Beautiful star-shaped flowers in blue, blue-violet or white. But borage is not only decorative, it is also edible. Are you flirting with it and want to sow it yourself? Here's how!
How do you sow borage correctly?
To sow borage successfully, you should sow dark-germinating seeds 1-4 cm deep in deep, chalky or sandy soil in spring (preferably after the Ice Saints). Make sure there is a distance of 5-7 cm between the seeds and 30-50 cm between rows. Keep the soil moist until the plants germinate.
The right seeds
If you don't have seeds from your own cultivation or from drying the borage, get some from specialist retailers (€2.00 on Amazon). The seeds should not be older than a year. Otherwise their germination capacity is limited. They are 5 mm long, brown and have a wrinkled surface.
Sowing time, location and soil
Borage can be sown all year round. However, it is recommended to sow it from April at the earliest (better in May after the Ice Saints, as it is intolerant of frost) and by June at the latest. Often plants from the previous year also sow themselves
The location for the borage should be bright, sunny and warm. Locations protected from the wind are ideal. It is not suitable for the balcony box due to its long taproot. The soil when planting should have the following characteristics:
- profound
- calcareous or sandy
- moderately nutritious
- dry to fresh
- well drained
- easy
Sowing step by step
Borage does not have to be preferred. On the contrary: it tolerates transplanting extremely poorly. Therefore it should be sown directly outdoors:
- Dark germinator: cover seeds 1 to 4 cm deep with soil
- Distance between seeds: 5 to 7 cm
- Row spacing: 30 to 50 cm
- Keep soil moist
What is its growing season like?
After you have sown the borage, you will be able to see the first leaves after about 1 to 2 weeks. If you are unlucky, seeds will take up to 6 weeks to germinate. This primarily depends on the location or the temperature and moisture in the soil.
Borage is usually fully grown after 35 to 45 days. It blooms - depending on the time of sowing - for several weeks from June onwards. After flowering, the plant slowly dies. It is an annual and does not survive the winter.
Tips & Tricks
A wonderful contrast results when you plant or sow blue to blue-violet and white varieties of borage in combination with each other.
