Green and Red Shiso Perilla Seeds

Heirloom

#5048

This packet sows up to 93 feet

(10 reviews)

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Availability: In Stock

An absolute must for herb gardens! Also called Japanese basil or beefsteak plant, shiso's incredible flavor can be described as a combination of cinnamon, mint, and clove with overtones of cumin. A beautiful, heat- and drought-tolerant bedding plant that attracts pollinators, and is excellent for containers. This packet provides 75% green shiso and 25% red.

$2.49 500 mg (~280 seeds)

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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

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"

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

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Green and Red Shiso Perilla Seeds Reviews

10 reviews

perilla giant

Sep 14, 2020

Although shiso/ perilla is generally supposed to grow to 18" tall, this year it grew to about 6' height around my little goldfish pond! I now have a truckload drying. Literally. :)

Rachel Boyd from VA

Doesn't sprout

Jan 12, 2021

Over the course of a few years, I bought this same shiso packet 3 different times, and on all 3 times I never got a single seed to germinate. I followed the instructions to for presoaking and refrigerating, but for some reason they just never sprouted. Never had a problem like this with any of the other packs I've gotten from botanical interests, most other plants have a 90-100% germination rate. It's just the shiso pack. I was really looking forward to shiso too. :( If someone knows a magical way to get these things to grow let me know.

Daniela Howe from AZ

Owner Response: Hi Daniela, A customer service agent will be contacting you to help.

Never germinated

Feb 24, 2021

So far, I have had terrific success in germinating all other seed packets from botanical interests but this one. It's been a month, but still nothing.

Jennifer from CA

Owner Response: Hi Jennifer, Thank you for sharing your experience with us. We are sorry to hear you experienced poor germination with this variety. Quality is important to us. We test our seed lots frequently to ensure germination rates exceed federal and our own standards. We happily guarantee our seeds so a customer service agent will be contacting you shortly to help.

Try it, you'll like it!

Mar 4, 2021

Everyone should grow shiso! It works well an ornamental, with beautiful green or red leaves. It has thrived in my gardens in the Colorado Front Range and Eastern Washington. And the taste - a mix of cinnamon, mint, celery greens. Add it to salads and stir fry. It can grow to 24-30 inches so give it some room. These seeds had a high germination rate and the plants were strong and lasted till the first hard frost.

Marcia from WA

No Luck

Mar 7, 2021

Not a single sprout and it has been about a 5 weeks, started in pods.

Kate from SC

Owner Response: Hi Kate, Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We are sorry you are having difficulty germinating these seeds. We are curious if "pods" indicate these are being grown hydroponically instead of in media? We are always happy to help troubleshoot growing issues, feel free to contact us any time. Our seeds are tested frequently to ensure germination rates exceed federal and our own standards. A customer service agent will be with you soon to see if we can help.

Delicious Flavor

Mar 25, 2021

I love the flavor of the red shiso. It's great in tea. I started growing these in the fall. I grew some in containers and some in ground. I had excellent germination. I didn't even soak them. I just kept the seeds in the refrigerator for a while. I planted some a few weeks ago for a spring harvest and they're growing just as fast as my basil and catnip.

Yasmeen from TX

Sprouted very well and ready to transplant

Apr 12, 2021

I left my packet of Shiso in the refridgerator for 2 weeks + by mistake. I think the packet only suggested a few days. Then I followed instructions to place them on the surface of the soil in seeding tray my kitchen garden window. Nothing happened for a long time - 3 weeks. I thought I had complete failure. Finally they began to sprout. At this time outside temperatures were not so cool. I don't know if that was the reason, or I just needed to be patient. Now they are very strong looking small seedlings and I look forward to transplanting them into the ground.

Jordan from CA

Great Addition to Herb Garden

May 4, 2021

These grew well, I've started to harvest after planting mid-February. My 3 plants are all green, I may plant more in an effort to get a red plant, they're gorgeous and I think would look pretty as foliage. Pests seem to avoid them in my area.

Brandy from SC

more shiso than I'll ever use !

Oct 4, 2021

Took a couple tries to get this shiso started. I think I planted 6-8 seeds. I ended up with 2 ruffled, dark purple plants. They grew like weeds even in September. One of the main stems was split in two - the darn thing is still growing as if nothing happened. Now I have more shiso than I could ever use. The big leaves are as large as the palm of my hand. I add them to salads, but I'm not a fan of the muddy basil flavor. Insects were not interested in this plant at all. I'd grow it again as an ornamental if I had space.

ana from NY

Profuse growth, wonderful flavour!

Feb 4, 2023

I planted these in a container on a south-facing deck with full sun. Within a week the seeds started sprouting and throughout the summer and fall this pot continued to be full and healthy. I made a few cuttings and propagated them for indoor growing, and these little cuttings grew and are still growing well deep in our indoor pots. Wonderful five-spice flavour to many dishes, especially veggie dishes to give it the extra layer of flavour. Plus both the outdoor pot and indoor pot was a beautiful plant to admire as well!

Brenda from NE