Phacelia

Phacelia: plant 15 cm (6 in) apart in the row and 25 cm (10 in) between rows, 9 per square. Good neighbours: Tomato, Cherry tomato, Beefsteak tomato.

Key facts

Spacing in the row	15 cm (6 in)
Between rows	25 cm (10 in)
In a 30 cm (1 ft) square	9 per square
Sun	Full sun, 6–8 hours a day
Root depth	15 cm (6 in)
Height when grown	80 cm (31 in)
Crop rotation group	Herbs, flowers and perennials
Support	None needed

How it is started	Sown straight into the bed
Seeds per hole	3
Plants kept after thinning	1
Seeds per metre of row	20
Sowing depth	1 cm (0.4 in)
Soil temperature	from 8 °C, best 15–22 °C
Days to emerge	10–20 days
Light while germinating	Needs darkness, cover well
Before sowing	nothing needed
When to sow	Indoors 6 weeks before the last frost; outdoors after the last frost; soil at least 12 °C

Pricking out	sown where it grows
Takes transplanting	Badly, sow where it grows
Hardening off	7–10 days
Life cycle	Annual
Cold tolerance	Takes a light frost
Soil	Light, sandy, free draining, pH 6–7.5
In a pot	5 L, 20 cm (7.9 in)
Watering	Water when the soil is dry two fingers down
Feeding	Little
Support and training	None needed; pinch the tips

Open the free planner, drop Phacelia onto a bed and see how many plants fit.

Sow outdoors	Apr–Aug
Harvest	Jun–Oct

My country Last spring frost where I live

Give the date once and this page, the sowing calendar and the planner all follow it.

Months for a temperate climate: about a month later in the north and a month earlier in the south. Give your own last frost date for exact dates.

Plants of the Boraginaceae family share diseases and pests, so they follow each other in the rotation only after a break.

Crops that need about the same room and care, from another family.