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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Purple Tomatillo

€3.50

A member of the nightshade family and resembling a cape gooseberry with its outer lantern-like husk. Originating in Mexico, these vibrant and tart fruits are an essential ingredient for making the perfect Salsa Verde or as an accompaniment to many Mexican dishes. This purple variety will add colour and interest to your growing season. Don't over-sow as they are very productive. You will need at least two plants to save seeds as they are not self-fertile. Average Seeds Per Pack: 30

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Giant Yellow Sunflower

€3.75 (€3.75 incl VAT)

Just as it says on the tin...A wonderful Giant yellow sunflower. A ray of sunshine in any garden. Kindly donated to us from Brian Faulkner, Co. Limerick. Average Seeds Per Pack: 15

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Ragged Robin

€3.75 (€3.75 incl VAT)

A delightful native flower with pink, deeply divided petals giving it a ragged look. Its name in Irish translates to Silk plant (Lus síoda) and favours fens and marshy areas. It was thought that picking the flowers and bringing them indoors would result in thunder. It is no longer as common as it once was due to modern farming methods such as draining wetlands so if you have moisture-retentive soil (in full sun), then this one's for you. Also attractive to pollinators. Average Seeds Per Pack: 100

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Alexander’s Herb

€3.50

Widely naturalised in Ireland, this fragrant herb was introduced prior to 1500 AD from the Mediterranean and has been cultivated as a pot herb. In the same family as wild celery, its leaves can be eaten when young in salads or as greens, and the seeds can be dried and used as a spice like black pepper. Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 25

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German Beer Radish

€3.50

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

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Sweet Cicely

€3.50

Sweet Cicely is an attractive plant found in hedgerows and perfect for the herb garden. Umbels of tiny white flowers appear from spring to early summer. The fern-like leaves smell of liquorice or aniseed when crushed. Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 20

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Mourne Grange Climbing French Bean

€3.50

A heritage bean that has been in our collection since 2005. Grown and selected by gardeners at Mourne Grange (Camphill Community, in Co. Down). They had been growing it out successfully for more than 15 years when we received it. Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 30

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Nance Semi-Vining French Bean

€3.50

This treasured American heirloom is a semi-vining green bean variety, producing beautiful pink flowers and delicious sweet, slender pods. The mature beans, which can be saved for drying, are a beautiful creamy white colour with dark brown speckles. A productive and vigorous variety. Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 30

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Temuco Quinoa

€3.50

Quinoa has been cultivated for about 5000 years and is indigenous to the Andean region of South America. This variety, named after the city of Temuco in the Araucanía Region of southern Chile, is a surprisingly easy and trouble-free crop. Direct sown in drills in April, it grew up to 1.5m tall, harvested in early September. A very nutritious crop, high in protein and essential amino acids. The seed contains bitter saponins (a chemical defence against birds), which needs to be washed out before use. Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 300

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Elecampane

€3.75 (€3.75 incl VAT)

This striking perennial has bright and cheery yellow, sunflower-like flowers, around 5-8cm in width. Quite a substantial shrub, coming in at nearly 2m tall, with bright green, wide leaves. Best grown alone in the sun but can cope with partial shady conditions, a lovely, dramatic flower to grow. Seeds are best started in pots, left to overwinter outside, and planted out in plugs in the spring. Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 50

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Weld

€3.75 (€3.75 incl VAT)

A statuesque biennial. Tall spikes with small pale yellow flowers. Blooms appear in early June. An ancient dye plant used by the Romans to colour vestal robes. Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 100

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Necker Queen Climbing French Bean

€3.50

A robust and high-yielding early climbing variety. Green, round, stringless pods producing creamy white beans. Performs well in poorer weather conditions. Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 30

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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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Couve Galega Kale

€3.50

A tender Galician Kale variety. Used traditionally as an early green for a Spring soup by cutting it into thin strips. Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 200

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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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Duchesse de Chambord Hungarian Rice Bean – Dwarf French Bean

€3.50

This unusual heirloom, dating back to the 1870s, can be grown for its tender, juicy green pods, or its dried mature beans. The rich, tasty dried beans are small and white, giving this variety its ‘rice bean’ name. The bushy plants may require staking. Average Seeds Per Pack: 30

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Backweston Selection Swede

€3.50

A selection made at the Department of Agriculture's research station at Backweston in Co. Kildare when breeding work on vegetables was still being undertaken there. Lovely purple-skinned roots with great flavour and hardiness in the field over winter. Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 450

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Prince Albert Pea

€3.50

This heirloom pea was introduced to England in the 1840s where it quickly became popular. 6-foot-long vines bear an abundance of pods that fill with tasty peas, able to be harvested either as a green pea or left to dry to be saved and added to soups and stews. Average Seeds Per Pack: 50

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Old Jake Swede

€3.50

This purple-skinned variety purportedly came from a shipwreck on North Haven Island off the coast of Maine, USA. It has excellent flavour and hardiness, keeping well into spring. Certified Organic Average Seeds Per Pack: 450

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