Last edited on November 29, 2025. View history

Shiso

Perilla frutescens var. crispa WD

A variety of perilla

How to sow shiso: Direct seed, transplant seedlings, cuttings

Sun requirement for shiso: Plant in Full Sun

Perilla, or Beefsteak, is an upright, bushy annual to perennial plant (depending on the region) native to the Himalayas and Southeast Asia. Perilla is in the Mint (Lamiaceae) family and is related to basil and coleus. It is grown for it's edible leaves and seeds and as a medicinal and ornamental. Leaves are fragrant, ovate with serrated edges, and can be green, tinged with purple, or deep red (hence the name Beefsteak). Leaves have a pleasant sweetly spicy taste and can be added to salads and soups. Perilla is popular in Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Nepalese and Indian cuisine. The plant is heat and drought-tolerant, but can become invasive. Deadhead spent flowers to prevent Perilla from self-sowing.

5
plantings
0
harvests
0
seed packets
Growstuff is a free, community-run site for people who grow food. Keep track of what you plant and harvest, find seeds to swap, and see what is growing near you. Join to record your own shiso.
Sign in

Shiso facts

Lifespan

Annual living and reproducing in a single year or less
Optimal temperature 5–30 °C
FAO EcoCrop
Optimal rainfall 250–600 mm/year
FAO EcoCrop
Optimal soil pH 5.5–7.2
FAO EcoCrop

Crop cycle

80–150 days
FAO EcoCrop

Optimal light

clear skies to very bright
FAO EcoCrop

How members grow shiso

Sunniness

Loading...

Planted from

Loading...

Photos

Shiso crops

Shiso plantings

青じそ
青じそ
by bokunenjin
ao shiso
ao shiso
by bokunenjin
ao shiso
ao shiso
by bokunenjin
More photos

Video

Where shiso grow

Only plantings by members who have set their locations are shown.

What people are saying about shiso

Nobody has posted about shiso yet.

Sign in or sign up to post your tips and experiences growing shiso.
Image of shiso

Who's planted shiso

Sign in or sign up to track your shiso plantings.

Shiso harvests

Nobody has harvested this crop yet.

Sign in or sign up to track your shiso harvests.

Find shiso seeds

There are no seeds available to trade on Growstuff right now.

Time to harvest

If sown now, expect a first harvest in about 80 to 150 days.

From the growing cycle in the FAO EcoCrop database, which is the same wherever it is grown.

Ecological requirements

Data from the FAO EcoCrop database for Perilla frutescens (L.) Britton

Family / Taxonomy Magnoliopsida
Asteridae
Lamiales
Labiatae
Life form herb
Life span annual
Habit erect
Optimal soil depth medium (50-150 cm)
Optimal soil texture medium, organic
Optimal soil fertility high
Optimal soil drainage well (dry spells)
Optimal soil salinity medium (4-10 dS/m)
Photoperiod short day (<12 hours)

Licensed under CC-BY-4.0.

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) ECOCROP, the crop ecological requirements database. Version 1. https://data.apps.fao.org/catalog/dataset/ecocrop. Accessed through the CGIAR Climate Action Data Hub, https://cgiar-climate-data-hub.github.io/catalog/ecocrop_1/.

Learn more about shiso

Resources outside Growstuff.