Why Choose Irish Seed Savers for Your Seeds?

Our seeds are Guaranteed Irish; grown and saved in Ireland and are organic and open-pollinated, meaning you can save your own seeds and maintain the variety. Choosing Irish Seed Savers seeds helps sustain food security and preserve Irish agricultural biodiversity.

Download 2024 Heirloom Seed Catalogue

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  • This prolific dwarf variety produces uniform plants with lovely yellow pods and wonderfully golden/brown beans when mature. The young pods can be steamed or stir-fried, and the mature beans can be cooked up in soups or stews.
    Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 30
  • Great Mullein

    3.75 (3.75 incl VAT)
    An imposing and statuesque native plant (up to 2 meters in height). In its 1st year, it produces large velvety basal leaves. In the second year, we are treated to a stunning single spike full of beautiful, small yellow flowers. In times gone by the leaves were dried, rolled and smoked and the seedheads were dipped in wax and used as candles, hence it's Irish Name Coinnle Muire (Mary's Candle). Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 100
  • Named for Haldenstein: the Swiss town where people have been growing this heirloom variety since before WWI. Our original seed source came from True Love Seeds in Philadelphia and we concur that the leaves are large and mild with a wonderful nutty flavor. The seeds are quite distinctive in that they are almost triangular and pointed compared with the clusters of round seeds one would expect. Spinach is rich in iron, vitamin C and E, potassium, and magnesium. It's no wonder Popeye ate so much! Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 250
  • This unusual variety comes from a village in the Pontic mountains of Turkey. The cucumbers are perfect for salads or pickling. Approximately 10cm long, and green with slight white striping. Compact plants, not as tall or sprawling as other varieties. Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 16
  • Wonderful vigorous mustard greens with lush big, brilliant-green leaves. The flavour of these leaves is delicious and not too strong compared with other more pungent mustards. Especially nice steamed and served with a lemon juice and soya sauce dressing. Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 500
  • Hopi Red Dye Amaranth

    3.75 (3.75 incl VAT)
    This plant came from the Hopi people of Arizona and New Mexico, and is so-called because the stems were used to make a food colouring for their ‘Piki’ bread. The leaves can be used like spinach, and are an excellent source of many vitamins and minerals. The plants can grow up to 1.4m, the flowers a vibrant, rich, deep red, making a stunning display as they hang in cascades 30-60cm long. Because of its height, this lovely plant benefits from some staking. Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 600
  • One of our most popular varieties, repatriated from the Vavilov Gene Bank in Russia. The plants grow up to 1.5m, so need good support. They produce an abundance of delicious sweet, round peas, 6-8 per pod, described by many as ‘a wonderful crop’. The plants have good mildew resistance and are less prone to sprouting in the pod during a wet summer. Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 50
  • This wonderful heirloom pea came to us from Josh Toombs in Co. Antrim. Josh got in touch with Irish Seed Savers when he was 79 years old because he wished to share this pea with other gardeners. It had been preserved in his family for over a century. The decorative pink and mauve/purple flowers produce a classic dark purple pod. Peas are good eaten fresh when young and immature or left to dry on the plant which make an excellent storage pea. Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 50
  • A very vigorous vining plant, related distantly to cucumbers, but much easier to cultivate. It thrives in cool summers, and can be grown outdoors or indoors. The vines should be given supports and planted about 1m apart to provide plenty of growing space. Its abundant little green fruits grow in pairs, and picked young, taste similar to cucumbers and young French beans. The fruit can be eaten fresh, pickled in brine or vinegar, stir-fried in oil, or stuffed and braised. Pick fruits while young; if left to mature they will eventually burst open to reveal a spine of black woody seeds within. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 4
  • These rocket seeds were brought back to Mud Island Community Garden by garden member Mark Kawa from the Lebanon. They nick-named it Lebanese Rocket when planting the seeds with little hope for such a hot climate plant, but it has thrived in winter and summer. If not regularly picked it quickly goes to seed but the leaves do not go as bitter as others. The delicate champagne coloured flowers are equally delicious and mild. If properly managed it can grow to a mass of about 30cm and planted as edible filler in the flower garden. Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 700
  • These fruits ripen to a beautiful, glossy, deep red, and are delicious both raw and cooked. A very dependable cropper, rich and sweet even in cool summers. The plants are compact but productive (equal to or better than many F1 hybrid types).  Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 25
  • This variety is of Italian heritage and was named after the Roman General ‘Lucius Luccullus’, renowned for his splendid banquets and vast gardens some 2000 years ago. It was introduced in 1914 and won the RHS Award of Garden Merit. Quite hardy through the winter, with heavily ‘crimped’, bright, lush green leaves and white stalks that are almost like asparagus when cooked. Young flowering stalks in spring can be eaten like sprouting broccoli. It has the seal of approval from ‘Scoil Chroi’, in Galway who shared that “Lucullus was a big hit with students of all ages, they loved it, devouring it raw”.
    Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 200
  • This Northern Irish heritage variety is a superb, purple-topped globe swede, with an excellent sweet flavour. It’s great raw and stores well – if you don’t eat them all straight away of course! Probably the same cultivar as Major Dunne, based on observation trials. Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 450
  • This Norwegian landrace is a hardy variety, well suited to growing in northern climates. The squat, medium-sized turnips are pale yellow in colour, and have an excellent flavour. Good for cooking as well as eating raw if you enjoy the strong flavour! Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 450
  • This robust landrace bean has references as far back as 1293 in English manorial account rolls. It is an attractive plant, with lovely purple/maroon mottled flowers. The pods of the beans are small but extremely numerous, containing small, brown, meaty, delicious beans, used fresh or kept for drying. Average Seeds Per Pack: 20  
  • The seed for this cabbage came from a project in the 1980s that involved collecting ‘on-farm saved’ seed crop varieties. This particular ‘common’ or large headed Dutch-type came from farms in Knocknakillew, near Ballinrobe, Co. Mayo. Sown in late spring it produces mighty heads, light green in colour. It over-wintered well, in fact some heads were still compact and harvestable well into the following season! Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 250
  • This visually stunning and delicious chard is from an organic seed company in 'Ontario, Canada'. Gorgeous deep burgundy leaves and deep purple and orange stalks are plentiful throughout the growing season. A lovely addition to salads and soups. Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 200
  • Out of Stock
    This tapering variety of pepper produces beautiful, thick-walled, juicy, sweet, scarlet fruits. The plants are vigorous and productive, with tapering fruits of 10-15cm in length developing in abundance throughout the autumn. They have waxy skin which may help them to be storable for longer. These seeds came to us via Clare Island from Christophe and Ciara who had grown them in their garden tunnels. Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 25
  • A Japanese green that grows as a large rosette of finely lobed leaves, crisp with a characteristic peppery flavour. To have a continuous supply of young leaves keep cutting regularly. Can be used to spice up a salad or be used in stir fry. Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 500
  • A heritage bean that has been in our collection since 2005. Grown and selected by gardeners at Mourne Grange (Camphill Community, in Co. Down). They had been growing it out successfully for more than 15 years when we received it. Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 30
  • This lovely bush variety presents a huge amount of scarlet small-to-medium, juicy fruit. An early ripener, their flavour is mild, fresh, and tangy. An early ripener.  Mrs. Ruck was a lady of Audley End Estate in Essex (now managed by English Heritage) and had passed on the seed when she moved away. Our seed came to us via the Eden Project in Cornwall. Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 40
  • This heritage German runner bean is a vigorous, reliable, early cropper. It produces bright red flowers followed by reasonably stringless beans. Average Seeds Per Pack: 15
  • This treasured American heirloom is a semi-vining green bean variety, producing beautiful pink flowers and delicious sweet, slender pods. The mature beans, which can be saved for drying, are a beautiful creamy white colour with dark brown speckles. A productive and vigorous variety. Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 30
  • A rare snow pea variety first grown out at Irish Seed Savers in 2011. It came to us from the Seed Savers Exchange in the USA with few details. We don't know if it has some connection to Nordland in Norway, Nordland in Germany, or Nordland in the USA? What we do know from this year's grow out is that it grows tall up to 1.8m, produces a good crop of crisp, distinctly sweet mangetout, and tolerated the wet weather in Co. Clare. Best picked and eaten while young. Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 50
  • A unique and rare treasure. A white-skinned variety, beautifully contrasted with very sweet vibrant orange flesh. Perfect for roasting, pies and baking. Historically popular in South Africa, named for the Dutch Boers. Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 10
  • This purple-skinned variety purportedly came from a shipwreck on North Haven Island off the coast of Maine, USA. It has excellent flavour and hardiness, keeping well into spring. Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 450
  • A Pumpkin for cool conditions. A stunning variety with sweet, thick, delicious flesh and beautiful slate blue-grey skin. Kindly donated to us by supporter Cora Hanley, and wow, what a find! Originally bred by the Gill Brothers seed company of Portland, Oregon, this variety was reselected by Oregon breeder and author of ‘The Tao of Vegetable Gardening’ Carol Deppe for cool soil emergence, large seeds, thick flesh, long storability, and vigorous growth. Average Seeds Per Pack: 10
  • Out of Stock

    Ox-Eye Daisy

    3.75 (3.75 incl VAT)
    This large, cheerful wildflower grows to 80cm tall, with flowerheads 25-50mm in diameter. The flowers consist of soft yellow centres, surrounded by bright white rays. A dramatic and lovely native plant to add to the garden. Seeds are best started in pots, left to overwinter outside, and planted out in plugs in the spring Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 100
  • This variety carries a wide range of genetic diversity, thus adapting well to different climates and soils. The cobs are multicoloured with reds, yellows, creams, browns and purples to delight the senses. The corn can be eaten young and fresh as cobs or used to grind corn meal when mature. Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 26
  • Originally from China, this variety was donated to us by supporter Pam from Wales, who has saved this beautiful bean for 20 years. The pods are streaked dark purple-red against light green, making them a highly decorative plant as well as being delicious to eat. Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 30
  • This sweet and flavourful red frying pepper comes from Southern Italy. The tall bush plants may need some support as they become weighed down with plentiful fruits throughout the season. This variety produces lots of bright green fruits developing a deep red colour as they ripen. Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 35
  • Pilot Pea

    3.50
    One of the hardiest of all varieties in cultivation. Grown since 1904, when it was awarded the Award of Merit by the Royal Horticultural Society. Also mentioned in the 'Dig for Victory' guides. Good for autumn or very early spring sowing, cropping over several weeks, with good well-filled pods. Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 50
  • This seed from Poland was collected by the German gene-bank at Gatersleben. A cordon variety that produces quantities of small gold, thin-skinned plum tomatoes, still delicious even in November. Stephen Carrington in Wicklow was still harvesting a few in January from a polytunnel! Growing outdoors as well as under cover, this sweet, mild tomato is a lovely addition to any garden. Average Seeds Per Pack: 50
  • Poppy Mix

    3.75 (3.75 incl VAT)
    This is a mix of poppies in various shades of colour: pink, magenta, mauve and purple. Some have frilly petals or double blooms! Easy to grow, this flower is best direct sown. Self-seeds easily if the stunning mature seed heads have been left to develop. Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 1000
  • This heirloom pea was introduced to England in the 1840s where it quickly became popular. 6-foot-long vines bear an abundance of pods that fill with tasty peas, able to be harvested either as a green pea or left to dry to be saved and added to soups and stews. Average Seeds Per Pack: 50
  • Purple Poppy

    3.75 (3.75 incl VAT)
    A large, handsome and cheery poppy, with lilac petals that form dark patches at the base. The leaves are lobed and wrinkled, the stems a beautiful bluish green. They produce large seed capsules, and the attractive seed heads make great additions to dried flower arrangements. Super easy to save the seeds. Average Seeds Per Pack: 1200
  • A beautiful plant to have in any garden, this variety is a prolific producer of succulent, deep purple broccoli spears. When sown in late spring or early summer the tasty spears can be harvested from February the following year. Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 200
  • A member of the nightshade family and resembling a cape gooseberry with its outer lantern-like husk. Originating in Mexico, these vibrant and tart fruits are an essential ingredient for making the perfect Salsa Verde or as an accompaniment to many Mexican dishes. This purple variety will add colour and interest to your growing season. Don't over-sow as they are very productive. You will need at least two plants to save seeds as they are not self-fertile. Average Seeds Per Pack: 30
  • Red Campion

    3.75 (3.75 incl VAT)
    This lovely tall flower likes shadier conditions such as hedgerows, woods and grassy banks. The attractive, pink-red, 5-petalled flowers are 2-3cm across and bloom from May to September. The plants themselves can grow quite large – from 30cm to 1m in height. Seeds are best started in pots, left to overwinter outside, and planted out in plugs in the spring.  As this species is dioecious (with male and female flowers on separate plants) it is important to grow out both males and females if you want the plants to self-seed (which they do readily!), or otherwise select only males to limit the spread. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 100
  • From the North of Chile, ‘Red Faro’ is both productive and attractive with red-pink foliage and cream seed heads. Less prone to mold and suitable for our cool, damper climate. Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 300
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