Can I Grow Shiso in Wyoming?

Shiso in Wyoming — the short answer

Wyoming is not one climate

Zone Comparison

Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.

When to Plant Shiso in Wyoming

Timing tuned to sub-state frost dates — Teton County, not the statewide average.

Frost window: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020. Plant timing fields: Growable Ground Plant Database — frost-free days from FAO ECOCROP, days to harvest from university Extension production guides, and growing-degree-day and chill-hour minimums that are compilation estimates rather than published figures. Your site's own frost dates can run earlier or later than the state range — a parcel report pins them down.

Growing Season Fit

GDD and chill-hour figures are computed from PRISM 1991-2020 monthly climate normals; frost-free days from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020. Each is the state median across its counties (P25/P75 span the within-state spread). Hardiness-zone range is USDA PHZM 2023.

Soil + Drainage Fit

Shiso likes near-neutral soil (pH 5.5-7.5). That's the common-ground band across Wyoming's sandy loam and clay — a soil test confirms it for your site. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 5.5 and 6 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Wyoming soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Wyoming site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, a raised bed lifts the roots above wet ground, or work in compost. pH range and preferred pH: We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.

Plant pH requirements: FAO ECOCROP and USDA PLANTS, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Drainage: FAO ECOCROP, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Wyoming soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.

Before you plant shiso for food

Anything you grow to eat takes up what is in the ground it grows in, so what is on record near you is worth knowing before shiso goes in. What follows is Wyoming’s documented federal record at state scale — a screening signal, not a soil test, and not a statement about any one lot.

What Else to Consider for Shiso in Wyoming

The zone range tells you where shiso is grown — but Wyoming growers also need to think about:

What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Wyoming grower, not just shiso — is covered on the Wyoming growing guide.

Timing shifts within Wyoming

Wyoming isn't one climate. In Teton County, the last hard freeze (28°F) holds until about Jun 16 — roughly 41 days later than the recorded state median — so plant shiso to your county's window, not the statewide date.

Shiso needs about 80 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. 22 of Wyoming’s 23 counties give it that outright. The tightest that does is Sublette County at 89 frost-free days — 9 to spare. Below that line you are transplanting or extending the season, not direct-sowing.

Across Wyoming’s 23 counties the frost-free season runs from 79 days in Teton County to 166 days in Big Horn County — a spread of 87 days, which is why a single statewide planting date misleads. The median Wyoming county sees 151 frost-free days, leaving shiso about 71 days of slack on a typical parcel — room for a second sowing where the season runs long.

County last-freeze dates and frost-free day counts: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F freeze (earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost"). Shiso's 80-day requirement: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database (minimum frost-free days). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.

Pollinator + Wildlife Value

Shiso draws honeybees (low value). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, shiso can only work that bloom inside Wyoming's frost window — roughly 151 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (May 4 - May 13) and closing at the first (Sep 30 - Oct 7), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020. Pollinator value: We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.

Good to Know Before You Plant Shiso

Recommended Shiso Varieties for Wyoming

Wyoming publishes no state variety trial for shiso, so we won't invent a "best for Wyoming" list. Choose types rated to your USDA hardiness zone (3b-6a), and confirm winter survival and drainage against your own parcel.

Wyoming Cooperative Extension

For Wyoming-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for shiso, the canonical source is University of Wyoming Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.

Is Shiso native to Wyoming?

No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Shiso as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Wyoming's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Wyoming natives keeps local pollinators fed too.

Looking for plants that belong here? The Wyoming growing guide lists plants that USDA PLANTS records growing in Wyoming and that Kew and NatureServe Explorer both list in its native range, leaving out any that NatureServe flags as exotic there or that our audit holds.

State records: USDA PLANTS Database state-distribution data (presence, not state-level nativity), accessed 2026-10-19.

Common Questions About Growing Shiso in Wyoming