Phacelia Tanacetifolia

Phacelia is a green manure for the garden: it suffocates weeds, combats nematodes, prevents leaching of the soil from its roots, and aerates it. A source of nectar, it is also very aesthetic and fragrant. Sow from April to September, after your other sowings. Bury it after the flowering period or cut the inflorescences (to prevent seed production and an invasion in the garden) and leave in place until 3 weeks before your future sowings.

Phacelia tanacetifolia is an annual plant in the Boraginaceae family. Native to North America, it is useful in the vegetable garden for several reasons. First, as a source of nectar, it attracts insects for the benefit of all the other plants present. To attract these pollinators, it has developed a delightful fragrance.
This undemanding plant also enhances all types of soil, even the most barren and dry, as long as it remains in the sun. Despite its wildflower appearance for a natural garden, it has a very sculptural habit with its scorpioid inflorescence curling up like a crozier as the small lavender-blue to deep blue flowers bloom. Its deeply cut foliage resembles that of tansy and quickly forms beautiful massifs over 1 m (3ft) in height.
Finally, at the end of the season, this lovely Phacelia can be used as green manure, either directly buried in the soil or incorporated into compost where it enriches it with nitrogen.

Harvesting: after flowering, the flowers form capsules containing 4 very black seeds. It is then time to mow, grind, and bury it in the soil to enrich it with nitrogen.

Storage: Phacelia can be buried in the soil to enrich it with nitrogen or incorporated into compost with the same objective.

Gardener's tip: the root network of Phacelia is so dense that adventive plants cannot establish themselves. Knowing this, it can be beneficial to cultivate it in an area where you want to get rid of weeds. However, it is necessary to weed before cultivating it.

Organic or 'BIO' seeds come from plants grown in organic farming (without the use of pesticides). They undergo no treatment after harvest. These seeds are intended for use in organic market gardening.