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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Canasta Lettuce

€3.50

This mid-late variety is known for its bolt-resistance, even in especially hot conditions. It produces a half-open, good-sized head, with round, ruffled leaves that are bright green, turning deep red at the edge. Crisp in texture with crunchy ribs, this lettuce remains sweet and juicy for a good amount of time in the ground. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 200

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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

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Burdock

€3.50

A robust biennial plant of the Asteraceae family, known mostly for its ‘burrs’ which stick to humans and animals alike, and for the old-fashioned classic drink of ‘Dandelion and Burdock’. Purple flowers are surrounded by hooked bracts, cleverly enclosing the seeds through winter until attaching themselves to passing animals. Known for its medicinal properties, the 17th century herbalist, Nicholas Culpeper wrote 'the seed being drunk in wine forty days together, doth wonderfully help the sciatica' and also 'the juice of the leaves, or rather the roots themselves, given to drink with old wine, doth wonderfully help the bitings of serpent'. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 25

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Bulgarian Giant Leek

€3.50

This popular European heirloom is a quick growing, early-maturing autumn variety. It is renowned for being especially tall with a long, thin stem. Its leaves are light green and it has a delicious sweet flavour, ideal for salads and soups. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 250

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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

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Bright Lights Chard

€3.50

This lovely rainbow chard produces a bounty of colourful stems, topped with large green and bronze leaves. Each plant reaches about 50cm in height and 40cm in spread. The leaves can be harvested from mid-summer to late autumn, and the plants can even be overwintered to provide a fresh crop in the spring. The flavour is deliciously mild, with young leaves suitable for salads and larger leaves perfect for soups and sautéing. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 200

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Brad’s Atomic Grape Cordon Tomato

€3.50

These plum-shaped cherry tomatoes, originally bred by Brad Gates of Wild Boar Farm, start off looking like bunches of small aubergines, developing green, red and blue colourful stripes as they ripen. Best sown from January to March, they are very productive and ripen over a long growing season. As this is an indeterminate type this variety needs to be supported and have its side shoots removed. The fruits have rather thick skins which helps with crack-resistance, and makes the sweet little juicy tomatoes burst in your mouth as you eat them. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 40

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Bodeglut Cordon Tomato

€3.50

Bred in the 1960s by Paul Vogel and Dr. Rolf Bielau of the Julius Kühn-Institut in Quedlinburg, just north of the Harz mountains, this tomato variety of German heritage does not appear in any seed catalogue that we are aware of. We obtained the original seed from the Gaterslaben genebank, and Seed Guardian Nick Hill grew it out in Carlow in the spring of 2021. A tomato with medium sized red fruits, thin-skinned and with a sweet flavour. If you try this variety, please let us know what you think! Average seeds per pack 35

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Bob Broad Bean

€3.50

Gifted to us by a Hungarian supporter with little more than ‘Bob’ on the packet, we were intrigued by this little bean. After some research, we discovered that ‘Bób’ is the Polish word for broad bean, and that these small-sized beans are often used in a traditional ‘Bób Salatki’ or broad bean salad. The robust plants produce beans that resemble the ‘Windsor’ type, having shorter pods and round, smaller beans. Delicious tossed with olive oil and fresh herbs in a traditional ‘Bób Salatki’ for a light, protein-rich dish. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 15

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Blue Curled Scotch Kale

€3.50

This heirloom variety produces delicious and beautiful blue-green crinkled leaves. It is compact and very cold-hardy. Commonly eaten boiled as greens, it can also be chopped fresh for salads when young. Average seeds per pack 200

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Blaushokkers Pea

€3.50

A unique Dutch heritage pea, ‘Blauwshokker’ translates as ‘blue pod’, referencing the stunning indigo-blue pods of this variety. The vines reach 1.8m in height, with striking bi-coloured purple/blue flowers that add great ornamental value to the garden. The sweet, green pods can be eaten young as mangetout, but this pea is especially wonderful in soups and stews, as was the tradition in Holland and Germany. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 50

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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

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Black Futtsu Pumpkin

€3.50

A delightful Japanese heirloom squash with deeply ribbed skin. It is an early ripening variety, green-black when young but turning a warm buff orange colour as it cures. The small fruits are slightly nutty in flavour with a smooth and creamy texture. Excellent when roasted. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 10

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Best of All Swede

€3.50

An Irish landrace with classic purple and white skin, growing to a good size. The golden flesh is very sweet and tasty, and the plants last well into spring before going woody. All round ‘excellent’, as described by a supporter. Madeline at Brown Envelope Seeds trialled it one winter in conjunction with popular commercial varieties and it came out ‘Best of All’.

Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 450

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Berner Rose Tomato

€3.50

The ‘Rose from Bern’ is a Swiss heirloom, well suited to cooler climes. A reliable cordon-type producing round, thin-skinned, pinky-red fruit. Quite large and fleshy, these tomatoes are utterly juicy and delicious. Seed Guardian Mona has been growing this one for years as her family favourite. These versatile fruits can be eat fresh, sliced and cooked. Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 30

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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

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Bangholm Swede

€3.50

This Danish variety produces plenty of medium-sized dark-purple roots. It is very high-yielding - during variety trials carried out by Teagasc in the 1960s, Bangholm had an 8% higher yield than the control crop. We found them a great all-round swede. If you try them do let us know what you think! Certified Organic Average seeds per pack 450

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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

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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

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