Red Perilla

SKU: HR1156

Red Perilla shiso seeds grow into substantial plants with wide, deep purple leaves. The dark ruby leaves of this sharply flavoured Asian herb have nicely frilled edges. They look a little bit like stinging nettle leaves, but rounder, and without any prickles. Read More

Exposure Full-sun

Season Warm season

Average Seeds Per Gram 865 ?

Red Perilla has a rating of 4.4 stars based on 7 reviews.

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Product Details

Perilla frutescens var. crispa. Red Perilla shiso seeds grow into substantial plants with wide, deep purple leaves. The dark ruby leaves of this sharply flavoured Asian herb have nicely frilled edges. They look a little bit like stinging nettle leaves, but rounder, and without any prickles. Grow as a bright-red micro-green, or let the plants mature and enjoy the leaves in pho, salad rolls, or other dishes. Shiso makes a wonderful pairing with unctuous dishes like sushi, and it combines beautifully with cilantro, mint, Thai basil and fresh lettuce leaves. Shiso has a very similar growing season to basil, and performs just as well in containers as in the garden bed. Provide full sun and well drained soil.

Quick Facts:

Red leaf Shiso herb
Widely used in Asian cuisines
Strongly flavoured
Pairs with other sharp herbs
Easy to grow!

All About Red Perilla

Latin

Latin
Perilla frutescens var. crispa
Family: Lamiaceae

Difficulty

Difficulty
Easy

Season & Zone

Season & Zone
Season: Warm season
Exposure: Full sun

Timing

Timing
Start indoors in early spring, a couple of weeks after the last frost date, or direct sow outdoors in late spring, once night time temperatures are steadily above 8°C (45°F).

Starting

Starting
If starting indoors, use equal parts sterilized seed starting mix to perlite. Mix well and add to seed trays with domes. Use bottom heat from a Seedling Heat Mat to maintain a soil temperature of 20°C (70°F). Seeds should germinate in 7 to 14 days. Be careful not to over-water, particularly once seeds have germinated, as the seedlings are prone to damping off. Remove the dome at germination, but maintain bottom heat until seedlings are large enough to pot on into larger containers.

Alternatively, direct sow outdoors into well-drained garden soil. Seeds should germinate in 14 to 20 days.

Growing

Growing
Shiso does best in full sun to partial shade, in fertile, well-drained soil. Allow transplants to become established, and then grow as you would basil — pinch growing tips regularly to produce bushier plants with more leaves. Water regularly, more so in hot weather. If growing in containers, mix equal parts potting soil and composted fine bark. Orchid bark works well.

Harvest

Harvest
Pick leaves as needed throughout the summer, and harvest the flowering tops in late summer. As autumn approaches, harvest the seeds for planting next spring.

Seed Info

Seed Info
Usual seed life: 1 year.

How to Grow Shiso

Step 1

Timing

Start indoors in early spring, a couple of weeks after the last frost date, or direct sow outdoors in late spring, once night time temperatures are steadily above 8°C (45°F).

Step 2

Starting

If starting indoors, use equal parts sterilized seed starting mix to perlite. Mix well and add to seed trays with domes. Use bottom heat from a Seedling Heat Mat to maintain a soil temperature of 20°C (70°F). Seeds should germinate in 7 to 14 days. Be careful not to over-water, particularly once seeds have germinated, as the seedlings are prone to damping off. Remove the dome at germination, but maintain bottom heat until seedlings are large enough to pot on into larger containers.

Alternatively, direct sow outdoors into well-drained garden soil. Seeds should germinate in 14 to 20 days.

Step 3

Growing

Shiso does best in full sun to partial shade, in fertile, well-drained soil. Allow transplants to become established, and then grow as you would basil — pinch growing tips regularly to produce bushier plants with more leaves. Water regularly, more so in hot weather. If growing in containers, mix equal parts potting soil and composted fine bark. Orchid bark works well.

Step 4

Harvest

Pick leaves as needed throughout the summer, and harvest the flowering tops in late summer. As autumn approaches, harvest the seeds for planting next spring.