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

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

Add to cart Details
Bedford Monarch Parsnip

€3.50

This rare English heritage variety has very large broad roots, smooth white skin, and a delicious sweet flavour. It has good resistance to canker and excellent tolerance of frosty cold weather. Because of its sweet flavour, this parsnip is especially tasty when roasted. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 1000

Add to cart Details
Giant Prague Celeriac

€3.50

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

Add to cart Details
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

Add to cart Details
Shungiku

€3.75 (€3.75 incl VAT)

A spectacular display of yellow and orange flowers in early summer. Very attractive to bees, hoverflies, and other beneficial insects. Also used widely in Korean, Chinese, and Japanese dishes, lightly cooked in soups, stews, and hotpots giving a unique aromatic flavour. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 350

Add to cart Details
Shetland Cabbage/Kale

€3.50

This is the oldest known local vegetable variety in Scotland, grown on the Shetland Isles since as far back as the 1500s. Due to the extreme weather on the Shetlands, the cabbage seeds were planted in “Plantie Crubs” (small circular stone-walled enclosures) before transplanting into larger fields, which were also enclosed in stone walls. This rare cabbage grew beautifully on a windy hillside in Clare, hardy right through the winter. The heads of this variety are quite open, the green leaves tinged a beautiful pink-purple, deepening as winter progresses. The outer leaves were traditionally used as animal feed. The cabbage itself has a distinctive peppery taste that was once a prized ingredient of mutton stew on the Northern Isles. Average seeds per pack 250

Add to cart Details
Mizuna

€3.50

A Japanese green that grows as a large rosette of finely lobed leaves, crisp with a characteristic peppery flavour. To have a continuous supply of young leaves keep cutting regularly. Can be used to spice up a salad or be used in stir fry. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 500

Add to cart Details
Hayachinena Japanese Greens

€3.50

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

Add to cart Details
February Orchid

€3.75

Also known as Chinese cress, this variety originally comes from China, and was made popular by the grower and gardening writer, Joy Larkcom. This mild and tasty brassica plant is usually used for salad or cooking greens. If sown in summer and autumn it will produce leaves through the winter, followed by beautiful edible violet flowers in spring. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 150

Add to cart Details
De Vits Lambs Lettuce

€3.50

This easy to grow, vigorous variety is ideal for spring and autumn sowing. It is mildew resistant and cold hardy. Its lovely glossy-green leaves are tender and delicate, perfect for winter salads. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 300

Add to cart Details
Monstrueux D’Elbeuf Leek

€3.50

A traditional French cultivar, grown originally in the alluvial plains of the Seine River in Normandy. It has quite short, wide, chunky stems, and lovely bright green foliage. Good for autumn harvesting, this flavoursome leek is well worth growing.

Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 250

Add to cart Details
Yerevan Parsley

€3.50

A hardy landrace parsley from an Armenian market place (as the name suggests, Yerevan being the capital of Armenia). Flat-leaved, with great flavour and large clumps. We grew the plants outside and were able to harvest leaves from this hardy variety all through winter. BIENNIAL Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 200

Add to cart Details
Frise Vert Fonce Parsley

€3.50

This translates from French as ‘curled dark green’, an accurate description of this old French variety. The tightly curled, fresh-tasting leaves stand clear of the ground on long stalks for clean and easy harvesting. This variety does well through winter, and can be grown under cover for a year-round supply. BIENNIAL Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 200

Add to cart Details
Sweet Mona’s Dill

€3.50

This lovely herb produces clear lemon-yellow flower heads, which are highly attractive to insects. It is very easy to grow, and its fern-like, aromatic leaves are perfect for salads, with fish, pickles and sauces. The seeds can also be harvested and used for flavouring, particularly along with gherkins. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 200

Add to cart Details
Stamme Gold Onion

€3.50

The name ‘Stamme’ translates from Norwegian to ‘strength and rootedness’ and indeed these onions do very well in our short, often cool summers. Upon grow-outs we found the crop to be of mixed types and we have been selecting out different strains for subsequent grow outs. This variety has golden, globe-shaped bulbs. You might observe a few in your population that display other traits (e.g. slightly red skin/flesh or more flattened bulbs) if some of the dominant genes re-present themselves. Fancy a spot of plant breeding for the home gardener? Starting your own line? Average seeds per pack 200

Add to cart Details
Gil Gil Coriander

€3.50

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

Add to cart Details
Angelica

€3.50

A herb taking its name from an angel who revealed its virtues of protection from infection to a monk. It is a biennial, though often lives longer, and can grow to a height of 2m. A statuesque plant which is is easy to grow, prefers damp ground and self-seeds readily. All parts of this lovely plant are subtly aromatic and have both medicinal and culinary uses. It is often cooked with tart fruits like rhubarb, helping to reduce the acidity. The seeds are used in biscuits, and both seed and root are ingredients in some liqueurs. BIENNIAL Average seeds per pack 100

Add to cart Details
Buan Onion

€3.50

This is a true native Irish onion bred by Barnie Crombie who was still doing on- ion trials up until the 1980’s when he passed on. However, he had sent seed to the Russian and English gene banks from which Irish Seed Savers Association received seed and we have been growing and saving this unique variety since. It has performed extremely well in the most adverse conditions for ‘good quality onions’, i.e. an average Irish summer. The name comes from old Irish, ‘Long life’, and it is indeed a really good white fleshed storage bulb, often not sprouting until summer the following season. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 200

Add to cart Details
Calendula Marigold

€3.75 (€3.75 incl VAT)

Calendula officinalis, also known as the pot marigold or common marigold, is a flowering plant in the daisy family. It is probably native to southern Europe, though its exact origin is unknown. It is a robust plant with bright green leaves and cheerful orange and yellow-gold flowers. The flower petals can be eaten, it is good for companion planting, and it has lots of medicinal uses. Certified Organic

Add to cart Details
Amish Salad Tomato

€3.50

This rare variety comes from the Amish people of Pennsylvania. The bountiful plants give many trusses full of fruit all throughout the season. The plum-shaped fruit is medium-sized and pink-red in colour, with a lovely fresh sweet but tangy flavour. Excellent sliced for salads, and good cooked too. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 30

Add to cart Details