10 Reasons Why Borage is Good for a Permaculture Food Forest

Permaculture food forests are designed to mimic natural ecosystems, creating self-sustaining gardens that produce food, regenerate soil, and nurture biodiversity. Borage with its multitude of ecological benefits, is an ideal plant to include in this type of system. Here are 10 reasons why borage is good to grow and why it is as a valuable plant in my permaculture food forest.

1. Attracts Pollinators and Beneficial Insects

Borage is renowned for its ability to attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators with its nectar-rich, star-shaped flowers. This makes it an essential companion plant for fruiting trees, berries, and vegetables in a food forest, improving pollination and boosting crop yields.

Additionally, borage attracts beneficial insects like predatory wasps and ladybugs, which help control pests such as aphids, creating a natural pest management system.

2. Acts as a Dynamic Accumulator

In a food forest, maintaining soil fertility is crucial. Borage acts as a dynamic accumulator, drawing up key minerals (like calcium and potassium) from the subsoil through its deep taproots. When the plant is cut back and left to decompose as mulch, these nutrients are returned to the soil, enriching it for other plants.

3. Improves Soil Structure and Health

Borage's deep roots help break up compacted soil, improving aeration and water infiltration. Its ability to grow in poor soils makes it an excellent pioneer plant, preparing the ground for more demanding crops by conditioning the soil over time.

4. Repels Harmful Pests and Protects Other Crops

In a permaculture system, borage plays an important role in natural pest control. It deters common pests like tomato hornworms and cabbage moths, making it a great companion for tomatoes, brassicas, and other vegetables. Incorporating borage throughout the food forest reduces the need for chemical pesticides.

5. Provides Edible Flowers and Leaves

The multiple uses of borage aligns perfectly with permaculture principles. Its leaves and flowers are edible, offering a mild cucumber flavour. They can be used in salads and herbal infusions, adding nutrition and variety to a forest garden’s harvest. Plus a vibrant blue flowers in your salad is a feast for the eyes.

6. Serves as Mulch and Ground Cover

As borage grows quickly and dies back easily, it makes an ideal chop-and-drop plant. When used as green mulch, it covers the soil, suppressing weeds, conserving moisture, and feeding the soil as it decomposes—critical components for a thriving permaculture garden.

7. Provides Seasonal Shade for Young Plants

Borage can grow up to 60-90 cm (2-3 feet) tall, offering light, seasonal shade to young or delicate plants. In the heat of summer, this temporary shade can reduce moisture loss and protect seedlings or low-growing crops, helping them establish more effectively.

8. Encourages Biodiversity

Diversity is a key tenet of permaculture design, and borage enhances biodiversity by supporting a range of insects and wildlife. Its continuous blooms provides nectar throughout the growing season, ensuring food sources for pollinators and contributing to ecosystem resilience.

9. Self-Seeding for Easy Maintenance

Borage is a self-seeding annual, meaning it will naturally reappear each year without intervention. In a food forest, this makes it a valuable low-maintenance plant, especially when space is needed for dynamic species that grow in cycles. Borage fills in gaps, ensuring there are no bare patches in the system.

10. Adds Beauty to the Landscape

Aesthetic appeal is often overlooked in food forests, but beauty fosters connection to the land. Borage’s vibrant blue flowers brighten any garden and encourage people to engage with the space.

Conclusion

Borage is a powerful addition to any permaculture food forest. Its ability to improve soil, attract pollinators, deter pests, and provide edible yields makes it a multifunctional plant that aligns perfectly with permaculture principles. Whether you’re just starting a food forest or enhancing an established one, planting borage will support your system’s health, biodiversity, and productivity year after year.

With its low maintenance needs and high ecological value, borage earns its place as a star player in the permaculture world.