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 2024 Heirloom Seed Catalogue

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  • Light stripy green fruits. Good flavour and very creamy. An early, productive courgette. Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 10
  • An heirloom variety from the Bavarian region of Germany also known as German Bier Garten or Beer Garden. A plump white radish with great flavour. Traditionally sliced very thinly and dipped in salt and served with bread or a warm pretzel – washed down with a beer of course! Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 250
  • A variety that goes back to 1871, this is a great winter vegetable with good sized, globed roots and creamy-white flesh. Very tasty in soups and stews or even roasted, with a distinctive ‘celery’ flavour. Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 500
  • A hardy annual, with characteristic pungent leaves used in salads, curries and pickles. This variety was bought to us from the ‘Kenyan Seed Savers’, very vigorous and easy to grow. For a constant supply sow direct, sparsely and often from early spring onwards. ANNUAL Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 150
  • 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
  • Grandmothers Sweet William

    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
  • A variety named for an American civil war veteran born in 1822. This lovely loose-leaved lettuce has large, crisp, juicy leaves that are light green in colour tinged with bronze. Grows well even in poor weather.
    Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 200
  • 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
  • A long-rooted variety, between 25cm to 40cm (12in to 16in). The name "Hollow Crown" refers to a characteristic deep dip in the head of the roots. The taste is top quality, buttery and sweet, and it mashes down to an excellent smooth texture. The history of this heritage parsnip can be traced back to 1820, and it has been grown and loved for its flavour and texture ever since. Note: Fresh parsnip seeds need to be purchased each year due to the fact that they are short-lived and will not remain viable for more than a year. Average Seeds Per Pack: 1000
  • 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
  • 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
  • This variety, once very popular with commercial growers, was given to us by the Wellsbourne gene bank. Barry Murphy, who bred the original from a farm collection of Irish brassicas, describes it as an outstanding variety, with small tight sprouts and good for freezing. The plants are very neat and uniform.
    Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 300
  • 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 variety has been selected from a bunch of orange carrots by John Purves in Oxford in the 1970s. Over time he obtained a pure line of purple roots, quite beautiful and unique, crisp and extremely flavoursome. Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 700
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
Supported in part by the Department of Rural and Community Development and Pobal through the Community Services Programme. We confirm that our organisation complies with The Governance Code for the Community, Voluntary and Charitable Sector in Ireland.

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