OSC Seeds - For The Ontario Seeds Advice

	Carrots		Corn
	Treated Seeds		Miscellaneous
	Onions		Hot Peppers
	Peas		Radishes
	Sunflowers		Prairie Grasses
	Pesticides

Carrots

Bolting to seed is caused by high/low temperature stress at the 5-6 leaf stage. To protect yourself, plant successive crops.

Corn

Weather stress on sweet corn seedlings up to 30 cm (1') tall can cause poor ear formation, gaps in the kernels, tillers or suckers and tassel tip. Fertilizer / weed control measures followed by sudden hot weather can also have the same effect.

Treated Seeds

Cold soil temperatures during May causes seed to rot in the soil or be destroyed by soil borne smut unless it is treated. Organic gardeners should wait until June before planting. The poison label is a caution not to feed this seed in bulk to birds, wildlife or humans.

Miscellaneous

We supply only seed that meets or surpasses Canada's No.1 standards as set by Agriculture Canada. In addition we maintain our own in house seed testing department to ensure you only get the best. Note - soil temperatures less than 15°C (60°F) and higher than 32°C (85°F) will result in poor to nil germination. Delaying planting 7 to 10 days in a cool, wet spring can improve your chances of success.

Apply mulch to flower beds and shrubbery. It cuts down on the weed growth and helps reduce evaporation. Many types of organic mulches also act as fertilizers.

Soil temperatures less than 18°C (65°F) and higher than 32°C (85°F) will result in poor to nil germination.

Perennial flowers provide the foundation of the garden. They are more drought tolerant than most annuals and perform well in less than ideal soils.

When using Jiffy Pots & Strips be sure to use a sterile potting soil. Soil taken directly from the garden is not suitable.

Onions

Plant in rows 30 cm (12") apart, 5 cm (2") apart in the row, as early as possible in the Spring. Sets are used for green onions and can also be left to mature to large cooking onions which store well for winter use. One pound of sets will plant a 70-ft. row, and an acre requires four to five hundred pounds. All our sets are Canada No. 1.

Hot Peppers

Need to put out the fire when eating a hot pepper? We recommend eating pasta, potatoes or banana's, but not water. Since capsaicins (the ingredients that make peppers hot) are oils, they don't mix with water, but any oil absorbing food will help reduce the burning sensation.

Peas

The most common disease is pea root rot (Fusarium) which causes foliage to brown from the ground up. The best control is to plant peas in well-drained soil and to rotate crops. Powdery Mildew causes white powdery mold on leaves, stems and pods and is especially prevalent in hot weather. The best control is to to plant resistant varieties.

Radishes

Radishes grow so quickly they make good row markers for slower growing crops.

Sunflowers

Did you know that sunflowers attract beneficial insects such as lacewings and predatory wasps to your garden. Planting even the dwarf varieties will help to control beetles and aphids from harming your vegetable garden. The children will have fun too saving seeds to feed to the birds.

Prairie Grasses

Most Prairie Grasses require a period of moist-cold temperatures referred to as "stratification" to break dormancy. This is necessary with seeds that have an immature or dormant embryo when harvested. Seeds to be stratified must be fall sown or mixed with moistened medium and kept at 0 to 4 °C (32 to 40°F) for several weeks. Do not refrigerate or freeze the seed while in the packet. If the seeds are not in contact with both moisture and cold air when chilled, they may go into a second dormancy or be severely injured.

Pesticides

Remember to use all pesticides responsibly. Read the label before use, wear protective equipment if instructed on the label and wash after use. Apply only what is needed - follow directions exactly, measure, do not guess.