Irish Seed Savers are delighted to present four films about how we grow for seed and save seed. The foundation of growing for seed is good soil, which you can learn about in the first video ‘Soil, Seed and Sustainability’. This is followed by three videos detailing how to grow for seed and save seed for peas and beans, tomatoes and courgettes and pumpkins.
At Irish Seed Savers we only sow open-pollinated seed. The flowers of open-pollinated seed are fertilised by bees, moths, birds, bats and the wind. For seed-saving purposes, growing with seed that is open-pollinated, will ensure that you can save true-to-type seed, unlike hybrid / F1 seed. By choosing to grow with open-pollinated seed you contribute to keeping food security in your own hands and Irish agricultural biodiversity alive and vibrant.
Irish Seed Savers would like to thank Rethink Ireland and The Community Foundation of Ireland for their generous support in the making of our four seed saving films.
Scroll to the bottom of the page to start viewing Video 1.
Cucurbits – Saving seeds from courgettes and pumpkins is the final film in a series of four showcasing the work we do at Irish Seed Savers. In this short film our garden team demonstrate how to save seeds from courgettes and pumpkins, dry and store them in your own home.
Tomatoes – Growing and Saving for Seed, is the third film in a series of four showcasing the work we do at Irish Seed Savers 20 acre organic farm in Scariff, County Clare. Our garden team demonstrate how to save tomato seeds, dry and store them in your own home.
Peas and Beans
Peas and Beans; Growing for Seed and Saving Seed is the second film in our series. This short film provides an easy guide to growing peas and beans for seed and how to successfully save the seed for future use, set in the beautiful seed gardens on our 20 acre organic farm.
Soil, Seed and Sustainability
Soil, Seed and Sustainability, is the first in a series of four films showcasing Irish Seed Savers 20 acre organic farm in Scraiff, County Clare. Head Gardener at Irish Seed Savers, Tristan Lienhard, looks at how Ireland’s maritime climate poses challenges for soil care in organic growing and how having trailed various soil care and weed management techniques at Irish Seed Savers over the years, we have adapted an approach of following five principles for our soil care that is proving effective for us in successfully growing organically for seed. Irish Seed Savers would like to thank Clare County Council for their generous support in making this film.
