How to intercrop borage
How to intercrop borage
Borage (Borago officinalis L.) is an annual herbaceous plant of the Boraginaceae family whose young leaves are used in cooking.
Various regional dishes are prepared with borage, ranging from minestrone, cakes and omelettes, or as fillings for ravioli and pansoti in Liguria.
Furthermore, in moderate quantities the young leaves and sporadically also the flowers are used raw in salads. The blue flowers are used to color and garnish dishes and to color vinegar; frozen in cubes they can be a decoration for summer drinks.
However, the dietary use of borage for prolonged periods is not recommended, due to the presence, in some vital phases of the plant, of pyrrolizidine compounds, with presumed hepatotoxic activity.
Other uses of borage are those in the field of traditional medicine.
In general, however, borage is a plant of significant interest for cultivation and, as with all plants, it benefits considerably from the intercropping technique.
Typical plants that can be associated with borage are: tomato, courgette, cabbage, some legumes, vine, cucumber, aubergine, spinach and, above all, strawberry.
Borage is, therefore, a versatile plant that can be combined with various other plants to benefit from mutual advantages. Here are some plants with which borage associates well:
Tomatoes: Borage can improve the flavor of tomatoes and help repel some common pests, such as the tomato armyworm.
Strawberries: Borage helps protect strawberries from diseases and pests and can improve plant growth.
Zucchini: Planting borage near zucchini can help repel aphids and other harmful insects.
Cabbage and Brassicaceae: Borage can attract beneficial insects that prey on pests of cabbage plants and other brassicaceae.
Legumes (such as beans and peas): Borage can help improve soil fertility due to its ability to attract bees and other pollinators, which in turn improve legume production.
Vines: Borage is useful in vineyards for attracting pollinators and improving biodiversity, helping to maintain a healthy ecosystem.
Eggplant: Intercropping borage with eggplant can help improve overall plant health and repel pests such as potato beetles.
Borage is also a plant that enriches the soil with minerals and attracts pollinators such as bees and butterflies, which can improve the overall health of the garden, however before planting it and intercropping it you need to check the pedoclimatic compatibility of this plant.