When to Plant Borage in Melbourne, Cool Temperate Guide
Sow September to December. Right now in September you can sow.
Published · Last reviewed · By Garden Buddy
Growing advice is reviewed by hand. Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.
This Borage guide is written for the Cool Temperate zone, which takes in Melbourne, Hobart and Geelong. Somewhere else? Your postcode picks the right one.
Not your zone? Cairns Brisbane Sydney Canberra Alice Springs Perth
Also handy: will it frost this week? and what grows in shade.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
A hardy annual herb with stunning blue star-shaped flowers and cucumber-flavoured leaves. Excellent companion plant and pollinator attractor. Self-sows prolifically once established. Both flowers and young leaves are edible. One of the easiest herbs to grow in Australia.
Planting Calendar for Cool Temperate
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | S | S/T/D | S/T/D | S/T/D |
S = Seed Tray T = Transplant D = Direct Sow
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Current Growing Conditions
Soil temperature: 13.1°C (optimal range: 10–25°C) ✓ Ready to plant
Modelled from Open-Meteo forecast (Melbourne), not a live sensor.
How to Grow Borage in Cool Temperate Australia
When to Plant
Sow Sep-Jan. Spring sowing for summer flowers.
- Soil
- Any well-drained soil, even poor soils. Tolerant of a wide range of conditions.
- pH Range
- 6.0-7.0
- Sunlight
- Full sun to part shade. Flowers best in full sun.
- Spacing
- 30cm apart, 45cm between rows
- Watering
- Moderate watering. Drought tolerant once established. Overwatering causes lanky, floppy growth.
Companion plants: Tomato, Strawberry, Squash, Brassicas
Cool Temperate Growing Tips for Borage
Recommended Varieties
- Standard Borago officinalis
Key Challenges
- Shorter season
- Frost kills plants
Pro Tips
- Excellent performer in this zone
- Self-sows and returns each spring once established
Harvesting Borage
When ready: Harvest young leaves before flowering for best flavour. Pick flowers when fully open. They should pop off easily.
How to harvest: Pick young tender leaves from top of plant. Pluck individual flowers by pinching stem behind flower. Older leaves become hairy and unpalatable.
Common Borage Pests in Cool Temperate Zones
Organic prevention: Borage is more often a pest SOLUTION than a pest problem. It attracts hoverflies and parasitic wasps that control aphids on nearby crops.
Where to next
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Open the planting dashboard Join Garden BuddyCommon Questions About Borage
When do you plant borage in Australia?
It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:
- Tropical (Cairns): May to Aug
- Subtropical (Brisbane): Aug to Nov
- Warm Temperate (Sydney): Sep to Dec
- Cool Temperate (Melbourne): Sep to Dec
- Cold / Highland (Canberra): Oct to Dec
- Arid / Semi-Arid (Alice Springs): Jan, Aug to Dec
- Mediterranean (Perth): Sep to Dec
Does borage grow all year round in Melbourne?
No. In the Cool Temperate zone the planting months are Sep to Dec. Outside that window it either bolts, sulks or gets cut down by the weather.
Which zone am I in?
Type your postcode into the box under the heading and the page tells you, and links this crop in your own zone if it differs. Or look it up on the grow zone map. This page is the Cool Temperate zone, Melbourne is its reference city.