Borage question.

[Peter]

Why would a farmer plant an entire field with borage?

This was then mowed into swathes in early august, then left with the missed or flattened stems now setting seed nicely. No harvesting of the plants as the swathes were left to dry/rot.

One borage plant on my allotment four years ago still has descendants claiming squatters rights.

[Shortie]

I was going to say that isn't borage a kind of green manure or fertilizer 'tea' until you said they left it to go to seed....

[yoanbob]

and its used in cosmetics but why let it go to seed?

[momol]

Hi Peter,

In the Netherland, farmers plant borage, sun flower, and several other flowering mix( I can't ID them ) during the fourth year of their planting schedule. They grow those mix plants to let the soil "rest" ( I don't know if that is a proper word ). I have no idea if those plant actually used like those green manure or not ( they said really to rest the soil ).
Hope I don't confuse you further.

Cheers,
Momol

[Polly Fouracre]

Can't you ask the farmer?

[Peter]

To clarify the question.

The farmer mowed the crop in full flower leaving the cut matter to dry and rot on top of the stumps, what the mower missed is now seeding.

What is the point of growing it and not harvesting it as it is a prolific seeder?

I do not know who owns the field in question.

[wellie]

Peter,
I'm definitey 'with you' on this one....
I fail to understand the farmer's logic. Unless he is wanting acres and acres of Borage next year, and the year after, and the year after, ad infinitum (sp?)
I've not yet personally delved into using Green Manures (although I'm really dead keen to now) and so am a total ignoramus, but I'm not remotely aware that Borage would be of any benefit to man or beast in such a role on the land?

[Raised Beds]

The question of why the farmer has planted borage bugged me ever since I've read this thread. Yesterday someone on the allotment extolled the fineness of borage honey bought at a farmers market. A google search brought up a Friends of the Article saying Borage is a high value crop grown to produce starflower oil for health food supplements and skincare products..
Full article at link.

The bumble bees loved the few borage plants i planted on the allotment this year. Noted that borage is a big plant and manage to harvest a few hundred seeds easily.

[Birdie Wife]

Are you sure it wasn't linseed (flax) - the flower is light blue like borage? Linseed is harvested for its seed/oil.

[roitelet]

It could be Flax. They grow a lot round here and the stems are lefe on the ground to rot (ret) a bit so that the fibers can be extracted for linen.

[Headfry]

Another blue'ish plant is Lucern- used in hight quality horse feeds.

[Peter]

It was borage, I got a close look at some bits the mower had missed.

It had been mowed and was well-bleached, starting to rot.

Still puzzled, perhaps he wanted to make his set-aside look pretty, then got told how well it seeds.