Borage
Borage is a herb in the Boraginaceae family. It grows best in full sun to part shade with medium moisture, and is listed for USDA zones 2-11. Plants reach harvest about 55–70 days after planting and sit about 12 inches apart.
Varieties
2 from Seeds Now & True Leaf Market · sorted by days to maturity▸Borage55–60 days
Direct sow; Grows well in full sun; Grows well with raised beds; Matures in <90 days
Borage, also called Starflower, is a fast-growing flowering herb with bright blue star-shaped flowers and fuzzy stems and leaves, all edible and they taste like cucumber. Grows 1'-3' tall and reseeds liberally, so it can become invasive. Use the young leaves like spinach and the sweet little flowers as a charming garnish on salads and cakes, or frozen into ice cubes. Easy to dry and use as a refreshing herbal tea. Cucumber flavor Garden companion superstar Culinary and medicinal Spreads easily A valuable companion in the vegetable garden, it repels cabbage moths, cabbage white butterfly, cabbage worms, and tomato hornworms; attracts pollinators and beneficial insects; acts as a trap crop for grasshoppers; and feeds the soil as a green manure or mulch. As a medicinal herb, Borage is used internally to treat anxiety, colds, congestion, cough, depression, fever, hot flashes, insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), upset stomach, and urinary problems, and externally to treat insect bites and stings, skin irritations, and swelling. ⚠️ Toxic to pets and livestock. Do not ingest while pregnant or nursing, or if you have liver problems. ⚠️ Medicinal properties are presented as information only, and are not a recommendation or prescription for use. Consult a medical professional before using any herb medicinally.
Growing notes: Botanical name: Borago officinalis|Life cycle: Herbaceous annual|Hardiness zones: 2-11|Planting season: Spring, summer|Days to maturity: 55-60 days; can begin harvesting when 6" tall|Depth to plant seeds: 1/4" deep|Days to germinate (sprout): 5-14 days|Germination soil temps: 65F-70F|Spacing between plants: 12"-18" apart|Spacing between rows: 18"-24" apart|# of plants per sq. ft.: Appx. 1 plant per sq. ft|Soil types: Clay, sandy, loamy, silty, rocky, chalky, poor, dry, moist, well-drained|Soil pH: 4.8-8.3|Sun needs: Full sun, part shade|Water needs: Average|Cold stratify: No|Frost tolerant: Yes|Heat tolerant: Yes|Drought tolerant: Yes|Deer resistant: Yes|Culinary use: Yes|Medicinal use: Yes|Good Companion Plants: Basil, Broccoli, Bean, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Collards, Cucumber, Eggplant, Fava Bean, Kale, Marigold, Melon, Mustard, Pea, Pepper, Pumpkin, Radish, Soybean, Squash, Strawberry, Tomato, Zucchini
View on Seeds Now ↗▸Organic60–70 days
Heirloom; Organic; Non-GMO; Annual; Container
60-70 Days to maturity. Borago officinalis. Organic Borage Seeds. Non-GMO, annual, open-pollinated, heirloom herb. Borage is commonly referred to as a starflower due to its beautiful, star-shaped blue flowers. This variety of borage is special because it's not only an attractive plant in the garden but also has numerous culinary and medicinal uses. Borage has a long history of use in traditional medicine and cuisine, particularly in the Mediterranean region. It has a cucumber-like flavor and can be grown as a microgreen. The plant is known for its ability to attract pollinators like bees, making it a great companion plant for your garden. While it is an annual, it may self-seed and return the following year in mild climates. ~950 seeds/oz.
View on True Leaf Market ↗
Plant spacing
In a square-foot bed, space borage about 12 in apart — that fits 1 plant in each 1-foot square (1×1). Wider rows or containers space the same.
Plan your borage planting
Add borage to a free GardenDraft plan and get sow, transplant, and harvest dates computed for your ZIP code — with a drag-and-drop bed layout and reminders when it’s time to plant.
Start your free plan →At a glance
Storing & preserving
Refrigerate stems in water, or wrap in a damp towel for a few days.
- Dry: Dehydrate or air-dry, then store airtight away from light.
- Freeze: Freeze chopped in oil or water in ice-cube trays.
General home-preservation guidance — for tested processing times and safety, follow the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
Growing timeline
Companion planting — with cited sources
From US/Canada cooperative-extension publications and peer-reviewed studies. Evidence-tier dots show how strongly each recommendation is backed: ●●● peer-reviewed mechanism · ●● extension consensus · ● traditional knowledge with a plausible mechanism.
Pairs well with (23)
- BasilEvidence tier C: Traditional practice with plausible mechanism but limited empirical replicationflavor-folklore
Listed as a companion on the seed supplier's grow guide — a traditional/vendor pairing with no documented mechanism.
Source: SeedsNow.com
- BeanEvidence tier C: Traditional practice with plausible mechanism but limited empirical replicationflavor-folklore
Listed as a companion on the seed supplier's grow guide — a traditional/vendor pairing with no documented mechanism.
Source: SeedsNow.com
- BroccoliEvidence tier C: Traditional practice with plausible mechanism but limited empirical replicationflavor-folklore
Listed as a companion on the seed supplier's grow guide — a traditional/vendor pairing with no documented mechanism.
Source: SeedsNow.com
- Brussels SproutsEvidence tier C: Traditional practice with plausible mechanism but limited empirical replicationflavor-folklore
Listed as a companion on the seed supplier's grow guide — a traditional/vendor pairing with no documented mechanism.
Source: SeedsNow.com
- CabbageEvidence tier C: Traditional practice with plausible mechanism but limited empirical replicationflavor-folklore
Listed as a companion on the seed supplier's grow guide — a traditional/vendor pairing with no documented mechanism.
Source: SeedsNow.com
- CauliflowerEvidence tier C: Traditional practice with plausible mechanism but limited empirical replicationflavor-folklore
Listed as a companion on the seed supplier's grow guide — a traditional/vendor pairing with no documented mechanism.
Source: SeedsNow.com
- CollardsEvidence tier C: Traditional practice with plausible mechanism but limited empirical replicationflavor-folklore
Listed as a companion on the seed supplier's grow guide — a traditional/vendor pairing with no documented mechanism.
Source: SeedsNow.com
- CucumberEvidence tier C: Traditional practice with plausible mechanism but limited empirical replicationflavor-folklore
Listed as a companion on the seed supplier's grow guide — a traditional/vendor pairing with no documented mechanism.
Source: SeedsNow.com
- EggplantEvidence tier C: Traditional practice with plausible mechanism but limited empirical replicationflavor-folklore
Listed as a companion on the seed supplier's grow guide — a traditional/vendor pairing with no documented mechanism.
Source: SeedsNow.com
- Fava BeanEvidence tier C: Traditional practice with plausible mechanism but limited empirical replicationflavor-folklore
Listed as a companion on the seed supplier's grow guide — a traditional/vendor pairing with no documented mechanism.
Source: SeedsNow.com
- KaleEvidence tier C: Traditional practice with plausible mechanism but limited empirical replicationflavor-folklore
Listed as a companion on the seed supplier's grow guide — a traditional/vendor pairing with no documented mechanism.
Source: SeedsNow.com
- MarigoldEvidence tier C: Traditional practice with plausible mechanism but limited empirical replicationflavor-folklore
Listed as a companion on the seed supplier's grow guide — a traditional/vendor pairing with no documented mechanism.
Source: SeedsNow.com
- MelonEvidence tier C: Traditional practice with plausible mechanism but limited empirical replicationflavor-folklore
Listed as a companion on the seed supplier's grow guide — a traditional/vendor pairing with no documented mechanism.
Source: SeedsNow.com
- MustardEvidence tier C: Traditional practice with plausible mechanism but limited empirical replicationflavor-folklore
Listed as a companion on the seed supplier's grow guide — a traditional/vendor pairing with no documented mechanism.
Source: SeedsNow.com
- PeaEvidence tier C: Traditional practice with plausible mechanism but limited empirical replicationflavor-folklore
Listed as a companion on the seed supplier's grow guide — a traditional/vendor pairing with no documented mechanism.
Source: SeedsNow.com
- PepperEvidence tier C: Traditional practice with plausible mechanism but limited empirical replicationflavor-folklore
Listed as a companion on the seed supplier's grow guide — a traditional/vendor pairing with no documented mechanism.
Source: SeedsNow.com
- PumpkinEvidence tier C: Traditional practice with plausible mechanism but limited empirical replicationflavor-folklore
Listed as a companion on the seed supplier's grow guide — a traditional/vendor pairing with no documented mechanism.
Source: SeedsNow.com
- RadishEvidence tier C: Traditional practice with plausible mechanism but limited empirical replicationflavor-folklore
Listed as a companion on the seed supplier's grow guide — a traditional/vendor pairing with no documented mechanism.
Source: SeedsNow.com
- SoybeanEvidence tier C: Traditional practice with plausible mechanism but limited empirical replicationflavor-folklore
Listed as a companion on the seed supplier's grow guide — a traditional/vendor pairing with no documented mechanism.
Source: SeedsNow.com
- SquashEvidence tier C: Traditional practice with plausible mechanism but limited empirical replicationflavor-folklore
Listed as a companion on the seed supplier's grow guide — a traditional/vendor pairing with no documented mechanism.
Source: SeedsNow.com
- StrawberryEvidence tier C: Traditional practice with plausible mechanism but limited empirical replicationflavor-folklore
Listed as a companion on the seed supplier's grow guide — a traditional/vendor pairing with no documented mechanism.
Source: SeedsNow.com
- TomatoEvidence tier C: Traditional practice with plausible mechanism but limited empirical replicationflavor-folklore
Listed as a companion on the seed supplier's grow guide — a traditional/vendor pairing with no documented mechanism.
Source: SeedsNow.com
- ZucchiniEvidence tier C: Traditional practice with plausible mechanism but limited empirical replicationflavor-folklore
Listed as a companion on the seed supplier's grow guide — a traditional/vendor pairing with no documented mechanism.
Source: SeedsNow.com
Sources cited
- S46
- SeedsNow.com — vendor grow-guide companion lists (traditional/vendor knowledge, not extension-verified)
Care & troubleshooting— extension-sourced, with citations
When to feed, prune & water
Attract beneficial insects and protect pollinators
Protection- Routine carePlant insectary flowers and tolerate light pestsstrong evidence — extension confidence
Grow a diversity of flowering plants (including small-flowered umbels and asters) to feed predators and parasitoids, and tolerate low pest numbers so natural enemies have prey to stick around.
- Routine careNever spray open bloomsstrong evidence — extension confidence
Avoid insecticides on flowering plants and apply any needed sprays in the evening when pollinators aren't active, and favor selective products over broad-spectrum ones to spare bees and beneficials.
Something looks wrong?
Describe what you see on your borageand we'll rank the likely causes — most likely first, least-invasive fix first.
Powdery mildew
Diseasemoderate- CulturalImprove airflow + remove worst leavesstrong evidence — extension confidence
Cut out the most heavily coated leaves and thin for airflow; avoid wetting foliage late in the day.
- OrganicPotassium-bicarbonate or sulfur - label use only· every 1 wk · ~4 wksmoderate evidence — extension confidence
Apply a labeled potassium-bicarbonate or sulfur fungicide weekly per the label. No sulfur within 2 weeks of oil or in high heat.
Aphids
Pestlow- CulturalBlast off with water· every 3 days · ~2 wksstrong evidence — extension confidence
Knock colonies off with a strong jet of water in the morning; repeat every few days. Light infestations rarely need more.
- OrganicInsecticidal soap - label use only· every 1 wk · ~3 wksmoderate evidence — extension confidence
For persistent colonies apply insecticidal soap to undersides per label. Avoid open flowers.