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

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Suttons Student Parsnip

€3.50

Introduced to the market in 1861, this variety was selected from wild stock and ‘ennobled’ by a Professor at Cirencester Agricultural College. It was then taken up by Suttons, a long-established supplier of seeds in the UK. This variety has long tapering roots of good size and a very pleasant flavour, delicious mashed or roasted. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 1000

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Viceroy Parsnip

€3.50

A rare heritage variety, coming originally from an heirloom collection offered by ‘Seeds by Size’ in England. This variety has long tapering roots, is sweet to eat and very hardy. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 1000

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Red Russian Kale

€3.50

A very tender and tasty Russian heritage variety. Big oak shaped leaves develop a beautiful red tinge, especially as the cold season develops. Exceptionally resistant to cold weather, this hardy variety is a beautiful and reliable plant to have in the garden. Average seeds per pack 200

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Thousand Headed Kale

€3.50

Also known as ‘Branching Borecole’, this productive variety originated in the west of France, with records dating it as far back as 1865. Growing as large as 1m high, this is an easy-to-grow, plain-leaf kale with wide spreading foliage. Particularly suited to our climate, this reliable kale is hardy and very tolerant of poor soils. Supporter Hilary Killops suggests eating it ‘lightly steamed, and served with a sauce of yoghurt and a little chilli pepper.’

Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 200

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Limburg Yellow Carrot

€3.50

This yellow variety was donated to us by enthusiastic seed-saver Jaap Vlaming, and comes originally from the Limburg province of the Netherlands. It grows vigorously from a spring sowing and is good for winter storage. It is proven by some gardeners that this variety less prone to carrot root fly than the orange varieties. The vibrant, golden-yellow roots have crisp smooth flesh, and are delicious cooked or raw. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 700

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Best of All Swede

€3.50

An Irish landrace with classic purple and white skin, growing to a good size. The golden flesh is very sweet and tasty, and the plants last well into spring before going woody. All round ‘excellent’, as described by a supporter. Madeline at Brown Envelope Seeds trialled it one winter in conjunction with popular commercial varieties and it came out ‘Best of All’.

Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 450

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Major Doon Swede

€3.50

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

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Tipperary Turnip

€3.50

A native cultivar of swede returned to us from the Wellesbourne gene bank, UK. Like other native brassicas, it is hardy and disease resistant. It has a delicate, mellow, sweet flavour, still remembered fondly by many. “The flesh,” says Andrew Williams, “is not tough at all and keeps well through winter”.

Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 450

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Early Wonder Beetroot

€3.50

Introduced in 1911, this old variety has round roots and smooth dark red skin. The glossy leaves also make good greens. Though it matures early, a single sowing can be harvested over a long period. Here are the descriptions from our staff who did a taste test: ‘mouth-watering’, ‘sweet’, ‘juicy and tender’.

Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 300

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Egyptian Flat Top Beetroot

€3.50

A very old heritage variety, originating in Egypt and dating back to the 1800s. In a crop description from 1885, the French seed producer Vilmorin states ‘Exceedingly early variety, best of all early kitchen garden kinds’. This is echoed in modern times by gardener Bob Flowerdew who proclaims that it has ‘the best flavour’. Early maturing, smooth skin on wide roots, deep crimson/purple flesh, both sweet and tender. Very popular among the staff in taste tests. Grows above the ground, so easy to pull when harvesting.

Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 300

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Feuer Kugel Beetroot

€3.50

A rare, smooth-skinned variety from Switzerland, the name translates to ‘fire ball’ in German. Described as being bolt resistant, and having spectacular, tender, ball-shaped roots with fantastic mild flavour. Very successful and absolutely delicious.

Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 300

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Rotunda Beetroot

€3.50

This globe-shaped beetroot gets its name from the Italian word ‘rotonda’ meaning ‘round’. Even when the roots grow quite large they maintain their juicy sweetness, with a distinct earthy flavour.

Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 300

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Runde Kugel Beetroot

€3.50

‘Runde Kugel’ translates from German simply as ‘round ball’. Deep red in colour with a delicious fruity and mild taste. Particularly good raw in salads.

Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 300

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Sanguina Beetroot

€3.50

A very productive conically-shaped beetroot. The flesh of the blood-red roots is juicy and intense, and remains tender and sweet even when the roots have grown large. Average seeds per pack 300

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Touchstone Gold Beetroot

€3.50

This vigorous, quick-growing, brilliant yellow beet was developed by being rebred from old seed stocks. The round, golden roots have smooth skin and delicious, sweet-flavoured, bright yellow flesh. The colour keeps well, even when cooked. It’s also a delight in salads.

Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 300

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Ladakh Beta Chard

€3.50

The seeds of this variety were brought back to Irish Seed Savers from an international slow-food gathering in Turin, Italy. A vigorous, hardy crop, with wonderfully large, light green leaves. Average seeds per pack 200

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Luccullus Chard

€3.50

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

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Rainbow Quinoa

€3.50

This quinoa variety has a mix of the many colours of different types of quinoa: tan, red, orange and black. These plants make a stunning addition to any garden with their bright and colourful seedheads, not to mention the nutritional powerhouse of the seeds. Each colour has a slightly different attribute – sweeter, nuttier or chewier - we hope you enjoy them all! Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 300

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Red Faro Quinoa

€3.50

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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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

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