Borage in Zone 7B — Texas

Borage, with its delicate cucumber flavor, is a unique addition to any Texas garden. You can toss the young leaves into salads, use the beautiful blue star-shaped flowers as edible garnishes, or even candy them. Plus, borage is a pollinator magnet, drawing beneficial insects to your garden. It's incredibly satisfying to grow something so pretty and useful here in our unpredictable Texas climate.

Now, we all know gardening in Texas isn't always a walk in the park. We've got the Texas heat, occasional drought, and the odd hailstorm to contend with. But don’t let that scare you! Borage is pretty adaptable, and with our long 255-day growing season, you've got plenty of time to get a crop in, even with the weather curveballs.

If you're itching to get a jump start, you can transplant borage seedlings outdoors from late February through late March. Just make sure you harden them off first by gradually exposing them to outdoor conditions for about a week.

When transplanting, give each plant plenty of room – about 12-18 inches apart. This helps with air circulation, which is important in our sometimes humid Texas climate.

Keep an eye on the weather forecast around transplant time. A late freeze can happen, even in Texas, so be ready to cover your young plants if temperatures dip unexpectedly.

Direct sowing is the way to go with borage, and it's super easy. You can sow seeds directly into your garden beds from early March through mid September. Borage germinates best when the soil temperature is around 60-70°F.

Before sowing, loosen the soil and amend with compost. Plant seeds about ½ inch deep and 12-18 inches apart. Keep the soil consistently moist until seedlings emerge.

Borage is known to self-seed readily, so be prepared to have new plants popping up in your garden. Some folks consider it a plus, others a nuisance. Either way, it's a testament to how easily borage grows here!

Borage needs moderate watering to thrive, especially during our hot Texas summers. While it's fairly easy-going, it's not very drought-tolerant, so don't let it dry out completely.

During the spring and fall, when temperatures are milder, aim to water deeply once a week, providing about 1 inch of water. In the heat of summer, you'll likely need to water more frequently, possibly every other day or even daily during extended dry spells. Stick your finger about 2 inches deep into the soil. If it feels dry, it's time to water.

Water at the base of the plant to avoid wetting the leaves, which can encourage fungal diseases, especially with our variable humidity. Signs of underwatering include wilting leaves and stunted growth. Overwatering can lead to yellowing leaves and root rot. A layer of mulch around your borage plants will help retain moisture and suppress weeds, which is always a win in Texas.

You can expect your first borage harvest from early May through late November, about 55 days after sowing. The star-shaped blue flowers are ready to harvest when they're fully open. The young leaves are also edible and can be harvested throughout the growing season. They have a mild cucumber-like flavor.

To harvest the flowers, simply snip them off with scissors or pluck them gently. For the leaves, harvest the younger ones, as they're more tender and flavorful. Avoid taking too many leaves from a single plant at once, to ensure continued production.

As our first frost approaches around mid- November, harvest any remaining flowers and leaves. Borage can usually handle a light frost, but a hard freeze will likely kill it. You can let some flowers go to seed if you want borage to return next year.

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

Self-seeding aggressively

• What it looks like: Borage seedlings popping up everywhere in your garden, even where you didn't plant them.
• What causes it: Borage is a prolific self-seeder. The seeds drop and germinate easily, especially in our mild winters.
• How to fix/prevent it: Deadhead flowers before they go to seed, or pull out unwanted seedlings as they appear. You can also contain borage in pots.

Powdery mildew

• What it looks like: White or grayish powdery coating on leaves, stems. Leaves may curl, yellow, and die.
• What causes it: 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. Remove affected leaves. Neem oil or potassium bicarbonate sprays can help. Milk spray (1 part milk to 9 parts water) is surprisingly effective.

Can become leggy

• What it looks like: Tall, spindly plants with fewer leaves and flowers, often flopping over.
• What causes it: Insufficient sunlight or too much fertilizer.
• How to fix/prevent it: Plant borage in a location that receives at least 6 hours of sunlight per day. Avoid over-fertilizing, as this can promote excessive vegetative growth at the expense of flowers.

Texas Specific Challenges: The hot-to-extreme heat, variable humidity, and unpredictable rainfall in Texas can exacerbate these problems. Heat stress can weaken plants, making them more susceptible to powdery mildew. Erratic rainfall can create inconsistent moisture levels, which can stress plants and encourage self-seeding.

Borage is a great companion plant for many vegetables and herbs in your Texas garden. It's particularly beneficial to tomatoes because it deters tomato hornworms. It also attracts pollinators, which can improve fruit set for squash and cucumbers. Strawberries also benefit from borage, as it can help deter pests and diseases.

I haven't found any bad companions for Borage, so plant it freely!