B(caps)orage is a beautiful edible aromatic plant, also known as the bee flower, and originates from the Mediterranean region. It has many benefits for both you and your garden. If you are looking for an easy to grow herb with many uses, look no further than borage.
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Borage is an easy, fast-growing, annual herb with beautiful star shaped blue or white edible flowers. While it is considered a herb, it's often grown as a flower in vegetable gardens, borage is considered a good companion plant for tomatoes, squash, and strawberries, and many other plants. It’s even supposed to deter tomato hornworms and improve the flavor of tomatoes growing nearby. The leaves and the flowers of borage are edible, with a flavor like a cucumber. Borage leaves add a great, healthy addition to our salad.
It’s easiest to sow borage seeds directly into the garden in a full sun location. But if your growing season is not long enough, borage seeds cannot be sowed outside and should only be started indoors. Because of this, I’m going to teach you how to start borage seeds indoors and with simple steps you will have your seedlings ready to fill your garden with beautiful and attractive flowers to enjoy harvesting and using in many ways, so keep reading and learn how to start this must have aromatic herb in any organic garden!
Why starting borage indoors?
Starting borage indoors will give your plants a head start and means they will bloom more quickly when the growing season starts.
Where to buy borage seeds?
Borage seeds are black-brown, oblong, grooved on the sides with a little round hat on one end.
You can find Borage Seeds available at Amazon. Always make sure you buy them from a reliable source to ensure the seeds are viable!
When and how to sow borage seeds?
. Start seeds indoors three to four weeks before the last frost.
. Fill plastic cups with a high quality seed starting soil that has been mixed with enough water to get it damp.
. Sow two to three seeds 1 cm (½”) deep per cup, and cover with soil.
. Water the soil carefully, and try not to disturb the seeds.
. Keep the soil moist but not waterlogged.
. Place the plastic cups under grow lights or by a sunny window.
. You should start seeing seedlings stick their heads out of the ground in about 10 days.
First, you will see a pair of shiny, wavy cotyledons appear. Later, you’ll see the true leaves emerge. These are hairy and have a matte, rough texture.
. If your seedlings are looking leggy, use a grow light. A grow light is so great for seedlings and easy to position pretty much anywhere.
. Borage seeds have a high germination rate, so you’ll likely need to thin them out. If you have more than two seedling into the containers, thin them out to one or two plants per pot when they have at least one set of true leaves.
. Just pluck out the weaker, thinner, or shorter plants and leave the strongest behind.
. Transplant seedlings into the garden once the soil has warmed, making sure to harden them off first.
Hardening off borage seedlings
In order to give your new borage seedlings the best chance of success, it is best to ‘harden them off’ prior to leaving them outside in the garden full time. About 7 days before planting your plants outdoors, help acclimate them to temperatures, sunlight, and wind. This is the process of hardening off, or gradually acclimating your new plants to outdoor conditions. These plants have spent their short lives in a warm, sunny, protected place and won't fare well if you don't expose them slowly to the elements. Hardening off’ is the vital process of getting your seedlings ready for transplanting outdoors. Just follow these simple instructions in order to give your plants the best chance of success!
Borage is resilient enough that you don’t have to worry too much as long as you take a little care when transplanting. You can transplant them into the garden when they are six to eight inches tall, and all danger of frost has passed.
Watch how to start borage indoors video
Starting borage indoors will give your plants a head start and means they will bloom more quickly when the season starts.
Now that you know to start borage indoors, you can give it a try and add this powerful herb to your garden to enjoy all its benefits!
Watch how to transplant borage seedlings video
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