Kitchen Garden Forum

Can you tell me how to make liquid feed from Borage. Having sowed them once I now have them popping up all over the place. Whilst I like to leave plenty as they bring bees and look lovely frozen in ice cubes there are still plenty that need to be dug up. Thanks in advance for your help

Hi Jojob,
Although in the same family as Comfrey and it can be made into a liquid feed but it has no where near the readout of Comfrey. It is probably best composted in the normal way with all the other herbage rather than make a feed of it. If used on the compost heap it is best added with some chopped straw.
JB.

That is a very interesting post, JB, because in the July issue of KG [page 59] Bob Flowerdew says Borage makes a richer feed than comfrey and has more magnesium to balance the high potassium. I would like to try it out one year.

mike

Hi Mike,
It is very simple to make a concentrate from Borage and is done exactly the same way a Comfrey.
I am very aware what Bob Flowerdew has written and I would like to see the results of his research or where he got his facts and who actually carried out the research because quite frankly I take most things that Bob writes with a rather large pinch of salt!
What is meant by the term 'rich?'
In comparison with Comfrey, Borage is fairly shallow rooted and fails to draw from the deep reaches of the soil. Borage is also an annual and has only about half the growing time to act by comparison with Comfrey.
You cut Borage once and that is it but with Comfrey you can get up to five cuts but more usually four per year.
I think you are being kidded by a kidder.
JB.

Your post is STILL of interest, JB. Aren't there different types of borage, though? I have certainly been pleased with the number of cuts of comfrey I get, and I am using it at present to mulch my tomatoes.
mike

Hi Mike,
I feel that there is only one Borage but as usual always open to correction. There are many types of Comfrey however and some are practically useless in the nutrition stakes but would make good compost them used as a soil improver but as a liquid feed not worth entertaining.
JB.

I imagine one can make some sort of nutritional feed out of anything. Last summer I put a whole load of weeds in a bucket and let them rot in water. I put the weeds on the compost heap and kept the liquid to use as a feed. I've no idea whether it made any difference to the health of the crops, but it didn't k.ll them..