Our head office, warehouse, and production facilities are located at 77 Wellington Street South in Kitchener, Ontario.
Our head office hours are Monday to Friday 8:30 am – 4:30 pm Eastern Time.
Our retail outlet is located at 16 King Street South, Waterloo, Ontario. The hours of operation are Monday to Friday 8:30 am – 6:00 pm and Saturday 8:30 am – 5:30 pm. The phone number for the store is (519) 866-2990.
We are a family-owned and operated company that is proud to be 100% Canadian. Learn more about us here.
No.
With the exception of a few varieties of corn for commercial growers. We do not offer treated corn for sale on our website. Please contact OSC directly if you are looking for treated corn seed. Our treated corn is coated with a mild fungicide and is clearly-labelled to avoid confusion.
Yes!
Our Aimers Organic line of Herb and Vegetable Seed is certified organic by the Centre for Systems Integration (CSI). Copies of our organic certificates can be found on our website or by clicking here.
Yes!
OSC & Aimers brand seeds are all GMO-free. OSC does not knowingly buy or sell GMO seeds of any kind.
OSC seeds can be found across the country and our list of retailers is always growing and changing. The best way to find the retailers near you is by calling our head office at (519) 886-0557.
If you are in the Kitchener-Waterloo area, you can visit our retail store at 16 King St South in Waterloo, Ontario
Seed importation rules differ depending on the country. Therefore movement of seeds purchased from OSC to any other country is done at your own risk of product seizure at customs. We do not supply phytosanitary certificates.
Check out the “Description” and “Additional Information” sections for individual varieties on our website! These sections have information about the best time to plant, ideal temperatures, and other important growing tips.
More growing information and gardening tips can be found in the Resources section of our website and on our Blog.
The most important difference between certified organic and “regular” seed are the systems that produced them.
In Canada, there is a federally-regulated organic standard.
Canadian organic standards aim to ensure that all aspects of farming are conducted in a way that promotes the overall health of soil, plants, animals, humans, and the planet. Organic practices use a proactive, rather than a reactive approach to farming, minimizing or avoiding expected problems in the farm system. The health of the land is prioritized. Potentially harmful inputs are restricted or forbidden.
Ontario Seed Company is certified organic in two ways:
Firstly, we have a line of certified organic seed. This means the seed itself is certified organic and has been produced by a certified organic system (yay!)
Secondly, we are a certified organic processor. This qualifies us to package and distribute certified organic seed, ensuring its organic integrity is never compromised.
Look for this logo to be sure Canadian organic standards have been met:
Copies of our organic certificates can be found on our website or by clicking here.
If you believe a brand is making false claims about being organic please contact the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Read more about what Ontario is doing to improve organic regulation here.
No!
Genetically Modified Organisms [GMOs] are created by a laboratory process where genes from one species are extracted and artificially forced into the genome of a plant species with which they would normally be incapable of exchanging genes.
Hybrid varieties are created when humans use selective pollination to cross different varieties and species. Hybridization occurs naturally (cross-pollination) but seeds that are advertised as hybrids were deliberately crossed to express certain traits. Common ones are disease resistance, size, colour, and cold hardiness.
Seeds saved from hybrid plants may revert to the stronger of the “parent” genes, instead of reproducing exactly as they were.
You will receive an order confirmation email once we have received your order. You should also notice a temporary hold placed on your credit card for the amount of your order.
Ontario Seed Company ships only to Canadian addresses. Click here for more information.
Most orders are currently being processed and shipped from the OSC Seeds facility in 1-3 Business Days. Click here for more information.
Please note that government closures and other restrictions imposed during 2021 that are beyond the control of OSC Seeds may delay shipment. Please contact us at info@oscseeds.com if you have any concerns regarding your order.
Shipping charges are calculated when you check out. Click here for more information.
You can request express shipping for an additional fee. Click here for more information.
If anything is missing, damaged, or incorrectly filled, please contact us by phone or email as soon as possible. We will work to fix your problem in a timely fashion.
Backorders are shipped as soon as the product arrives at our facility. There are no additional shipping charges when backordered items are shipped.
Thank you for your order! When your order ships, you will receive an email notification from us to let you know that it has left our warehouse. Your tracking number will be included in that email. You should also receive an email from your courier with your shipment details as well.
CAD is an abbreviated way of saying “Canadian Dollars”
All our prices are listed in Canadian currency.
We accept Visa, Mastercard, and AMEX.
Applicable taxes will be automatically calculated as they are applied per jurisdiction.
Your personal information is used only for order entry, payment, and communication between OSC and yourself. OSC will not share your information with any other entity except to fulfill your order.
Although individual seeds of the same species are remarkably similar to each other, seeds from different species vary considerably in size and weight. This makes it impractical to define a “standard” packet across the wide range of species we offer.
When it comes to generic row crop vegetable seeds, we fill the packet with enough seeds to sow a typical householder’s garden row of 3-3.7 m (10 to 12 feet). We do offer select varieties in seed packets where we have counted the seeds.
If you are interested in more detail regarding seed counts per packet for any of the species we offer, please contact us or call us at 519-886-0557.
Yes, many of our varieties are available in bulk packages. This information is available in our online and paper catalogues.
The majority of our seeds are packaged by machine. Some specialty varieties are machine counted and packaged.
For all our vegetable seeds, you will see a line that states the number of ‘seeds per gram’ for that variety. Most bulk packages are sold by weight.
The ‘seed per gram’ measurement is an approximation, so please keep in mind that as seeds age they gradually lose moisture and this can affect the package weight.
Some hybrid varieties are sold by the seed count and this information is stated in our paper and online catalogues.
We purchase our seed from growers around the globe.
Excessive plant growth has been a shared experience by many Canadian growers this year, making this a very Frequently Asked Question in 2019! Some years, Mother Nature serves up the perfect conditions for massive growth. Just like dim, cool, dry weather can slow growth, things like too much rain and sun can stress plants into growing bigger and taller than usual. That has certainly been the case for the 2019 growing season throughout much of Canada.
What if the weather does not seem to be the cause?
- Reduce fertilizers- especially nitrogen: Put simply, Nitrogen is the nutrient responsible for green growth. Excess nitrogen can cause excess green growth and even make vegetable crops so focused on green growth that they neglect to produce vegetables!
- Improve lighting: Plants that are not getting enough sunlight will “reach” for more light and become tall and slim, or “leggy.” Check that you are meeting the minimum light requirements for each individual variety in your garden. Move sun-starved plants to a new location in the garden or trim low-hanging branches of nearby trees to invite more sun.
- Amend soil: If you have not fertilized and the weather does not seem to be the cause, test your soil to determine whether there is a nutrient imbalance. Your local garden centre or nursery can help you choose a soil sample kit and recommend the best products to amend your soil.