If you have a strimmer, take off all the top growth of the comfrey/borage/whatever and remove and compost it. Pick as much mint as you can easily preserve either frozen or as dried mint or mint sauce. You can then apply a solution of glyphosate when new foliage emerges.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=nWyt15oaw6U
How do you control borage?
That said, if you want to keep it under control, consider growing borage in pots. Plants prefer dry, clean terracotta pots with light soil. The beauty of having it in containers is you can move them around the garden to attract bees to where you want them to go.
What does borage do for the garden?
Using borage as green manure allows the nutrients brought up by the plant’s deep taproot to be dispersed into the upper areas of soil when the plant composts. Borage returns high nitrogen to the soil when it is tilled back in. The result is healthy soil, rich in nutrients and deeply aerated earth.
Does borage take over?
While not as common as thyme or basil, borage herb (Borago officinalis) is a unique plant for the culinary garden. It grows quickly as an annual but will colonize a corner of the garden by self-seeding and reappearing year after year.
Is borage a good ground cover?
Soil Protection
Borage grows quickly in early spring and has wide leaves, so it can act like a living mulch. These wide leaves cover the bare ground, protecting it from runoff and erosion where frequent spring rains might otherwise wash the soil away.
How long does borage last?
The seeds can be stored for at least three years. Growing borage from seeds is just as easy. The seeds can be sown outdoors four weeks before the last frost.
How do you keep borage small?
Pinch tips of young plants to keep borage compact and bushy and snip the leaves as needed for use in the kitchen. You can also trim the plant if it looks overgrown in mid-summer. Be sure to deadhead blooms as soon as they wilt. Otherwise, the plant will go to seed and blooming will end early.
Does borage come back?
Borage will bloom for many weeks if the older flowers are trimmed off, and you can often push tattered plants to make a comeback by pruning them back halfway in midsummer. Healthy borage plants shed numerous black seeds, so expect to see volunteers for two years after growing borage.
How deep are borage roots?
8 inches deep
How to grow borage in containers: Borage has a long taproot and does best in containers at least 8 inches deep. Borage plants grow large; grows best in its own container.
Is borage a trap crop?
It’s Also a Trap Crop for Aphids
You may not immediately think of this as a good thing. But since it draws aphids to it, this plant can serve as a useful trap crop. Aphids will be drawn preferentially to your borage, which can keep them away from your other crops.
What does borage attract?
Borage flowers attract beneficial pollinators like bees and butterflies to the garden, which are essential for plant reproduction. Borage also benefits gardens by attracting beneficial insects for natural pest control of common garden pests.
Will borage reseed itself?
Borage is easily grown from seed and will readily reseed itself. This plant does best in dry, sunny places. Although it is difficult to transplant, you can stretch out the harvest by sowing three times at 4-week intervals. Spacing: 18″ between rows and 12″ between plants.
Why do farmers grow borage?
One of the main reasons for planting Borage here at Hillfarm is to boost our population of bees, and help them to make our delicious hillfarm honey. Bees absolutely love Borage, and when the flowers bloom they will start collecting the pollen.
Is borage poisonous to dogs?
Borage is an amazingly versatile herb. It’s wonderful in summer salads and drinks, and its oils are great for your dog’s skin, which is why we love it at Lintbells (more about that later). Oh, and it’s good news for bees, too!
Is borage good for compost?
Borage adds trace minerals to the soil it is planted in, and is good for composting and mulching. It is an annual, but readily self-seeds and thrives in full sun.
Is borage toxic?
Although it has been suggested as an alternative source of GLA to evening primrose oil, borage seed oil can have toxic effects on the liver. Its chronic use should be avoided, especially by patients with liver disease or women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Is borage toxic to cats?
The borage plant, also known as the starflower, is an herb that is incredibly toxic to cats. The plant may also cause mild skin irritation in humans.
Are borage and comfrey the same thing?
Though they are members of the same plant family (Boraginaceae), perennial comfrey (Symphytum officinale, USDA zones 4-8) and annual borage (Borago officinalis) are two different plants. These cousins both boast dark green foliage and fuzzy leaves.
What to do with borage after flowering?
Once flowering has finished, simply dig up and compost borage plants – the mineral-rich leaves will help fertilise soils the following year. Do take off the seed heads before composting plants or you’ll end up with lots of borage seedlings all over the garden.
Does borage repel slugs?
Borage is a super healer in the garden. Warding off pests like cabbage worms and moths, adding vigor and strength to tomatoes, and acting as a slug and snail trap with its hairy leaves, borage is truly one of the Wunder-Kind plants.
How do you keep borage from falling over?
You might want to stake your plants to keep them from falling over. They are not fussy about soil or water. The leaves are large, 2 to 5 inches long, gray green and covered with stiff hairs making them plant deer resistant.
Gerardo Gonzalez loves cooking. He became interested in it at a young age, and has been honing his skills ever since. He enjoys experimenting with new recipes, and is always looking for ways to improve his technique.
Gerardo’s friends and family are the lucky beneficiaries of his delicious cooking. They always enjoy trying out his latest creations, and often give him feedback on how he can make them even better. Gerardo takes their input to heart, and uses it to continue refining his culinary skills.