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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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

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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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Robuschka Beetroot

€3.50

A good, all-round, vigorous variety. The round, globe-shaped roots have smooth skin, deep dark coloured flesh and a nice fruity taste, good for eating fresh and storage. Because of its sweet flavour it is especially delicious eaten raw, though also perfect for roasting, soups and stews. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 300

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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

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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

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Redventure Celery

€3.50

A beautiful and unusual variety with its distinctive red stalks and bright green leaves. This robust celery, more tender and juicy than might be expected from a red variety, is lovely addition to the garden. The stunning burgundy stalks are perfect in soups and salads, and retain their colour even after cooking. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 500

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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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Red Orache Spinach

€3.50

A beautiful edible leaf vegetable from the Amaranth family, also known as mountain spinach or orache. Though not widely grown these days, it has in fact been a source of food for people since the Mesolithic era. A fast growing, cool tolerant leaf, with taste and colour to rival any spinach, it has the added bonus of being bolt resistant. Definitely the new kid on the block. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 250

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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

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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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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

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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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Queensland Blue Pumpkin

€3.50

Australia is the land that gave birth to the Blues - at least in the world of squash and pumpkins. This one looks and tastes great and does so for an extremely long time - up to two years of storage life! ‘Queensland Blue’ has been around since the 1800s, once favoured for “Grabeen Gullen Pie” by early settlers who hollowed out the pumpkin, filled with it with joints of possum, and baked it in a bed of hot coals. We prefer ours in soups and curries! Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 10

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Purple Sprouting Broccoli

€3.50

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

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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

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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

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Polen Tomato

€3.50

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

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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

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Peperone Friarello Pepper

€3.50

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

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Pencil Pod Dwarf French Bean

€3.50

This bean was one of the first stringIess, round-podded varieties, introduced around 1900. Each vigorous plant produces black-seeded, long golden yellow pods that can reach up to 18cm (7") in length. This heritage variety is great for early sowings, and crops reliably throughout the summer. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 20

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