Description

Shiso, also known as Japanese basil or beefsteak plant, offers an exceptional flavor that combines hints of cinnamon, mint, clove, and cumin. This herb is a must-have for herb gardens, adding a unique twist to dishes while attracting pollinators. It’s available in a beautiful mix of green and red varieties, with green shiso making up 75% of the seeds and red shiso 25%. Thriving in full sun to part shade, shiso is heat- and drought-tolerant, making it an excellent choice for containers and a resilient bedding plant in gardens. Its leaves are best harvested before flowering to retain their bold flavor.

This packet sows up to 93 feet. 280 seeds.

Variety Info:

Botanical Name: Perilla frutescens
Family: Lamiaceae
Native: Asia
Hardiness: Usually grown as a frost-sensitive annual; perennial in USDA zones 10 and warmer.
Plant Dimensions: 18″ tall
Variety Information: Either green, widely toothed leaves, or mulberry-red, sharply serrated, crinkled leaves.
Exposure: Full sun to part shade
Attributes: Deer Resistant, Drought Tolerant, Heat Tolerant

Sowing Info:

When to Sow Outside: RECOMMENDED. 1 to 2 weeks after your average last frost date, and when soil temperature is 65°–75°F.
When to Start Inside: 4 to 6 weeks before your average last frost date.
Days to Emerge: 5–21 days
Seed Depth: Press into surface
Seed Spacing: A group of 3 seeds every 12″
Row Spacing: 12″–18″
Thinning: When 1″ tall, thin to 1 every 12″

Growing Info:

Harvesting: Harvest leaves any time after plant is a few inches tall, but before it flowers. Once plant flowers, the leaves drop.