Borage Microgreens

Borago officinalis

Also known as: Starflower, Bee Bush, Bee Plant, Tailwort

Borage Microgreens is a microgreen 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 10–20 days after planting and sit about 12 inches apart.

Varieties

2 from True Leaf Market · sorted by days to maturity

▸Microgreens Seeds10–20 days
Heirloom; Non-GMO
10-20 days. Non-GMO Borage microgreens seed is a moderate to easy microgreen to grow. It may just take a little patience but these borage seeds will produce immensely healthy microgreens with succulent stems. Looking for cucumber microgreens? You've found it. Borage has strong cucumber flavor--sometimes referred to as "the cucumber microgreen", even though they aren't related. Fast Shipping. Available in paper packet and bulk sizes.
View on True Leaf Market ↗
▸Organic10–20 days
Organic; Non-GMO; Annual
10-20 Days to maturity. Borago officinalis. Organic Borage Microgreen Seeds. Non-GMO, organic, open-pollinated, heirloom, annual herb and microgreens seeds. These underutilized microgreens are striking with their vibrant green leaves and distinct, cucumber-like flavor with a delicate sweetness. While they are not the easiest microgreens to grow, they are well worth the patience necessary to learn to grow them properly. While borage, the mature plant, has been used as a nutritionally-dense medicinal herb for centuries, borage microgreens have an even higher nutritional content per gram and can be grown in a fraction of the time. ~950 seeds/oz.
View on True Leaf Market ↗

Family

Boraginaceae

Plant spacing

1 plant per square foot

In a square-foot bed, space borage microgreens about 12 in apart — that fits 1 plant in each 1-foot square (1×1). Wider rows or containers space the same.

Water

Medium

Plan your borage microgreens planting

Add borage microgreens 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.

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At a glance

Days to harvest

10–20 days

From transplant or sow to first harvest

Harvest style

Keep picking

Crops over several weeks

Frost tolerance

Hardy · to ~20°F

Lowest temperature the foliage usually survives

Succession

Good for succession sowing

Storing & preserving

Use fresh — refrigerate briefly; not suited to preserving.

General home-preservation guidance — for tested processing times and safety, follow the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

Growing timeline

Direct-sow borage microgreens 2 weeks before last frost; first harvest 1 week before last frost.

Outdoor planting

-14 to 0 days vs frost

Propagation

Seed

Schedule anchor

Last Frost

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.
Source: UC IPM; UMN Extension
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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.
Source: UC IPM
Schedule this in your garden →

Something looks wrong?

Describe what you see on your borage microgreensand we'll rank the likely causes — most likely first, least-invasive fix first.

Powdery mildew

Diseasemoderate

Symptoms: white powdery coating on upper leaf surfaces; starts as spots then spreads; leaves yellow and dry under the coating

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.
Source: UC IPM
Schedule this in your garden →
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.
Always follow the product label — it is the law.
Source: UC IPM
Schedule this in your garden →

Aphids

Pestlow

Symptoms: clusters of tiny soft-bodied insects on new growth and undersides; sticky honeydew or sooty mold; curled distorted new leaves; ants tending them

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.
Source: UC IPM: Aphids
Schedule this in your garden →
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.
Always follow the product label — it is the law.
Source: UC IPM
Schedule this in your garden →