Organic Heirloom Seeds – Page 2 – Irish Seed Savers Association

Rubin Lettuce

€3.50

A Swiss ‘ruby’ variety, this lettuce has an upright habit and a loose head of stunning, deep maroon leaves. A reliable, cold-hardy plant, excellent as a ‘cut and come’ variety.

Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 200

Add to cart Details

Kindly donated to us by supporter Stephen Marsh, this is a lovely, large, green lettuce with an upright growing habit. The loosely curly leaves are very crunchy and strong-tasting, a great texture to have in a salad mix. Grows well year-round.

Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 200

Add to cart Details

Salsify

€3.50

A somewhat forgotten, mild-flavoured root vegetable highly deserved of attention. Opinions vary on taste ranging from Oyster-like to Asparagus or Artichoke. The wild crop relative of this cultivated crop was gathered by the Greeks and Romans for medicinal use for liver and gallbladder treatments and it was a staple on Victorian dinner plates. Michel Roux Jr, the Michelin-starred chef said: “Salsify is one of the most versatile and tasty root vegetables – from raw in coleslaw to roasted with spices. Truly delicious.” Also, a wonderful plant to have in the garden, growing to 100cm, for its beautiful edible purple flowers blooming from spring to autumn. Attractive to wildlife. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 150

Add to cart Details

Lipstick Pepper

€3.50

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 20

Add to cart Details

Northern Princess Linseed/Flax

€3.50

An Irish Flax cultivar presumed from the North of Ireland, repatriated from the Vavilov Institute for Plant Genetic Resources in Russia c2000. This variety has been successfully regenerated four-fold since it arrived in our care; Here at Capparoe, and also grown as part of an on-farm trial in Kilkenny, at Airfield Estate in Dundrum, Dublin and by Helen Keys and Charlie Mallon as part of their regenerative farming practices at Mallon Farm where they have grown, processed and woven the flax (with other varieties) by hand to create precious pieces of history. Flax is part of our deep cultural heritage and is so giving, flowers, fiber and food. Grows to 80cm, 5 seed heads per plant. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 300

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

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

Mr Ferns Climbing French Bean

€3.50

This variety has impressed market gardeners, as it thrives and is a prolific producer even in a poor summer. Originally donated by a supporter as one of his favourites, this easy-to-grow variety has beautiful pink flowers and tender green pods that contain bean seeds that turn dark purple/black when mature. Average seeds per pack 30

Add to cart Details

Pam’s Speckled Climbing French Bean

€3.50

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

Add to cart Details

Waltham Butternut Squash

€3.50

This is a vigorous and dependable variety, producing between four and seven fruits per vine. The lightly tanned, smooth skinned, bottle-shaped fruits have fine-textured, golden orange flesh. Exceptionally good keepers, this variety is perfect for storage if you can resist cooking up the fruits straightaway. The fruit have a small seed cavity with a low seed count, so it’s well worth saving your own!

Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 10

Add to cart Details

Blanche De Virginie Courgette

€3.50

A French heirloom, this productive variety has small, pale-green fruit. ‘Carpaccio’ is a great way to enjoy this fruity-flavoured gem of a courgette – cut into thin vertical slices, marinated with olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper and grilled briefly on both sides. Garnish with fresh coriander.

Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 10

Add to cart Details

Gene Bank Courgette

€3.50

We had seven seeds in a packet from a German gene bank, dated 1999 with the place of origin given as Sweden, the description ‘vegetable marrow’. The plants grew amazingly well, quickly covering an entire bed in the tunnel with their small, tasty courgettes, though this crop comes into its own as the more traditional marrow.

Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 10

Add to cart Details

True Gold Corn

€3.50

A variety of Sweetcorn that has been selected from a 1955 hybrid and which is now open pollinated. Described as an ‘old fashioned’ corn that will transform any plate to a luxurious meal. A late season corn that delivers tender, sweet, rich, delicious golden cobs up to 3 per plant.

Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 26

Add to cart Details

Oldamster Wierdeboon Broad Bean

€3.50

A Dutch heritage variety from the Groningen province. It produces unusual pure-white fragrant flowers, followed by medium-sized pods containing tender beans that grow up the whole stem. Unusual pure-white fragrant flowers, followed by medium-sized pods. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 20

Add to cart Details

French Honeysuckle

€3.75 (€3.75 incl VAT)

A hardy perennial, once seen never forgotten! This 1m tall open bush has silver rimmed leaves and fantastic, fragrant, dense spikes of crimson red flowers, which are rich in nectar. Best grown in a sunny position but likes moist soil. A member of the legume family, this plant is also nitrogen fixing. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 40

Add to cart Details

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

Add to cart Details

Sweet William – Grandmothers

€3.75 (€3.75 incl VAT)

An early-flowering variety, coming to us from Vermont, USA. A lovely bright and fragrant mix in shades of pinks, purples and whites. Long, firm stems make it an ideal cut flower throughout summer. A short-lived perennial. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 350

Add to cart Details

Pinwheel Metamorph (Tagetes-Marigold)

€3.75 (€3.75 incl VAT)

Given to us by ‘Peace Seeds’ in Oregon, USA, these plants provide an absolutely stunning display of dark red, orange and yellow concentric-striped flowers, blooming in vivid profusion from May to October. Tall plants up to 1m high, with the pungent ‘tagetes’ smell that can help to put off pests. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 150

Add to cart Details

Early Blood Turnip Beetroot

€3.50

This lovely, turnip-shaped beetroot originated in North America, dating as far back as 1825. A quick-growing variety, the foliage is bright green with streaks of red, and the crisp, sweet flesh is dark crimson with occasional pink areas. Average seeds per pack 300

Add to cart Details

Midnight Madness Chard

€3.50

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

Add to cart Details

Robelija Onion

€3.50

A vigorous, robust red onion. Dark round-flat bulbs. Matures quite early and is very productive, also stores very well for a red onion if kept under optimal conditions (cool, dark and dry environment). Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 200

Add to cart Details

Kuttiger Carrot

€3.50

Kuttiger is an old-type white carrot, first established in Europe in the 15th century. Now quite scarce, these types were very commonly grown until the introduction of orange carrots. With its snowy-white colour, broad shoulders, and stocky shape, this variety could be mistaken for a parsnip in appearance, though in taste it still has the mild and subtly earthy flavour of a carrot. Average seeds per pack 700

Add to cart Details

Langedijke Red Cabbage

€3.50

This lovely variety produces beautiful medium-sized solid heads of red cabbage, with mild flavour and intense colour. Stands well over winter with little loss to frost. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 250

Add to cart Details

Mayo Common Cabbage

€3.50

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

Add to cart Details

Violet de Gournay Radish

€3.50

First listed in seed catalogues as far back as 1885, this lovely variety is still going strong. The long, cylindrical roots have the most beautiful purple skin and mild, sweet, white flesh. A great winter storage radish. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 250

Add to cart Details

Ellen’s Swede

€3.50

This is a rare old landrace variety, maintained by a family in the mountains of the Swabian Alb Region in Germany. This swede produces a lovely, uniform, very sweet, medium-sized root. Good resistance to boron deficiency. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 450

Add to cart Details

Costata Romanesco Courgette

€3.50

Popular, Italian heirloom courgette. The dark green fruit are long (can reach up to 60cm and remain tender) and are distinctively ridged. The plants are vigorous so give them plenty of space, they will produce well through the whole season, outdoors as well as under cover. They taste great and look very decorative when sliced and cooked. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 10

Add to cart Details

Princess Danish Dwarf French Bean

€3.50

This dwarf bean came from one the European seed shares and is a traditional variety for drying and storing. The robust plants are healthy and uniform, with plenty of lovely white flowers developing into pods throughout the season. Leave pods on the vine for as long as possible until they have dried to a parchment texture. The lovely amber-brown beans inside will need further drying indoors to store for winter for use in soups, stews, casseroles, risotto, etc. Once dried they will need soaking for a few hours before cooking. Average seeds per pack 30

Add to cart Details

Carruthers Purple Pod Pea

€3.50

This pea came from Patrick Carruthers in Co. Down, where it has been grown and saved for 25 years. Growing up to 1.6m, with lovely magenta flowers that are followed by striking purple pods. The young peas can be eaten fresh but are also great if left to mature and dry for winter storage, especially as purple pea varieties such as this one tend to be richer and less sweet than the greens. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 50

Add to cart Details

Stenu Pea

€3.50

This is a tall variety, up to 2m in height, so the plants will need good support. the word ‘Stenu’ itself means wall or rock in several Eastern European languages, perhaps referring to what it was grown on. Gorgeous pink-purple flowers produce pods of up to 8 peas. Lovely eaten raw when young, and they sweeten up even more when cooked. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 50

Add to cart Details

Thomas Laxton Pea

€3.50

Named after the famous plant biologist and pea breeder Thomas Laxton, a heritage variety dating back to the 1800s. Quite an early-maturing pea, with 7-9 peas per pod, and a long harvest season. The vines are relatively short, reaching almost 1m in height. Cold resistant and particularly suitable to a maritime climate such as ours. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 50

Add to cart Details

IBM Linseed/Flax

€3.50

This variety was repatriated from the Vavilov Institute for Plant Genetic Resources in Russia, and, as is the norm with most gene banks, background information is scant and we haven't been able to locate any references to this particular variety to-date. We have however unearthed the root of the expression "tow-head" or "toe-head," which was used to describe a person with blond hair; it comes from the name for the fine, oft-tangled fibers left behind in the hackles, when processing flax into linen! The familiar wispy blue flowers of this variety transform into beautiful golden orbs full of plump, nutritious seeds. It's very easy to grow and to save the seeds if you're happy to share some with the birds who have that inherent ability to determine the optimum time for seed maturation! Grows to 80cm, 5 seed heads per plant. Sow: March/April Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 300

Add to cart Details

Clay Pot Corn

€3.50

This maize corn variety gets its name from the clay pots that the seed was found in. The history of this corn goes back to the Anasazi people some 500 years ago, with this seed coming originally from Hopi elders. It grew very high in the tunnel, providing large colourful cobs with kernels in stunning shades of violet and black to shades of red, yellow, gold and cream. As this variety is a maize type, it is more suited for grinding into flour than eating as a sweet ‘corn on the cob’. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 26

Add to cart Details

Confetti Coriander

€3.50

This is a unique variety with fine, feathery bright green foliage. It gives all the distinctive taste and aroma of coriander with an especially sweet fragrance. The leaves can be used in soups and salads, and the mature seeds can be saved as a spice. ANNUAL Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 150

Add to cart Details

Honesty (White Flower)

€3.75 (€3.75 incl VAT)

This very unique white variety was donated to us by Philip McSheffrey of Donegal. Philip’s uncle John had brought it over from Greenock in Scotland in the 1970s, and the family have grown it ever since. Although there was one year when the family’s seed harvest failed, luckily they had given some seed to a 94-year-old lady who saved this rare flower from extinction. It has the most stunning display of pure white, foaming flowers, from which you can harvest the shimmering cellophane-like seed pods for displays. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 50

Add to cart Details

Hopi Red Dye Amaranthus

€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

Add to cart Details

Woad

€3.75 (€3.75 incl VAT)

Woad has been used for centuries to obtain a blue dye. Though the extraction process is elaborate, it is easy to grow this ancient plant and, as nature and culture writer Richard Mabey says, ‘it's worth having in the garden’. An attractive plant with 1m high stems, long, succulent, blueish leaves that shine like stained glass, and foamy clusters of brilliant-yellow flowers. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 160

Add to cart Details

Verdonnet Leek

€3.50

Originally from Switzerland, this old landrace was selected and bred by a Swiss farmer. We shared the seeds of this variety with our friends at Adaptive Seeds in the Pacific Northwest of the USA, where they have been undertaking leek trials. This reliable leek has good large stalks, dark green leaves and is hardy through winter. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 250

Add to cart Details

Stamme Mix Onion

€3.50

This seed of Norwegian origin will produce a diverse range of onion shapes, sizes and colours. Expect to obtain a richly diverse, healthy crop of round to slightly flattened onions with colours ranging from light-gold and copper to purple. Well suited to our short growing season and temperate climate. Average seeds per pack 200

Add to cart Details

Zebrune Shallots

€3.50

A superb French heirloom variety, often called Banana-type shallots for their torpedo shaped bulbs. The skin of this variety has a wonderful pink-brown colour, and it is very productive, producing good-sized bulbs which are useful for storing. Easy to slice and deliciously sweet and mild. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 250

Add to cart Details