Shiso

Shiso: plant 30 cm (12 in) apart in the row and 40 cm (16 in) between rows, 1 per square. Good neighbours: Avocado tree, Mango tree, Banana plant.

Key facts

Spacing in the row	30 cm (12 in)
Between rows	40 cm (16 in)
In a 30 cm (1 ft) square	1 per square
Sun	Part sun, 4–6 hours a day
Root depth	15 cm (6 in)
Height when grown	60 cm (24 in)
Crop rotation group	Herbs, flowers and perennials
Support	None needed

How it is started	Sown straight into the bed, started in trays
Seeds per hole	3
Plants kept after thinning	1
Seeds per metre of row	10
Sowing depth	0.2 cm (0.1 in)
Soil temperature	from 18 °C, best 22–28 °C
Days to emerge	10–21 days
Light while germinating	Needs light, barely cover
Before sowing	nothing needed
When to sow	Indoors 4 weeks before the last frost; outdoors after the last frost; soil at least 16 °C

After emergence	16–22 °C; take the cover off as soon as they show
Pricking out	at 2 true leaves
Takes transplanting	Easily
Hardening off	7–10 days
Life cycle	Annual
Cold tolerance	Tender, hurt by 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; at planting
Support and training	None needed; pinch the tips

Days to first harvest	60–80 days, from sowing
Ready when	The leaves are big enough to use
Harvest window	Picked again and again, 10–16 weeks
Typical yield	0.2–0.5 kg per plant
Botanical family	Lamiaceae
Watch out for	Slugs and snails, aphids

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

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 Lamiaceae 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.