Borage Companion Planting

Borage (Borago officinalis) flowers are highly attractive to pollinating bees and parasitoid wasps. Interplanting with tomato increases pollinator visitation rates, potentially improving fruit set.

Borage self-seeds readily. Plant at bed edges to avoid crowding tomatoes.

Borage (Borago officinalis) flowers produce copious nectar that attracts pollinators (Bombus spp., Apis mellifera, native bees), increasing strawberry pollination rates and fruit quality. Borage deep taproots also mine minerals from subsoil.

Plant borage at strawberry bed edges. Borage self-seeds readily -- site accordingly.

Borage flowers attract pollinators essential for cucumber fruit set. Cucurbits require insect pollination and yield is directly correlated with pollinator visitation rates.

Plant borage near cucumber hills. The blue star-shaped flowers are particularly attractive to bumblebees.

Borage flowers attract pollinators (Apis mellifera, Bombus spp.) essential for cantaloupe fruit set. Cucurbits depend entirely on insect pollination for fruit development.

Plant borage near cantaloupe hills. Blue borage flowers are especially attractive to bees.

Borage flowers attract pollinators critical for summer squash fruit set. Poor pollination is the leading cause of misshapen summer squash fruit.

Plant borage near summer squash. Particularly valuable in gardens with low native pollinator populations.