Two months ago, we wrote that our second year started. Back then we were testing Shiso seeds from various German seed companies and nurseries.
Unfortunately germination rates are not as high as those of my own saved seeds. And some are red-green mixed.
Talking about the low germination rate especially for red Shiso, seeds may be not fresh enough. In Japan, only Shiso seeds from previous year are available and they sprouts quite well.
Overall, we are glad that we will have enough plants for our garden, test production of Shiso syrup and to sell at a local market.
For the next year, we try hard to keep more seeds in autumn this year :)