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.

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Tewkesbury 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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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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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

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Pinwheel 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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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

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Sweetpea

€3.75 (€3.75 incl VAT)

This tall, climbing sweet pea has traditional old-fashioned mix of pink, white, mauve and purple colours and that most lovely evocative fragrance. Best given support to get the most out of this lovely flower. Easy to save seeds. Average Seeds Per Pack: 20

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Sunflower Mix

€3.75 (€3.75 incl VAT)

The perfect choice for any sunflower lovers this mix of white and black seed will attract a lovely crowd of pollinators and provide blooms all summer long. Leave to ripen and mature for your own supply of seeds for next year. Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 15

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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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Evening Primrose

€3.75 (€3.75 incl VAT)

Beautiful yellow, bowl-shaped, flowers along a tall spike. Blooming from June to September. They release a light fragrance in the evening and are very attractive to nighttime pollinators including moths. A tall plant that self-seeds readily. In modern times the oil has been extracted from the plant and used medicinally for regulating hormones. Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 100

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Echinacea

€3.75 (€3.75 incl VAT)

Perfect for cottage-style gardens or herbaceous borders. Also known as purple coneflower. A member of the Daisy family, the large pink/purple petals surround a deep brown cone and are stunning in drifts. Very attractive to pollinators. Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 50

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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. We trialled this variety over a very cold winter in the tunnel and it produced well, though equally good results come from a spring sowing. Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 20

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