Can Borage Grow in Florida?

This winter I have been experimenting with growing various herbs and vegetables.

Borage is something I always loved in New Hampshire, but can borage grow in Florida? Well, yes and no. What I’ve found is that it will grow when the weather is nice and cool. 

borage leaves pineapple
Borage and pineapple
seed packets
Seed order from The Urban Harvest
Borage
Borage is not happy in heat

My borage seeds were planted in late October and by the end of November I had one flowering borage plant.

The borage seeds were planted all over my yard. Some were put into grow boxes and some went directly into the ground. I even put a few into a hanging basket.

We’ve had horrible weather, but on nice days you may see bees at the flowers. I’m always happy when anything flowers in my yard.

Florida borage growing
Florida borage flowers
Florida borage flowering
November flowers
Florida borage plant
borage flower in wine
Float flowers in drinks, or add to food

Two borage plants came up side by side in one of the grow boxes. This one has a bunch of flowers. It is growing among the Chijimisai spinach.

I didn’t have high hopes for the borage to grow, so I scattered some seeds beneath on of my pineapple plants (this pineapple ended up being a double) in a white barrel raised bed. The leaves are now huge, and at least one of the plants has flower buds. So of course, it would grow nicely when you don’t plan on it! Next year I will do better.

borage leaves pineapple
Borage and pineapple

None of the borage seeds I planted into the ground are doing much. They are all still very small. The hanging basket plants are very tiny also.

All plants are getting about the same amount of sun. They are all outdoors and getting the same rainfall and water. All I can figure is that the soil is better in the boxes which is causing the borage to grow larger.

Borage For Tea

For me, having borage for a tea supply is worth trying to make it grow. Even if it never flowers, I will have leaves. Borage tea, made from fresh picked leaves, is mild and delicious.  Borage has some health benefits also, which you can easily research. I’m interested in kidney health.

Some of my leaves are quite large, and it only takes one to brew a nice, hot cup. It can be made as ice tea for those who grow it in summer in the north. Float some flowers in your drink too!

Borage in my December Garden

The growth of borage from seeds is random in the yard. The cooler the weather becomes, the better it looks. Don’t waste your time trying to grow this plant in a Florida summer! 

borage pineapple mustard greens
borage growing
borage and pineapple
borage seedlings
These little guys never grew
borage leaves
flowering borage
borage center buds
Flower buds in center
small borage plants
Next to tomato

Yes, Borage Grows in Florida

I live in east, Central Florida and yes, I have grown borage. Choose cool months for planting and direct sow the seeds. Be patient because they may not grow quickly.

The seeds form up inside the hanging flower pod. If they ever dry in this weather, I will collect the seeds to plant next Fall.  It will be something to look forward to – enjoying tea and the beautiful, blue flowers once again.

Florida borage flowering
November Borage flowers

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December Yard Work and Garden Photos

It’s the end of the year but garden work is ongoing if you are a Florida gardener. I’ve expanded my little vegetable growing area and have some eggplants forming.

It is Christmas Eve as I write this and yesterday was a beautiful day! I took advantage of the 72 degree, sunny and breezy weather to do some garden work.

First I cleared out the growth next to my vegetable garden. Then, I put down some big pieces of cardboard and covered that with dirt. My dirt pile is already much smaller, so I’m using the dirt sparingly.

vegetable garden winter
Garden expansion
December garden Florida
Widened the vegetable garden

I’ll leave the new space alone and let the cardboard break down over the next couple of months. This may be a good place to grow watermelon or Seminole pumpkins in Spring. The vines could trail down the edge of the yard or off into the empty lot.

The Eggplants Are Coming in December

The big eggplant plant in the raised bed has ten small eggplants growing! And out back I found one Rosita eggplant – the first one I’ve grown. The Rosita’s have had lots of bug issues, with the leaves being eaten and constant worms. I’m pretty unhappy and will probably not grow this type again.

Winter flower garden florida
Changes to the hibiscus garden
firespike
Firespike and Nasturtium
flowers of hon tsai broccoli
Flowering Hon Tsai Broccoli
eggplant on vine
Rosita eggplant
Rosita eggplant

The Hon Tsai Flowering Broccoli is growing some beautiful, fragrant yellow flowers. Although I don’t like this plant for eating, it’s worth growing for the lovely flowers.

The hibiscus garden has gone through some changes as flowering plants have died off over summer. I’m currently using the space to grow a tomato and some little yellow cosmos plants. 

The Firespike, which I began from a cutting, is beginning to get larger. This took quite a while. And of all the nasturtium seeds, only one plant grew.

My first green bean plantings have gone by, but I kept beans on one of the better plants to grow big and dry.

pepper plant in fabric pot
Carolina Wonder pepper
borage leaves pineapple
Borage and pineapple
green beans growing
Letting these beans dry on the plant

One of the Carolina Wonder pepper plants needed some help. I’m not exactly sure what kind of help, so I transplanted it into a fabric grow pot. I’m hoping it will improve.

The borage has gone crazy, and apparently likes the colder weather. Only one plant is flowering, but I am using the leaves to make a delicious, mild tea!

All my seedlings and small pots have been brought inside. Nights have been much cooler than they prefer. I noticed that growth had stopped, and the peppers looked bad. I think it was the weather.

Roselle, milkweed and others
eggplant, peppers, mint

I probably should have waited to start these seeds. Now, I will have to care for them (put them out in the sun, take outside to water, bring them back in) for months until they can be planted.

I’ve received two gardening magazines through the mail already! Planting plans for spring and summer have already begun. Notes from fall and winter are being organized so I will do better next year.

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate!

The Best Way to Acquire Garden Dirt if You Have the Muscles For It

Changing my small backyard from all grass to a permaculture plot for growing food has been a challenge. It can also be expensive. Although I was dreading doing this, the best way to acquire my garden dirt was to fill the truck with purchased soil. We had to buy in bulk and do some shoveling.

Not only would I have lots of dirt to work with, but buying dirt by the yard is cheaper. I bought two yards of soil which filled the back of the F250, along with two bags of mushroom compost and two bags of mulch.

dirt and compost in truck bed
Two yards of dirt fills the truck bed.

Winter is the Time to Do Yard Work

Now that a Florida winter is upon us, the desire to get outdoors and fix things up is high. After a long, very hot summer, the cooler weather feels great. And by cooler I mean near 80 degrees some days, but cooler in the morning and evening. In other words, it’s more like a normal “summer” elsewhere.

Finding a Place to Store the Dirt

I need dirt. I’ve had the boxes piling up on my porch but can’t put that cardboard out on the grass without some dirt to help hold them in place. I’ve been buying bags of dirt, but that doesn’t go far. I considered ordering a load of dirt to be delivered, but there is no good place near the road for the shop to dump it.

cardboard boxes saved
Boxes piling up
cardboard boxes in the garden
Getting the garden area ready last spring
cardboard on grass
Boxes down at the hibiscus garden

As my garden planning has progressed, I realize that I need more sunny spaces. I want to grow Roselle Hibiscus which will be large plants. They can’t grow where my vegetables area, so the plan is to begin a new garden in the front yard.

The area pictured below is where I believe there was once a flower garden. I’ve found a Beautyberry Bush and Firespike back in this overgrown location. Now it is also full of ferns, and little trees are growing. The only tree I have cut down is the invasive Brazilian Pepper. The front of this patch of ferns gets lots of sun all times of the year. If I can get the Roselle to grow, they will be planted here.

cardboard spread on grass
Broke down some big cardboard boxes for the new front garden

This was where the dirt pile would sit until I needed it. I put down big pieces of cardboard, (see my post about using cardboard in the yard) and we unloaded the dirt onto it from the bed of the truck.

In order to get to this spot, we had to back the truck across the front yard. It meant moving some of the Christmas lights and taking down part of the fire pit. Then, of course, we (my son and I) had to shovel all that dirt out of the truck! It was a chore, but worth it.

cardboard spread on grass
Broke down some big cardboard boxes
dirt in truck
Ready to shovel!
garden dirt pile
Dirt for gardening

From here, I can fill the wheelbarrow and move the dirt to the back gardens as I need it. And the cardboard underneath, will be the spot to plant new things once all that dirt is gone.

The cost for all of it was right around $100. If you live near The Yard Shop in Edgewater, I highly recommend them for dirt, mulch, compost and stones. The people are super nice and helpful.

Now the Garden Plans Can Move Ahead

I have the dirt and I have the cardboard. My gardening plans continue to emerge with more space being made to plant. Over winter I am growing green beans, arugula and Chijimisai spinach, and a few other things.

Skittle is overlooking my garden work, and I’m not sure if she approves or not!

Skittle in the garden

Keep reading my Florida gardening stories

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Picking Green Beans in December

I planted Contender bush beans back on October 16th. Today is December 1st and I have picked my first batch of little green beans!

One plant is doing especially well in a raised bed. I planted it next to the pineapple.

one green bean plant
One green bean plant is growing next to the double-pineapple plant in a raised bed. This plant is full of beans!
green beans in garden
Beans on one plant

Finding Space For the Bean Plants

Before planting, I soaked the bean seeds overnight, then I read that they don’t really need to soak. I did not have any innoculent so they went straight into the ground. The hardest thing was trying to find space for all the plants in my small yard. Not all garden areas are ready for planting yet.

Besides the two rows of beans, I planted a few beans beside the eggplant, and a few near the hibiscus. A few more seeds were placed randomly into my white barrel raised beds.

bean plants in garden bed
garden eggplant oregano and beans
small garden with flowers and vegetables
A few bean plants in the hibiscus garden

The Leafroller Worm

I created two rows of Contender bush beans in the little garden area where my Suyo Long cucumber plants had been growing. I had lots of worms on my cucumbers, but they were pickleworms, and much more of a nuisance.

The Leafroller worm is named very well. It cuts a little bit of the leaf and rolls it over itself and hides inside. The worms are green with black heads. It was easy to spot their hiding places because the underside of the bean leaves is light green.

I pulled back the leaf, picked off the worm, and threw it into the grass for the lizards.

rolled leaves and worm
Leafroller Worm on bean leaf
bean leafroller worm
Leafroller worm

Whereas I gave up on picking all the worms off the cucumber plants, the bean plant infestation was not bad at all. As of this time, I don’t even see any more worms on the leaves.

December 1, 2023

Contender bean plants
Bean plants December 1st

The Weather

We’ve had some crazy up and down temperatures this fall, which is pretty typical for Florida. We can have temps in the 40’s and 50’s overnight but it gets into the 80’s during the day. A few days stayed quite chilly all day. We’ve also had a few bouts of rain which lasted for about a week each time.

It is interesting to see that the beans did very well through all these weather changes. For that reason, I have planted my second crop of green beans. The new crop is organic Blue Lake Bush beans. I have one more packet left to plant when my first batch of plants goes by.

More garden stories:

A Patch of Native Florida Wildflowers and Grass

Pictures of native Florida tall grass and flowers.

While camping at Rodman Campground in Palatka, Florida, we drove to the local dam. A central garden, or natural area, by the boat ramp, contained some beautiful native flowers and tall grass.

Loads of bees were all over the flowers. Not sure exactly what the grass is, or an exact name for the flowers, but the area was beautiful.

Florida native wildflowers
Wild astors
Florida native wildflowers
Astors and grass
Florida native wildflowers and grass
Tall grass

UF/IFAS Florida’s Astors

More Gardening Stories

Compare: Soil, Site and Seeds

When something doesn’t grow well from seeds, it’s easy to blame bad seeds. But take into consideration the location of the planting. Does the site have enough sun, or too much? How is the soil? Were amendments added and were they the right ones needed?

I’m not much of a soil tester – okay, I never test my soil. This is probably a mistake, but I’m not ready for that yet. If nothing grew, I would blame the soil completely, but I have had lots of success. I’m not ready to check my soil.

Soil

When the same types of seeds are planted at the same time, but in different locations, comparing growth should tell me something.

In the case of the radishes, which I planted only because I happened to have a packet of seeds, some did way better than others.

radish growing under an eggplant in the garden
Radish under the eggplant
radishes growing in a box outside
Radish in the grow box

The radishes in one of my grow boxes have become very large. I have already eaten one small radish. None of the other radish plants, which grow everywhere in the garden and other boxes, are nearly as big. Most of them get the same amounts of sunlight, so it figures that this one specific grow box has some very nice dirt.

Lettuce was growing alongside these radishes, but it was from seeds I had saved, and the lettuce was bitter so I pulled it up. Now I have carrot seeds planted.

The Carrot Experiment

The carrots which were planted in my first choice bed are doing poorly. I choose the tallest grow box so the carrots would have lots of room for rooks. I had loosened the soil, and added some good stuff. I had high hopes, but they are barely growing.

Carrot seedlings after one month, alongside borage and a pineapple. The borage is not doing well either, so soil problems?
carrots growing in the raised bed

The carrot seeds were planted just about a month ago. According to the packet, they will be ready in 65-75 days. It is hard to believe that these tiny things will be ready to eat in just over a month’s time! I seriously doubt it.

My second carrot planting is in that box with the radishes. I am very sure that the soil is good. If the carrots still don’t grow, I will blame the seeds. The weather is cooler now, and both spots get good sun.

Growing Sites – Choose Many

If you are unsure about growing a crop, select more than one place to try to grow seeds. Everyone knows that most things need sun to grow, so definitely choose sunny locations.

I have two ground garden areas and a bunch of grow boxes and “raised beds”. It is easier to manage the boxes, and the dirt has been amended over and over. I can move them to shade, or sun, as needed.

This year I also added some new grow bags as well.

Interplanting of Crops

This fall I am doing a lot of interplanting of crops. For one thing, I am not sure which ones will do best and which won’t grow at all.

This small garden in my photo contains snap beans, 2 eggplant, radishes, broccoli, 1 cauliflower, 1 pepper, and a blueberry bush! I know it is not optimal, but I am trying to make the best of a small space.

interplanting beans, eggplant, broccoli, cauliflower
Fall 2023 garden in the backyard

As was true for my summer garden, I am experimenting with fall and winter crops. Whichever vegetables do well, will be planted again next year. I’m keeping lots of notes.

Seeds

Sometimes it is best to grow crops from seeds. Big seeds can be planted directly in the ground, and I’ve had great success with watermelon and pumpkin in spring, and snap beans now.

Buy seeds as close to planting time as you can, in the hopes that they will be freshest. Packets should have a date. I try to use my seeds within a year.

But first I needed to figure out when to plant what in my central Florida location. Even the seeds from Southern Exposure can’t be relied on to give Floridians planting advice. SESE sells seeds to the southeastern US, which means many growers don’t live in a Florida climate. The packets mention “last frost” and freezes.

seed packets
Seed order from The Urban Harvest

There are a few things I’ve purchased that just haven’t grown. I’ve tried them at different times, in different locations, and been unsuccessful. It probably means either bad seeds, or the stuff just doesn’t want to grow in my yard. I’m not going to fight with it, I will move on and grow something else.

The South is Nothing Like the North

Although I would love to grow some of the same plants I grew in New Hampshire, the south is nothing like the north.

Borage is one of the failures. It hates the heat, and I do have a few little seedlings coming up, but none of them look great. I’ve read that borage grows great here in Florida, but I don’t believe it.

Nasturtium has also done nothing. Most of the seeds didn’t even sprout. In this case I am blaming the seeds. But I doubt that the plant will like this Florida climate. Sticking with what works well in my area if a good choice and I won’t buy these again.

Experiment and Take Notes

Do your vegetable gardening research for your particular area, and then plant what is expected to grow well. The UF/IFAS gardening site is a good place to start.

Eventually, I plan to have a list of favorites to grow for every season in my area. The mistakes I make now will only enhance my knowledge of gardening.