Why are growing numbers of people choosing to buy seeds from Irish Seed Savers?

The ethos here at Irish Seed Savers Association, is to conserve and distribute wonderful rare and heritage varieties, as well as to encourage the skills of saving your own seed and empowering people to do this in their own gardens, small holdings or farms.

All of our seeds are grown and saved in Ireland and are Open Pollinated which allows you to save your own seeds from them, keeping the variety true to type. By choosing Irish Seed Savers Open Pollinated Seeds you contribute to keeping food security in your own hands and Irish agricultural biodiversity alive and vibrant.

Download 2023 Heirloom Seed Catalogue

Browse Seeds

Purple Plum Radish

€3.50

This is a lovely radish, originally developed in the Pacific Northwest of the United States in the 1980s. An early-season, hardy, fast-growing variety, maturing about 25-30 days after planting. The skins of this variety are a lovely vibrant purple colour with white inner flesh. The oval/teardrop-shaped roots are 2-5cm in diameter with a tapering taproot. The crispy non-pithy flesh is sweet and subtly peppery compared to that of other radishes, perfect for salads and snacks. Average seeds per pack 250

Add to cart Details
Evergreen Bunching Onion

€3.50

Sometimes known as a ‘Welsh onion’, this is an easy to grow perennial onion that doesn’t develop a bulb, but rather forms a cluster of lush green stems much like scallions but a little broader. To harvest, keep cutting the stems to eat fresh, either raw or cooked. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 200

Add to cart Details
Manpuku-Ji Onaga Carrot

€3.50

Manpuku-Ji is a temple located in Uji, Kyoto-Japan, and Onaga translates from Japanese as ‘having a long tail’. This striking, long-rooted orange carrot prefers good deep soil to grow at its best. Good for late sowings up to end of June. Very sweet flavour, especially good in Japanese miso soup. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 700

Add to cart Details
Temuco Quinoa

€3.50

Quinoa has been cultivated for about 5000 years and is indigenous to the Andean region of South America. This variety named after the city of Temuco in the Araucanía Region of southern Chile is a surprisingly easy and trouble-free crop. Direct sown in drills in April, it grew up to 1.5m tall, harvested in early September. A very nutritious crop, high in protein and essential amino acids. The seed contains bitter saponins (a chemical defense against birds), which needs to be washed out before use. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 300

Add to cart Details
Brad’s Atomic Grape Cordon Tomato

€3.50

These plum-shaped cherry tomatoes, originally bred by Brad Gates of Wild Boar Farm, start off looking like bunches of small aubergines, developing green, red and blue colourful stripes as they ripen. Best sown from January to March, they are very productive and ripen over a long growing season. As this is an indeterminate type this variety needs to be supported and have its side shoots removed. The fruits have rather thick skins which helps with crack-resistance, and makes the sweet little juicy tomatoes burst in your mouth as you eat them. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 40

Add to cart Details
Blaushokkers Pea

€3.50

A unique Dutch heritage pea, ‘Blauwshokker’ translates as ‘blue pod’, referencing the stunning indigo-blue pods of this variety. The vines reach 1.8m in height, with striking bi-coloured purple/blue flowers that add great ornamental value to the garden. The sweet, green pods can be eaten young as mangetout, but this pea is especially wonderful in soups and stews, as was the tradition in Holland and Germany. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 50

Add to cart Details
Amish Snap Sugarsnap Pea

€3.50

As the name suggests, this lovely snap pea was originally grown and developed in an Amish community. The vines grow to a tallish 1.5-2m in height, so support will be needed. A very good producer throughout the season, providing plenty of tasty pods. The 4 to 8cm long pods contain between 4 to 8 peas, and are sweet and crunchy picked right off the vine. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 65

Add to cart Details
Hurst Greenshaft Pea

€3.50

An exceptional pea, winning the RHS Award of Garden Merit in 1993. A reliably producer of very heavy crops. Grower Matt Dwyer comments “One of the best peas I have grown”. Unusually long (10cm) pods grow atop 1m tall vines, with the pods containing a bounty of 9-11 peas. Growing over an extended season, a prolific producer of sweet, tasty peas that are wrinkled at maturity. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 50

Add to cart Details
Lady’s Slipper Achocha

€3.50

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

Add to cart Details
Rezha Macadonia Chilli

€3.50

This attractive chilli produces long tapering fruit, up to 2.5cm wide and 19cm long. The plants grow very well in Capparoe, producing plenty of fruit throughout late summer and well into autumn. The fruits have characteristic ‘corking’, with light-brown striations contrasting beautifully against the deep red skin. In intensity the fruit ranges from medium to hot, and is deeply flavourful. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 25

Add to cart Details
Twiggy Pea

€3.50

This variety hails from the ‘Court of Eden Seed Savers’ in Holland. Approximately 1.2m tall, this variety produces full pods, with up to 8 peas per pod. The plants are quite remarkable, with beautiful, extensively curled ‘twig’ like tendrils, which are beautiful for garnishing dishes. Excellent flavour. Average seeds per pack 50

Add to cart Details
Land Cress

€3.50

Also known as American cress, these dark green leaves have a spicy flavour like water cress, but the plants are much easier to grow. Compact plants form attractive lobed leaves in rosettes. They thrive in the summer and autumn, but will also happily carry on throughout winter due to their cold tolerance. It’s surprising this delicious, peppery plant isn’t grown more widely! Average seeds per pack 1400

Add to cart Details
Autumn Hawkbit

€3.75 (€3.75 incl VAT)

This native perennial wildflower grows to about 25 cm high. It has bright golden-yellow, red-streaked flower-heads on branched stems that appear from July to October. The attractive green leaves are oblong-shaped with narrow, wavy lobes. 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

Add to cart Details
Coming Soon

Savoir Se Bree Sage

€3.75 (€3.75 incl VAT)

A stunning ornamental sage variety from our friends at ‘Bôite de Graines’ in France. Growing up to 2m, these plants created a stunning structural display in our Inis Glas garden. Delightful delicate blue/mauve flowers bloom prolifically and have that wonderful sage aroma, a real pleasure to behold. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 50

Details
Matador Spinach

€3.50

An old variety, with medium-to-dark green smooth leaves that have a distinctively spear-shaped appearance. Very productive and can be sown nearly all year round, ours overwintered very well in the polytunnel. The tasty leaves can be eaten fresh or cooked. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 250

Add to cart Details
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

Add to cart Details
Slovenian Runner Bean

€3.50

The original seed of this variety came to us from local educator and active community man, Pearse O’Shiel, who himself got them from a Slovenian market. The plants produce delightful peach and red flowers, which make way for medium-sized pods that contain an average of four seeds per pod. The tasty pods when mature contain attractive bean seeds that are speckled and buff-brown in colour. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 12

Add to cart Details
Red Florence Onion

€3.50

Long Red Florence, also known as Italian Red Torpedo, is an Italian heirloom originating from Tuscany sometime in the 1800s. This variety is known for its long purple-red ‘torpedo’ shaped bulbs, which have a delicious mild, sweet flavour. Can be used raw in salads as well as cooked. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 200

Add to cart Details
Malselvnepe Turnip

€3.50

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

Add to cart Details
Dottenfelder Dauer Cabbage

€3.50

A vigorous, short-stemmed variety with a firm, round/oval head and short inner stalk. Under good conditions the heads (averaging 1.5kg) can be stored well until January. It is delicious cooked and also ideal for eating raw. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 250

Add to cart Details