil.
• How to fix/prevent it: Plant in a location that receives at least 6 hours of sunlight per day. Avoid over-fertilizing. Pruning can also help encourage bushier growth.

Northeast Specific Challenges: Our moderate heat, moderate-to-humid humidity, and even rainfall can create ideal conditions for powdery mildew. Be sure to provide good air circulation and monitor your plants regularly. The reliable rainfall usually keeps them happy, but watch out for extended dry spells.

Borage is a great companion plant for many vegetables and herbs in the Northeast garden. It's known to attract pollinators, which can benefit tomatoes, squash, strawberries, and cucumbers. Specifically:

• Tomatoes: Borage is thought to deter tomato hornworms.
• Squash: Attracts pollinators which helps with fruit set.
• Strawberries: Borage is believed to improve strawberry flavor and vigor.
• Cucumbers: Attracts pollinators which helps with fruit set.

There aren't really any specific "bad" companions for borage, but be mindful of its self-seeding habit. Avoid planting it too close to delicate or slow-growing plants that might be overwhelmed by its vigorous growth.