Botanical name : Cryptotaenia japonica
Common name : Mitsuba, Japanese Wild Parsley, Japanese Honewort
Easy for seed saving
Lifecycle: Perennial
Pollination: Insect pollinated
Mating system: Self-fertile
Suggested spacing: Same as for eating production
Seed specific requirements: Flowering likely triggered by heat or daylength
Isolation distance: None required
Population size: 5 to 10 plants, viable seed can be collected from a single plant
Seed maturity: Seed heads change colour to brown
Processing method: Dry processing
Expected seed viability: 3 years
Growing for seed
Whether growing for seed or for eating Mitsuba needs plenty of moisture and not too much heat. It won’t thrive in hot, dry conditions.
Flowering is triggered by hotter days with longer daylight hours.
Named strains are not common so most gardeners can ignore isolation requirements and allow cross-pollination to occur freely.
Selection
Choose robust plants to allow to go to seed. Avoid collecting seed from plants that go to seed before the rest of the population.
Harvest
The seeds are mature when they change colour to light brown and begin to dry. Heads should be picked promptly because they are prone to shattering in the garden. Seed heads can be collected individually as they ripen.
Harvested heads can be placed in a bag or old pillowcase and hung in a sheltered to finish drying.
Processing
Seeds are easily rubbed from the seed heads. Only minor winnowing is usually required to clean the seed after it is separated from the stalks.
Contributors
Liz Worth