Cool as a cucumber and a friend to the bees

Every year, one herb seems to grab my attention. Last year, I centered parsley for my Passover project – selling and donating over a hundred parsley starts to the local Beacon Hill community during the month of April.

In 2023, I’m all about borage. I’m surprised by how few people know about this plucky pollinator favorite, which many garden experts recommend planting around squash, tomatoes, and other vegetables to increase yield.

Want to learn more? I’ve written previously about the many culinary and therapeutic applications of borage. It’s a fun plant for kid-friendly and family botanical activities. If you haven’t grown or tasted borage yet, I highly recommend giving it a try during this growing season. Just this past week, a neighborhood school visited my new p-patch (community garden) and I introduced the students & teachers to the taste of borage’s edible flowers.

If you’re in the local Seattle area, I’m currently selling borage plants and borage botanical bookmarks. This summer, you’ll receive a FREE botanical bookmark when you purchase a borage plant (while supplies last). A reminder that I grow organically and fertilize with farm-grown worm castings, buy products PNW local whenever I can, and am nearly (but not totally) peat-free as a sustainable gardening operation.

Online presales open today and the in-person plant sale has been scheduled for Saturday, June 10th. My two balcony greenhouses are officially overflowing with plants ready to begin their next chapter in your garden.

Sources of my borage plants this year: Hudson Valley Seed, seeds saved from Lavender Belle Farm, Renee’s Garden Seeds, and Baker Creek Seeds.