Organic Vegetable Seeds

Oklahoma native Carl Barnes selected the stunning Glass Gem from several traditional heirlooms known for their beauty. Words don’t do justice to the multicoloured, translucent, gem-like kernels on these amazing cobs.

The plants are sturdy and grow 6-8′ tall, with several 18-20cm long ears. The kernels can be popped or ground into flour, but they’re almost too beautiful to part with. Consider starting this one indoors, as it has a long maturation. The kernels take on these extraordinary colours as they dry so they make exceptional autumn displays. No two cobs are identical.

 

How To Grow, Timing:  Direct sow in late spring. If the soil is not warm enough, seeds often rot before sprouting – especially when not treated with fungicide. Untreated corn seeds should be planted only when the soil has warmed up above 18°C – warmer for super-sweet (sh2) types, and even warmer for a good stand. Use a soil thermometer. If spring weather is cold, consider planting in flats or individual pots, indoors with bottom heat, for transplanting. Seeds should germinate in 7-10 days. If it rains after planting and corn does not emerge, just re-plant the area.

How To Grow, Starting:  Do not soak corn seeds prior to planting. Plant 2-5cm deep (shallower for sh2 seed or in cool soil). Sow seeds around 7.5cm apart, in rows 60-90cm apart.

Because corn is wind pollinated, plant in a dense block of at least 4 rows, rather than in single rows. This increases the chance of corn pollen, which emerges from male flowers at the growing tip, to fall down onto the receptive female silks that extend from each corn cob.

How To Grow, Growing:  Ideal pH: 5.8-6.8.  Corn is a heavy feeder, so add manure or compost, and use 500g of complete organic fertilizer per 6m of row, mixing it thoroughly into the soil beneath each seed furrow. Thin to at least 20-25cm  apart in the row. Large eared and double-eared varieties need to be 30cm apart. Keep free of weeds until knee-high, and then leave it alone.

How To Grow, Harvest:  When the silks at the end of an ear are a dry brown, the cob seems to start to droop, and the kernels release milky juice when cut.

 

How To Grow, Harvesting Popcorn:  Leave the ears of popcorn varieties on the plants to dry as long as possible into late summer and early fall. The husks should turn yellow/brown as they dry and the kernels should harden. Once the plants appear to be completely dry, or if wet weather is in the forecast, harvest the ears and bring them indoors. Remove the husks. Store the ears in mesh bags in a warm, dry, airy location. The ideal humidity level for curing popcorn is 13 to 14%. Curing is the process after drying that allows for long term storage of popcorn kernels. Once a week, remove a few kernels and try popping them. Popcorn that is chewy or kernels that have jagged edges after popping both mean that the kernels are not dry enough. Continue curing and test-popping until the desired texture is reached. Then remove the kernels and store them in an air-tight container.

105 Days

Approx: 55 Seeds

PLS 595 shelling pea produces heavy yields of long 11cm pods filled with an average of 11 tasty peas each. Easy to harvest pods are set high up on the upright, 60cm plants that produce afila-type tendrils that are edible as well. Enjoy the sweetest tasting peas when harvested when they just fill the pods.

How To Grow, Timing:  Peas prefer cool weather. Plant as early in spring as the soil can be worked. If planting on the west coast after April 1, sow varieties that are listed as being enation resistant if you live in an area where aphids carry the enation virus. Sow again through the summer for a fall crop. The success of a fall crop will depend on the weather. Optimal soil temperature: 10-20°C. Seeds should sprout in 7-14 days.

How To Grow, Starting:  Soaking seeds is not advised for damp soils. Sow seed 2cm deep. After April 15th, sow seed 5cm deep. Space seeds 2-7cm apart in the row. Do not thin. If the seeds fail to sprout, try to dig some up and check for rot or insect damage. The challenge with untreated pea seeds is to give them an early start but to avoid rot.

How To Grow, Growing:  Use well-drained soil amended with finished compost. Add 2 cups of rock phosphate or bone meal for 3m of row. Plant most varieties along a trellis or fence for support as they climb. Dwarf varieties do not need a trellis, but may benefit from the support of some twigs poked into the soil in the row.

How To Grow, Harvest:  Pick when pods at the desired stage. In theory, all peas can be harvested before the seeds mature, as snow peas, and then as tender snap peas, and finally as shelling peas. Most varieties have an intended maturity for picking. Make multiple sowings or grow several varieties to extend the harvest season.

65 days

Approx: 95 seeds

Red Russian Organic Kale Seeds grow leaves that are flat, toothed, grey-green leaves with bright purple stems and veins really brighten and sweeten after frosts. Tender for salads and good for bunching, the red and purple hues turn a rich, dark green colour when cooked. Red Russian kale may be richer in vitamins and minerals than other greens and is very disease resistant. Heirloom seeds.

Tender kale leaves are a popular ingredient in baby leaf salad mixes or as full size bunches. This organic strain has very smooth gently lobed baby leaves. Highly cold tolerant, this kale can overwinter in moderate climates. (B. napus.)

How To Grow, Timing:  Direct sow in early spring to mid-summer for summer to winter harvests. Or start indoors 4-6 weeks before the last frost, and transplant out as soon as the soil warms up. Optimal soil temperature: 10-30°C.  Seeds should germinate in 7-10 days.

How To Grow, Starting:  Sow 3-4 seeds 5mm deep in each spot you where a plant is to grow. Thin to the strongest plant. Space 45-60cm apart in rows 75-90cm apart.

How To Grow, Growing:  Ideal pH: 6.0-6.8.  Add lime to the bed 3 weeks prior to sowing. Kale likes well-drained, fertile soil high in organic matter. This plant prefers plentiful, consistent moisture. Drought is tolerable, but quality and flavor of leaves can suffer. Mix ¼ cup of complete organic fertilizer into the soil beneath each transplant, or use 1 cup beneath every 3m of seed furrow.

How To Grow, Harvest:  Kale and collards can both be grown as a cut and come again crop for salad mixes by direct-seeding and cutting when plants are 5-8cm tall. They will re-grow. Or pick leaves from the bottom up on mature plants as you need them. In spring, the surviving plants start to flower, so eat the delicious flowering steps and buds.

Days to maturity: 21 days for baby leaves, 50 days to full size

Approx 400 seeds