Association Seed Catalogue 2016 · Please find supporter forms and information at the back of this catalogue. All our seed is Open Pollinated and grown in Ireland. Beside each variety

Seed Catalogue 2016

Irish Seed SaversAssociation

Irish Seed Savers Childrens Garden

Seed List Spring 2016

The Irish Seed Savers Association was set up in 1991 to save Ireland’s heritageand heirloom vegetable seeds, potatoes, grains and fruit trees from extinction.We have over 800 varieties of organic, open pollinated heritage seeds in ourpurpose built Seed Bank and our extensive heritage gardens house the nativeApple Tree Collection together with the country’s only self-rooting orchard. Weshare our skills and knowledge with thousands of children and adults throughcourses, camps and outreach programmes. The Irish Seed Savers Association is one of very few organizations in Ireland engaged in this urgent work. Please join us by becoming a supporter. Your contribution will ensure that this living legacy can be held in trust for future generations. Please find supporter forms and information at the back of this catalogue.

All our seed is Open Pollinated and grown in Ireland. Beside each variety a symbol tells you where it’s been grown:ISSA – Irish Seed Savers Association / S.G. – Seed Guardian / C.O. - Certified Organic

Seed Price ListVegetable Seeds €2.95

Flower Seeds €3.25

Irish Seed Savers is a Charity (CHY13989)If you buy our seeds you are supporting the work we do here at

Irish Seed Savers. Without the publics support we would not be here! Front Cover & Bee’s Illustration by Judith Evans

Irish Seed Savers Association are very grateful to Pobal, LEADER, the Department of Agriculture, The Jackson Foundation, Irish Environmental Network, Clare County Council, Galway City Council, Galway County Council, and Limerick County Coun-cil, for their very valued support of our organisation.

Inside Illustrations from Thomas Etty

Contents

Alliaceae Family

Brassicaceae Family

Chenopodiaceae Family

Compositae Family

Cucurbitaceae Family

Leguminoseae Family

Linaceae Family

Solanaceae Family

Umbelliferae Family

Salad Leaves & Greens

Grains

Herbs

Flowers

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4-9

9-10

11-12

13-17

17-24

25

25-29

29-31

31-33

33

34

35-37

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Alliaceae FamilyOnions (Allium cepa)

Note: Growing onions from seed successfullySow in trays/modules under cover in February. Plant out seedlings approx 15cm apart in April into really moist soil (water well if dry). Onions need to have plenty of green leaf growth by solstice, when the change in daylight starts the process of swelling the bulb. Harvest when tops have started to die back in August.

Buan (CO - ISSA)This is a true native Irish onion bred by Barnie Crombie who was still doing onion trials when he passed on in the 1980’s. 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’, ie. an average Irish summer. The name comes from old Irish, ‘Long life’, and it is indeed a really good storage bulb with flavoursome white flesh and has won prizes in several shows.

James long keeping (CO - ISSA)One of the most asked about crop varieties that we have. The RHS of 1819 states ‘Well known sort raised by market gardener of the name James several years ago”. Dropped from the na-tional list in 1993 in Britain, this wonderful on-ion has good flavour, medium size red/brown bulbs and as the name suggests is an excellent keeper. Amazing to see its still popular after 200 years.

Stamme - Gold (CO - ISSA)This old Norwegian variety selected for it’s short production time i.e. early maturity in a long day environment. Slightly flattened golden/umber large bulbs. Good cropper.

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Up to date (SG)This onion goes back 80 years. It was taken off the national variety register as it was deemed to be one and the same as Bedford Champion, although there is in fact a difference: the up to date onion has better resistance to the disease white rot. A yellow skinned variety good all round and excellent for storage.

Rouge de Huy (SG) (red onion)The Rouge de Huy variety comes from a seed saving community in France. Slow to bolt, grows into big purple/red onions which store well.

Overwintering VarietiesNote; These are best sown in late July/August in trays and planted out as seedlings September/October. These onions produce really well in a cool tunnel, start harvest-ing as fresh scallions in April, leaving remainder to mature into big bulbs by late June. They can be grown outdoors but the crop will tend to be on the small side.It is easy to be self sufficent in onions by growing both summer and overwintering varie-ties. Best spacing 20X20cm

Shinkinu (CO - ISSA)A very popular overwintering onion from Japan, producing big golden bulbs that store exceptionly well; up to a year

Sendai Ki Tamanegi (CO - ISSA)Tamanegi is in fact the Japanese word for onion. This great variety came from the open pollinated small seed company that Matteo visited in Japan. Grows lovely large bulbs from a late summer sowing and also stores well.

Bunching onions (Allium fistulosum)

Evergreen (CO-ISSA)An easy to grow perennial onion that forms a clump of lush green stems much like scallions and never forms a bulb. To harvest you just keep cutting the stems to use fresh. Sometimes known as a ‘Welsh onion’.

Leeks (Allium ampeloprasum)

Note: Leeks need a long growing season, we usually sow them in boxes under cover in February, ready for planting outdoors in their final bed by the end of April or

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early May by which time the seedlings are quite sturdy. If you have a polytunnel, a side bed can be used as a direct sown seedling bed. When transplanting use a dibber to create a good long planting hole and make sure the soil is very moist, soak before planting if dry.

Bleu de Solaize (CO - ISSA)A very old French heirloom variety going back to the 19th Century. Very hardy, holding well over the winter, medium long shafts, sweet flavour, the blue/green leaves turn a beautiful violet colour in very cold weather.

Verdonnet (CO - ISSA)An old landrace variety improved and selected by a farmer. Originally from Switzer-land, with good large stalks, dark green leaves and hardy through winter.

Bulgarian Giant (CO – ISSA)A popular European heirloom that came to us from the big international seed swap in Brussels. Renowned for having an extra long stem and being exceptionally tall, nevertheless, a quick growing, early maturing variety. Light green leaves and good flavour. Harvested in Autumn, it lasted through the winter here.

Monstruso D’Elbeuf (CO- ISSA)

A traditional french cultivar grown in the alluvial planes of the Seine in Nor-mandy. It has short, chunky stems and lovely bright green foliage, good for Autumn harvest.

Kelvedon King (SG)This is a selection from ‘Giant Winter’ type leeks, donated to the heritage seed library. It is hardy, holding well through winter with great taste.

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Brassicaceae Family

Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata)Spring Cabbage (CO – ISSA)

From our native Irish collection, these particular spring cabbages were grown and collected in and around Cork city. Lush tender greens and small pointed heads all through spring.Will produce even in hard winters.Note: Sow spring cabbage end of July/ begining August for the following Spring in mod-ules and plant out transplants 4-6 weeks later 30-40cm apart. Spring Cabbages were traditionally grown where early potatoes had been dug.

Flat Dutch (common) Cabbage (CO - ISSA)These were selections from the native Irish on farm collection of seed; often called common cabbage. Good big, white/green heads, that stand well through the winter. (Those that didn’t, we couldn’t save seed from!)

Irish Drumhead (CO-ISSA)Beautiful dark green savoy heads of medium size cabbage that are winter hardy, grown out from the native Irish collection.

Cut-n-Come Cabbage(B. Oleracea var. acephala)

Crops that are primarily for winter use, we sow in early summer. This spreads both the work and propagating space. Hardy crops like kale/swede can be sown outdoors. We use module trays and transplant but you can also direct sow, though crops are then more vulnerable to slugs.

Delaway Cabbage (CO - ISSA)A popular native Irish cut and come cabbage that performs well even in difficult growing conditions like waterlogged soil or exposed places. No pests or diseases to report, it provides delicious purple/green tender crinkled wavy leaves that can be picked for several months and go on producing more. Lovely addition to the winter garden.

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KaleRemember when kales start producing flowering shoots in spring these can be

pinched off and eaten like sprouting broccolli.

Uncle John’s (SG)This variety was grown and saved by John Burke in Co. Cork for 50 years. It has proved to be extremeley popular being a most delicious, tender and sweet kale, with lovely bright green leaves that thrive all through the winter well into spring, showing good resistance to black spot.

Red Russian (SG)Very tender and mild, a pre 1885 heirloom variety. Oak type leaves can have a red tinge and stems are a purplish red, with great flavour.

Siberian (CO-SG)Compact plants with lots of tender curled green leaves that keep going all winter. One of the hardiest kales, leaves sweetening after frost. Grown by Jason a Market gardener, who said customers found it very tasty and he could barely keep up with demand at the market.

Fodder Rape (B. rappa)Emerald (CO - ISSA)

This is an Irish bred lush green fodder rape. Growing it out to rejuvenate old seed we discovered that it is really quite delicious to eat, more tender than kale. Stood well through the winter so its good for the pot and for the animals.

Winter Greens Mix (SG - ISSA)A mix of different varieties of kale, leaf rape and mustard leaves that can be sown often and used when small for baby leaf tangy salad leaves or thinned out and left to mature for delicious, nutritious winter greens.

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Brussels Sprouts (B. oleracea var. gemmifera)Balbriggan (CO - ISSA)

Grown out on field scale this landrace really held its own on the windy waterlogged hilltop. The plants that didn’t thrive were rogued out – so the overall hardiness and vigour of the variety will hold true. These are mostly large plants with large sprouts, holding through the winter – though as with most landraces there is some variation.

Irish Glacier (CO - ISSA)Once a very popular variety especially with commercial growers, it was given to us from the Wellsbourne gene bank. Barry Murphy who made the original on farm collection of Irish brassicas, describes it as an our standing variety, with small tight sprouts, good for freezing. Plants are very neat and uniform. It lives on as a parent to the modern F1 variety Lunet, bred in Holland.

Cauliflower (B. oleracea var. botytris)

Winter Roscoff (CO - ISSA)This great cauliflower was collected in Co. Dublin in 1982 from an elderly farmer and produces magnificent curds. Sow July/ August and plant out in September for an early crop the following spring; can also be grown in tunnels over winter for an even earlier crop. To keep curds from discolouring as they mature, cover up with the upturned leaves and stump of a cauliflower already harvested.

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Sea Kale (Crambe maritima)Lily white (CO - ISSA)

This is a perennial crop so it requires a permanent site. It has distinctive grey/blue green fleshy leaves and gives a beautiful display of pure white flowers in late spring. However, as a food crop, it is the early shoots (like asparagus) that are eaten raw or cooked. They are best when blanched so put a thick layer of straw over them in Au-tumn/winter. Don’t start cropping until the second year. The seeds come in a little roundish fruit each containing only one seed, which are sown whole.

Swede (Brassica napus)Major Dunne (CO - ISSA)

This was a popular variety commonly grown in the north and given to us by John McCormack of Co. Down. It grows quite upright, high on the surface thus not prone to soil pests like eel worm. Good purple colour, sweet tasty flesh and hardy through the winter. Many grew to an enormous size. If you prefer small Swedes, delay the sowing and planting until the very end of June.

Williamsburger (CO - ISSA)This is a selection made at Backweston Agricultural research station from the popu-lar old cultivar Williamsburger. Roots grow from moderate to large sized with pale flesh and pleasant, mild flavour. Winter hardy.

York (CO - ISSA)Sometimes known as York Purple Top, as it has just that, with sweet yellow flesh. Small to medium in size and excellent winter keeper.

Western Perfection (CO - ISSA)A popular variety grown in Cork and donated to us by Eddie Lucey. A round, me-dium sized swede turnip with purple/magenta skin and delicious golden flesh. Grew well despite the difficult weather and exposed position with very little disease noted. Matured quickly from a late sowing at the end of June.

Old Jake (CO - ISSA)This variety originally came from a ship-wreck on North Haven Island off the coast of Maine. It has excellent flavour and hardiness, keeping well into spring. Very up-right in the ground with purple skin.

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Six Mix (CO - ISSA)We grew out all the six native Irish swede varieties together this year so we could do botanical descriptor work on them. This seed is then a mix of all six varieties and there may be some interesting surprises if the flowers were cross pollinated!

Tipperary Turnip (CO - ISSA)A native cultivar of swede returned to us from the Wellesbourne gene bank. Market Gardener Jason Horner, one of our seed guardians, grew this variety out for us. This was one of his favourite crops as the Tipperary Turnip did not suffer from boron deficiency on his land to the same degree as other varieties. On his commercial vegetable plot the 3 rows took up very little space and made great forage for his bees when flowering. The 200 or so plants yielded a great quantity of seed. Like other na-tive Brassicas it is hardy and disease resistant. It has a delicate, mellow, sweet flavour, still remembered by many of the locals. “The flesh,” says Andrew Williams, “is not tough at all and keeps well through winter”.

Backweston selection (CO - ISSA) This was the last of our native swede/turnips to be grown out for seed. It came with no name only a number, but it was indeed originally a selection made at Backweston research in the days when breeding work on vegetables was still being undertaken. Lovely big sized purple-skinned roots of good flavour and hardiness as proven by the extreme Winter.

Best of all (CO - ISSA)An Irish landrace, traditional swede/turnip, with purple and white skin growing to a good size. Golden flesh very sweet and tasty, lasting well into spring before going woody, all round ‘excel-lent’ as described by a supporter.

Turnip (Brassica rapa)White Egg (CO - ISSA)

These are quick growing pure white, summer season turnips, mild-flavoured, pulled and eaten straight away when small. We grew them very easily sown in peat blocks and transplanted. Left in the ground they swell very rapidly but are quite delicious roasted at this stage. Sow successionally from early spring to summer.

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Radish (Raphanus sativus)Daikon (CO – ISSA)

This is an oriental radish, grows upto 25cms long with dense and crunchy white flesh and mild flavour.In Japan they are traditionally pickled but can also be used in stir fry, soups or grated raw. Winter hardy, can be sown from Spring to Autumn.

Gelb (Yellow) (CO - ISSA)The original seed came from the Arche Noah – the Austrian seed savers. This is a round, yellow radish, with a delicious sweet flavour.

Chenopodiaceae FamilyBeetroot (Beta vulgaris)

Cheltenham Green Top (SG)Introduced around 1880, this is a foreshortened name for ‘Green topped red beet’, grown extensively in market gardens around the town of Cheltenham. Elongated roots, deep red flesh, good colour when boiled and ideal for slicing. The tops of course are ‘green’ and can be used when young in salad.

Formanova/ Cylindra (CO - ISSA)A wonderful heirloom from Denmark, famous for slicing with long cylindrical roots. This tender and sweet variety with dark red flesh is also known as ‘Butter Slicer’ or ‘Cooks Delight’ because of it’s wonderful texture.

Feuer Kugel (SG)A rare,smooth skinned variety from Switzerland. Described by growers as “spec-tacular, tender bulbs with fantastic flavour and bolt resistant” , “Very successful and absolutely delicious”.

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Leaf Beet / ChardNote: Chard has been cultivated for millenia, Aristotle mentions cultivating red chards in ancient Greece. It is hard to imagine a garden without it especially for the lush greens through Autumn and Winter. It is considered a spinach subsitute, but much more ro-bust, long lasting, versitile and easier to grow. Sown April- June either in modules or direct, it will last to the following spring.Young leaves make a great addition to salads while large leaves (along with the stems) can be boiled, stir fried or steamed,with all the different colour stems giving you a range of nutritious phyto-nutrients.

Ladakh Beta Chard (SG)The seeds of this variety were brought back from an international slow food gather-ing in Turin, Italy.We weren’t initially sure whether it was going to be a leaf/chard type or a fodder beetroot crop. When grown in our gardens it turned out to be a vigorous, hardy crop with large light green leaves.

Charlotte (SG)A variety that came to us via the big Brussels seed swap. It is a beautiful ruby chard, many of the leaves having dark, maroon red colouring more like beetroot than chard, so looks beautiful when its growing. Large delicious leaves are a bonus.

Orange Oriole (CO – ISSA)This came to us from Baker Creek heir-loom seeds in America. A stunning all orange stalk selection that will brighten up the garden. Delicious leaves.

Magic rainbow (CO –ISSA)This variety of chard is a wonderful mix of coloured stems, pink, red, yel-low, white, orange, maroon and looks as much at home in the ornamental border as the vegetable beds. Will last through the winter from a summer sowing.

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Compositae FamilyLettuce (Lactuca sativa)

Red Rapids (SG)A vigorous and slow bolting loose leaf variety, with crimped red/green leaves. Seed guardian Mona describes it as a delightful lettuce, that everyone loved.

Redina (CO - ISSA)A lovely, loose-leaf lettuce with especially red leaves, nice texture and taste, good for Spring and Autumn sowings.

Garnet oak leaf (CO - ISSA)This is an outstanding variety bred by Alan Kapaler in Oregon for organic condi-tions. It has proved to be a favourite, very hardy, ovewinters well (outside as well as in a tunnel). A giant cut n come lettuce with lush, deep, red-lobed leaves that can be picked all through Autumn, Winter and Spring.

Speckled (CO – ISSA)A most beautiful lettuce coming from the menenite gardeners of Pennsylvania. Hasgreen leaves flecked with maroon, the centre heart blanches to a creamy yellow.

Brown Gold Ring (CO-ISSA)A lettuce with heritage; it won an award of merit from the Royal Horticultural Socie-ty in 1923. A Romaine/Cos variety with upright, compact head, dark green crunchy leaves that have a slight golden bronze colouring. Especially beautiful when the sun shines and the leaves shimmer. Can be grown both in Summer and over Winter.

Verde a Foglia Riccia (CO - ISSA)A lovely, large, loose-curled, green, leafy lettuce, overwintered well in the tunnel. Slightly bitter ‘edge’ to the flavour, but good in salad mix: very crunchy leaves. Do-nated to us by supporter Steven Marsh.

Sanguine Ameliore (CO - ISSA)An old French type, butter head variety. Very pretty, smooth, medium-green leaves,

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splashed with scarlet red speckles, tender and mild. Held well over the winter under cover. It was introduced into America in 1906 with the name ‘Strawberry Cabbage Lettuce’!

Tennis Ball (CO – ISSA)A very old variety mentioned in the book ‘Les Plantes Potageres’ in 1885. It produces small tight rosettes of light green leaves and loose heads. Very quick to grow. In 1904 it was listed by 116 seed merchants, yet now you would find it hard to buy anywhere!

Oreilles du diable (CO - ISSA)The name translates as Ears of the Devil but do not be put off this extremely old heir-lom variety. The leaves are triangular shaped, red burgandy in colour and delicious. A unique and beautiful variety.

Outredgeous (SG)This is a wonderful lettuce bred by Wild Garden Seeds in Oregon. A large, loose- leaf but upright cos type, head perfect for ‘cutting and coming again’.Itis outra-geously red,a colourful addition to salad. Hardy overwinter, also good for spring sowing.

Valdor (SG)Very popular Winter lettuce, cold and wet har-dy, with resistance to botrytis. Big heads of lush green leaves. Excellent for cropping under cover but can be grown outdoors too.

Salsify (CO-ISSA)

(Tragopogon porrifolius) This is a root vegetable that goes back to the mid-dle ages. Pulled in winter it has long tapering roots with a distinct flavour, similar to oysters, delicious in a vegetable stew. Left in the ground, the flower is the ornamental gardeners best kept secret as all summer long they bloom with bril-liant, purple, large, daisy, like-flowers. The seed heads are puff balls that shine as golden orbs in sunshine.

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Cucurbitaceae FamilyCucumbers (Cucumis sativus)

Wautoma (CO - ISSA)Early and productive stripy green cucumber. Quick to set fruit and not bitter. It can be used small for pickles or left to grow as a short slicing cucumber. Disease resistant.

Tamra (CO - ISSA)Saved by cucumber breeder Robert Burns, this wonderful open pollinated plant produces plenty of small sized, smooth skinned, crisp and delicious cucumbers. Rare seed so try saving your own next season.

Suyo Long (CO – ISSA)Amazing, hardy, Chinese cucum-ber. Grows exceptionally long fruit up to 50-60cm long but retains a lovely fresh flavour, crisp and tender flesh, which does not get bitter. Defi-nitely one for the cucumber lover, keeps fruiting all summer. The skin is slightly prickly, but easily rubbed smooth.

Miniature White (CO – ISSA)Unusual, fat, little, white, yellow cu-cumbers, best picked small (5-8cm long), perfect for salads. Very soft skin without any bitterness and a dis-tinctive sweet, crunchy flesh. Very compact vines that start to fruit early.

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Achocha (Cyclanthera pedata)Lady’s slipper (CO - ISSA)

A very vigorous vining plant, related distantly to cucumbers, but much easier to cul-tivate, it thrives in cool Summers. We grew it in the tunnel and had to keep cutting back the foliage it was so rampant. Outdoors is probably a better option – we found it fruited well. Support over netting or trellising. It’s little green fruits grow in pairs, and picked young, taste very similar to cucumbers. Though only 5cm long when harvested, they are produced in great abundance all through the summer. Fruit can be eaten fresh, pickled in brine or vinegar or stir-fried in oil or stuffed and braised. Pick fruits while young; if left to mature they will eventually burst open to reveal a spine of black woody seeds within. Plant vines about 1m apart to give plenty of space to grow. A little encouragement is needed to get it to grow up the supports to begin with, but once established, it grows vigorously.

Courgettes, Squash & Pumpkins

Butternut squash (Cucurbita moschata) Waltham (SG)

Smooth light-tan fruits which are bottle shaped and exceptionally good keepers. Flesh is fine-textured, rich, dry, solid and golden orange. Vigourous and dependable between four and seven fruits per vine, each fruit has a very small seed count, the rest is solid flesh.

Courgette(Cucurbita pepo)

Cocozelle (CO – ISSA)An heirloom variety, the forerunner of which was described as far back as the 1600’s. Striped fruits in shades of green, eaten either young (approx. 12cm courgettes) or at a later stage as vegetable marrow, the flesh remains firm and tasty. The stripes be-coming more distinct and beautiful as it grows.

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Costata Romanesca (CO - ISSA)Popular Italian heirloom courgette. The dark green fruit are long (can reach up to 60cm and still remain tender) and are distinctively ridged. They taste great and look very decorative when sliced and cooked. The plants are vigourous so give them plen-ty of space, they will produce well through the whole season, outdoors as well as under cover.

Syrian white (CO-SG)This variety came from a Syrian refugee. The young corgettes are pale green, quite small, very delicious and retain good flavour when mature. Fruits well outdoors too.

Genovese (CO - ISSA)Seed given to us by an Italian volunteer whose father has a small seed saving farm in Tuscany. These courgettes started fruiting early, a more ‘traditional cylindrical green’ fruit than some of our other varieities. Outdoors they also grew well and continued to produce small courgettes into October. Open growing habit for easy harvesting.

Gene Bank Marrow (CO – ISSA)We had seven seeds in a packet from the German gene bank, the date 1999, the place of origin, Sweden, the description ‘vegetable marrow’. The six that germinated grew amazingly well, quickly covering an entire bed in the tunnel with their traillingflavour as small courgette’s and also good as the more traditional marrow. Given how vigourous they are I would say they’d be a good cropper outdoors.

Striata d’Italia (CO – ISSA)Classic, Italian courgette, long alternating olive green and deep green distinctive stripes becoming more prominent as fruits mature. Fresh flavour, smooth skin, flesh that remains nice and firm when cooked. The plants remain as a fairly compact bush through the growing season. Productive into late September.In Italy courgettes are called zucchine.

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SquashTable Queen Acorn (CO - ISSA)

So called as the fruits are acorn shaped; dark green ribbed skin about 20cm long, several per plant. However when you come to eat them its clear why the ‘Table Queen’ part is so fitting because the deep orange, dry, thick flesh is so incredibly sweet and delicious. The squash can be eaten fresh or stored over winter. It was introduced in 1913 by Des Moines’s Iowa Seed Company and in a ‘bake off ’ in the 1930’s reigned supreme against three dozen other squashes.

Pumpkins (Cucurbita maxima)

Australian Blue (CO-ISSA)Australia is the land that gave birth to the ‘ Blues’ ... at least in the world of pump-kins. This one has indeed blue-green skin, fruits of varying size, round and ribbed but slightly flattened at the top and bottom, good for storing. Dense brilliant orange tasty flesh. Produced very well outdoors.

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Anna Swartz Hubbard (CO – ISSA)The hubbard types are decribed by Amy Godlmans as ‘squash with personality’, however they are said to be the “acme of perfection in squashdom” This one was a family heirloom producing big fruits in hard shells, so good for winter storage. The flesh is sweet, creamy, deep orange and delicious. This variety is recommended as being cool tolerant.

Pink Banana (CO - ISSA)We grew this variety several years ago and it stayed in my memory as one of the most delicious creamy pumpkins I had ever eaten. So, it’s on the list again, seeds brought back from the big Brussels Seed Exchange. The fruits are well..kind of banana shaped, cylindrical rather than round, the skin turning pink-orange as they ripen. The skin is quite thin, smooth and velvety which makes them very attractive (and you don’t need to peel for roasting or soup making). Golden orange flesh is thick, firm, sweet and ‘superbly fine tasting’. It actually melts in the mouth. Each plant can produce several large fruits. A good keeper as it stores for up to six months. People have been enjoying this one for over 100 years since it was first introduced in USA.

Uchiki / Red Kuri SquashOriginally from Japan, deep red, orange, medium size fruit, with the shape of a spinning top. Sweet and delicious orange flesh with a distinct nutty flavour. Excel-lent for storage through winter.

Leguminoseae Family

Broad Bean (Vicia faba)Martock (CO - ISSA)

This robust landrace bean has references as far back as 1293 in English manorial ac-count rolls. The flowers are those of broad beans with a lovely purple/maroon mot-tling. The pods of beans are small but extremely numerous containing small brown meaty delicious beans, use fresh or keep for drying.

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Londonderry (CO - ISSA)This came from the British Heritage Seed library, but presumably has Irish origins. It grows well and is very hardy, the flowers have a lovely scent. Produces long pods with four or five creamy seeds. Can be used for Autumn sowings.

White Windsor (CO – ISSA)An early reference to the Windsor bean is found in the Reverend Gilbert White’s ‘Gardeners calendar’ where on March 27th, 1757 he records that he ‘planted four rows of Windsor beans in the field garden just turned in from grass’. Its an English heirloom of sturdy bushes around 1.2m tall producing an abundance of 10-12 cm pods containing large tasty beans, up to 5 per pod. Although cold tolerant, it is rec-ommended for for spring sowings.

Hangdown (CO-SG)A spring sown variety that gives a bumper crop. Long pods (that ‘hangdown’) with at least 5 or 6 delicious meaty beans inside.

The Sutton Dwarf (CO - ISSA)This is a bush variety of broad bean, though a very productive cropper with many, many pods per plant. Usually 5 or 6 beans per pod tender and delicious. When young so tender, in fact that the chef, Richard Corrigan served them up raw with a light salad dressing, when creating a meal from seed savers crops. Go for Autumn or Spring sowing.

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French Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris)

Note; It can be good to grow both a bush and climbing variety especially if you enjoy beans fresh. Bush types tend to start producing beans a lot quicker than the climbers so give an earlier crop but is then finished ,at which time the climbers have done all their growing vines and will start cropping over a longer season. For dried beans to store (or seed), leave the pods as long as possible on the plant until they are brown and parch-ment like before picking.

Bush VarietiesHaricot Nain Beurre Aiguille

(CO – ISSA)The name literally means a dwarf needle bean, and indeed the beans on these compact plants were beau-tifully long and thin, yellow wax type, very tender with delicious flavour. The beans themselves are a beautiful bi-colour black/cream.

Early Warwick (CO – ISSA)This has been grown in England since the 19th century. A hardy bush bean good for outdoor cultiva-tion, especially reliable for produc-tion of beans for drying as it fruits very early in the season. The green stringless beans can be picked and used while young, but left to mature and dry off, they become beauti-ful, dry, dark red and white mottled pulses for stews, soups and chilli con carne.

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Climbing VarietiesIta Ahern’s (CO - ISSA)

This variey came to us from Ita, a student of Drumcollogher Organic College. Originally grown in a nursery in Norfolk it has been ‘handed down’ for over thirty years. Very vigourous plant, growing quickly to the top of the tunnel. It impressed me a few years ago when we grew it, for the length of the flat pods - up to 30cm, the productivity and also for its taste - its a most tender and sweet tasting green bean de-

spite the size. Another plant that does well in cold winters.

Mr Ferns (CO-SG)This variety has greatly impressed our seed guardian, Market Gar-dener Jason Horner, who told me it thrived and produced far better than his usual commercial variety in a poor summer. Originally do-nated by a supporter as one of his favourites, Mr Ferns has beauti-ful pink flowers and tender green beans that hold well.

Old Homestead (CO - ISSA)Given to us by Jean Goldberry be-cause it’s the ‘best bean she’s ever grown’. The variety has a long his-tory going back to the 1800’s when described in a garden journal as ‘unsurpassable’. Long stringless pods produced in clusters over an extended season, delicious while young and good for freezing.

Carol Leenstra’s (SG)

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An Italian heirloom bean that grows well here, as Micheal Viney from Mayo says “gave an oustanding crop in my tunnel, almost too vigorous’” The plants climb very quickly producing an abundant crop of delicious flat green podded beans late sea-son. They are good for growing outdoors. A supporter in Kerry had great success using them as dry storage beans.

Neckar Queen (SG)An early producing variety which can tolerate unfavourable and variable weather conditions. The pods are dark green, stringless, slightly flattened and very tasty – good for freezing too.

Cherokee Trail of Tears (CO - ISSA)This heirloom bean was preserved by Cherokee Indians as a staple food when forced out of their homelands on the ‘trail of tears’ in 1838. Its a prolific variety with lovely pink flowers and slim green pods that turn purple as they mature. Use the fresh beans when they are approx. 15cm long or leave to dry on the plant as the small black beans are good for storage. When the pods begin to turn purple, the plant itself becomes most strikingly decorative.

Semi-Vining BeansYin-Yang (CO - ISSA)

Semi-vining beans that produce many short pods approximately 10cm long, deli-cious fresh but also great as dried beans. The beans have the characteristic yin yang symbol - white, black with a small reverse dot.

Runner Beans(Phaseolus coccineus)

Note: Although runner beans have perfect flowers, they need to be ‘jiggled’ for pol-lination to occur, especially if you are growing an early crop under cover when there is little insect activity (this is why beans sometimes fail to develop in the early bracts of flowers). This can be achieved by gently shaking the vines or directing a good stream of water spray from a hose.

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Czar (CO – ISSA)A venerable old variety pre 1900 with white cream flowers. It can be eaten as a green bean with good flavour but comes into its own when dried. The white bean makes an excellent substitute for butter beans.

Buton (CO - ISSA)A landrace from Guatemala. These are mixed beans, white/cream and brown, or black and pink, with beautiful different coloured flowers. Grows strong, healthy plants that produce enormous numbers of very sweet and tender runner beans, both long and short, which are delicious if left to ripen and then shelled. They also grow well outdoors and have been one of our most consistently popular crops.

Scarlet (SG)This is one of the first varieties brought to Europe from South America, thus a long adaption to our climes and the ancestor of many later varieties.The flowers are a true delight, a profusion of scarlet that lifts the heart. The green beans have great flavour and the muve/black beans can be dried for winter use.

Brecon Black (CO-ISSA)After a visit to Seed Savers, Ursula Burke relised that she was in fact in possession of an heirloom and donated seed to us. Her neighbour, Dr. Robert Davies came from Brecon in South Wales in 1945, bringing a family runner bean. It has been grown and saved by the family ever since. Strong plants producing long delicious green beans, the seed of course is mainly black.

Peas (Pisum sativum)

San Cristoforo (CO - ISSA)A hardy pea that can be used for sowing in Autumn and overwintering in a cool tunnel. Grows tall, up to 1.6m, so needs good support. Over a recent, cold Winter we thought we had lost the crop but it came back well in the warmer days of Spring and went on to fruit with great abundance from April to June; with good long pods of eight to nine peas. Donated to us from Edwin Eustace who got the original seed from ‘Seeds of Italy’.

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Douce Provence (CO - ISSA)A round seeded, very hardy variety, good for sowing in October and November for an overwinter crop. A traditional French pea, giving an excellent crop of tender podding peas on reasonably small plants, easy to stake;1m-1.2m high.

Clarkes Beltony Blue (CO – ISSA)This variety was donated by the Heritage Seed Library but is of Irish lineage and was kindly sent in to us by supporter Liam Gaffney. It has been grown on the family farm of a Mrs Anderson in Co. Tyrone since at least 1850, possibly longer. A tall pea (160cm), it has pale pink and rich maroon flowers followed by purple pods, the peas have a sweet and smooth flavour. Crops over a long period.

Fill the Bucket (CO-ISSA)An Irish pea of distinction, also known as Fill the Basket or even Fillbasket. It is listed in the Edmonson Brothers Dublin seed catalogue in 1921. It was sent in to us by John O Neil. His neighbours, the Christies from Tipperary town, had grown and saved this variety for over 50 years. Easy to grow small plants 1-1.2m but very productive with truley delicious peas, enough to ‘fill a bucket’.

Magnum Bonum (CO-ISSA)This translates as Great Good, and has been cultivated since 1872. A willing giant of a pea, brimming with health and large, luscious pods, peas with sweet, sweet flavour.Good staking needed as plants can grow high but well worth it.

Irish Preans (CO-ISSA)This was returned to us from the British Heritage Seed Library, having come origo-nally from an Irish agricultural research station. Very tall growing up to 2m, flowers are maroon/mauve which develop into large pods of enormous peas. They are in fact more like a bean (hence the name prean), coming into their own when cooked in soups and stews as they have good substance and nutrition. It may be easier to grown them as a climbing bean although they are botanically a pea.

Daniel O’Rourke (CO - ISSA)Again an Irish heritage variety, originally saved in the Russian gene bank. It grows quite tall, with prolific small pods and sweet peas, best eaten while young. Good disease resistance, the peas can also be left to mature and dry off to be used as a soup pea in Winter.

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Green Arrow (CO – ISSA)This variety is the progenitor of a whole type of peas with long slender curved pods packed with 8 or more fat, green peas. Prolific, heavy cropping and long lasting. Have been known to win a prize or two in the county show.

Josh Toombs Purple Pod (CO - ISSA)This wonderful heirloom pea came to us from Josh Toombs in Co. Antrim. Josh got in touch with Seed Savers when he was 79 years old because he wished to share this pea with other gardeners. It had been preserved in his family for over a century. The decorative pink and mauve/purple flowers produce a classic dark purple pod. Peas are good eaten fresh when young and immature, or left to dry on the plant which make an excellent storage pea.

Sugar Snap and Mangetout Varieties

Golden Sweet Mangetout (CO – ISSA)A rare variety collected originally from a market in India. Tall vines that flower with abundant purple/maroon blooms. The pods are a beautiflul lemon yellow, best picked while quite flat and perfect for stir fry. Can be Autumn sown under cover.

Oregon Sugar Pod (CO - ISSA)A vigorous and high yielding mangetout pea with sweet and crunchy pods. It was developed in Oregon State University, an excellent variety for sowing in Autumn. Grows upto 1.5m and needs support.

Grass Pea (Lathyrus sativus) (ISSA)Also commonly called grass pea or blue sweet pea, this unusual pea is grown widely in the east and, being very drought resistant, it is reliable when other crops fail. It has beautiful delicate, pale blue and white veined flowers, very decorative like sweet peas. The small, compact pods give peas which can be eaten. On the continent they are also used for making flour and a type of pease pudding.

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Linaceae FamilyLinseed/Flax (Linum usitatissimum)

Easy to grow, just sow direct in spring, and then from Summer to Autumn you will be treated to delicate satiny sky blue flowers each day. Harvest the pods, full of seeds as they dry out in Autumn. We thresh them using a rolling pin or bottle to crush pods and separate from seed. Beware of bird competition.

Stormont Cirrus (CO-ISSA)This is one variety of a whole collection of Irish grown flax/linseed that was stored in the Vavilov Gene Bank of Russia. We have been growing and conserving it over the past few years here at Capparoe. This one grew well, quite tall stalks and we were able to harvest good amounts of seed, though I think it is probably one of the fibre types used in linen production

Dr Stewarts (CO - ISSA)The seed of this variety was donated to us in 1997 by a Dr. Stewart of Bective, Co. Meath. It produces a much larger seed than ordinary varieties of linseed and is low growing which makes it suitable to grow in more exposed locations. It yields very well.

Solanaceae FamilyPepper

(Capsicum annum)Sweet Pepper Lipstick (SG)

A dependable cropper of rich sweet fruits even in cool summers. The plants are compact but productive (equal or better than many F1 hybrid types). They ripen to a beautiful glossy deep red and are delicious both raw and cooked.

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Chilli Pepper Elfantenrussel (SG)A European heirloom, productive and disease resistant. Quite tall plants with long branches bearing huge quantities of fruit. The peppers are long and slender starting as dark green they ripen to a brilliant yellow, good and hot and delicious.

notes: When processing the peppers, take care and wash your hands afterwards. The seeds are very irritating so wear rubber gloves to remove and do not touch your face or eyes.

Tomato(Lycopersicon lycopersicum)

Red varietiesAurora (CO - ISSA)

This bush comes from Siberia. It germinates at low temperatures and grows well in cool conditions. The large, slightly flattened fruit is red, juicy and ripens early. The bushes are quite large and so benefit from some sort of support. A good tomato for growing outdoors.

Cabot Canadian (CO-SG)Developed in Nova Scotia for cool maritime climes, this early fruiting bush tomato produces lovely large round red fruit, mild in flavour but very juicy.

Stupice (CO - ISSA)A Czech cordon variety highly recommended by many who have grown it over the years being a very reliable and a good cropper ripening quite early with an abun-dance of medium-sized round, tangy red fruits.Can crop well outdoors too.

Silver Fir Tree (CO - ISSA)A Russian heirloom with particularly unique fern like foliage. It is a bush variety though we found that it spread over quite a large area and could benefit from some staking. For a bush variety, its an amazing cropper with a long season, the first ripe fruit arrived at the very end of July and were still coming into October. The tomatoes are beefsteak like, very, very sweet, juicy and rich in flavour.

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Red Pear (CO – ISSA)This cordon variety gives high yields of pear shaped cherry tomatoes, quite late to start ripening, but once started just keeps on with truss after truss. It is a very old heirloom, cultivated since the 1700’s. Lovely balanced flavour of tanginess and sweetness, perfect for salads, the shape creating additional interest to any dish.

Mexican Midget (CO - ISSA)This tomato caught the attention of a lot of our visitors, described in a nutshell by one of our supporters as ‘long crop of tiny, jewel like fruits.’ It has a very long and gangly growth pattern up to the tunnel roof and on, a habit rooted in the wild ances-tory of vining tomatoes. However, it’s worth it. Sends out widely spaced trusses, so helps reduce build up of fungal disease. Each truss was loaded with sweet delicious red cherry tomatoes. The fruit holds well over a long period too, good for the market gardener, though as savers of seed, we had to ‘wait’ a long time for the fruit to over-ripen for seed. Trialled outdoors, they were also very successful (we didn’t pinch out the side shoots) and the plants didn’t succumb to blight until well into Autumn.

Lucky Leprechaun (CO - ISSA)Sent in to us by a supporter but coming originally from an heirloom seed company who described it as an ‘Irish heirloom dating back to the early 1900’s!’ It is a bush tomato producing early yielding, sweet tasting, juicy, medium sized red fruits. Pro-duced very well even in very wet, cool conditions. Great name!

Pink varietiesAmish Salad (CO – ISSA)

This is a very rare variety coming from the Amish people of Pennsylvania. A cordon, the fruit is slightly plum shaped, medium sized, pink/red, giving many trusses full of fruit. They have a lovely fresh sweet but tangy flavour. Excellent sliced for salads, but good cooked too.

Brandywine (CO - ISSA)This legendary potato leaf variety is of Amish heritage. It was introduced in 1889, named after the Brandywine river in Pennsylvania. The fruit is deep pink and can grow large, in fact up to a kilo. The flavor has been described as transcendental or ‘tomato heaven’. Sweet, rich and juicy it has acquired a reputation as the flavour standard for tomatoes. It is perfect for slicing raw or its dense flesh and large toma-toes make amazing sauces.

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Yellow varietiesBroad Ripple Currant (CO - ISSA)

Sweet yellow fruit, more cherry-sized than currant. Vigorous cordon plants. Goes back to the 1900’s when it was originally found growing through a crack in the pave-ment in an American city. Very good variety for outdoor cultivation, showed excel-lent blight resistance and gave a good sweet crop very late into the Autumn.

Galina Siberian Cherry (CO - ISSA)This yellow cherry tomato was introduced from Siberia, well adapted to cool climes, vigorous and early maturing. Many, many trusses of bright golden yellow fruit with a complex sweet flavour that many find irresistable.

Polen (CO - ISSA)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 harvest-ing a few in January from a polytunnel. Has also fruited well outdoors in the past.

Russian Emerald Apple (CO-ISSA)This variety is a real wonder, originally as the name suggests of Russian heritage,it produces amazing fruit subtle shades of golden/yellow/green,with darker green striping. They are beefstake like in shape and size and have a delcious tart flavour with deep sweet overtones. Very, very juicy perfect for slicing fresh but as a fried or grilled tomato they are sublime. Perhaps the origion of the famous ‘Fried green tomato’!

Purple/Black varietiesGabacho Negro (CO – ISSA)

This unusual tomato came to us from a seed saving community in Portugal. The name literally is ‘the black french Guy’. The fruit an amazing dark red oval, with darker shoulders ,medium sized and absolutely ideal for cooking delicious sauces. A cordon type and healthy cropper too.

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Cape Gooseberry Fruit(Physalis peruviana)

Giant (CO - ISSA)These need some protection to get started, and produce much better under cover though we grew some successfully outdoors this summer. They are perennial and can grow up to 1.5m so may need support. During winter cover the root clump in a mulch for protection. They have very lovely lantern flowers which develop to con-tain edible round golden fruits, with a delicious tangy/sweet flavour either eaten raw or stewed. Fruits contain high levels of vitamin C. Harvest the fruit as the husks turn brown from August to November. Store the fruit in the husks.

Umbelliferae FamilyCarrots (Daucus carota)

Erstling Czech (CO – ISSA)This carrot came out of the Czech gene bank, bred in the 1940s, a time of expert plant breeding. These deliciously flavoursome and very juicy carrots grow to a me-dium sized main crop.

Danvers (CO - ISSA)An American heirloom carrot that originated among market gardeners near Dan-vers, Massachusettes in the late 1800’s. Adapted to many different soil types, this main crop variety stores well. Deep orange flesh, thick tapered roots around 15-20cm long, nearly coreless, good flavour.

Manpukji (S.G.)Very long rooted orange carrot from Japan. So it needs good deep soil to grow well. Good for late sowings up to end of June. Very sweet flavour, especially good for Japanese miso soup.

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Johns Purple (CO-ISSA)This variety has been selected from a bunch of ordinary orange carrots in the 1970s by John Purves in Oxford. Over time he obtained a pure line of purple roots, quite beautiful and unique, crisp and flavoursome.

Parsnips (Pastinaca sativa)Parsnip is an ancient vegetable traces of which have been found in archeological digs in prehistoric sites on the continent. By Roman times it was domesticated and much enjoyed and probably in Ireland and Britian was a main stay winter food before the arrival of the potato. In an ancient text of ‘Simple Medicine’ by Platerius it is recom-mended ‘raw or cooked, for those who have just recovered from illness or melancholy’. Thus the perfect antidote to Winter blues. It is best to sow fresh seed each year, parsnip is the most short lived of our seeds, the germination rate drops to about 50% by the second year.

Bedford Monarch (S.G.)A rare, old variety of open-pollinated parsnip. Large broad roots with smooth white skin, ut-terly delicious when roasted. Very good canker resistance. John, a local grower, reported excel-lent tolerance to the cold – in the ‘big freeze’ of a few Winters ago, after removing the soil on top with a pick-axe, he was able to pull perfectly clean parsnip from the frozen ground with no effort – and delighted in their sweet, delicious flavour.

Suttons Student (CO – ISSA)Introduced to the market in 1861 selected from wild stock or ‘ennobled’ by a Professor at Cirencester Agricultural college,it was then taken up by Suttons. This long cultivated va-riety has long tapering roots of good size and pleasant flavour.

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Half Long White (SG)This is a continental variety, creamy coloured, thick, wedge shape roots, excellent all rounder and, of course Winter hardy.

Viceroy (SG)Another rare old variety coming originally from an heirloom collection from Seeds by Size in England. Long tapering roots, sweet to eat and very hardy.

Celeriac (Apium graveleng)Giant Prague (CO - ISSA)

A variety that goes back to 1871, this is a great winter vegetable with good sized, globed roots and white flesh. Very tasty in soups and stews or even roasted, with that distinctive ‘celery’ flavour.

Root Parsley (Petroselinum crispum)

Halas (CO - ISSA)

This is the continental parsley often known as Hamburg parsley. Rather than eating the leaves, this parsley is grown for eating its root. The variety actually comes from Croatia. It has broad shoulders with a conical shape and good flavour. Dig them in Autumn/Winter and use them as you would parsnips, good roasted with other roots and tubers.

Salad Leaves & GreensThe following crops are very well suited to either early Spring sowing or late Summer/ Autumn sowing, giving fresh nutritious greens for salad and cooking throughout the year. If sown early Summer they tend to bolt (go to seed) very rapidly in response to the long light days, so at least delay sowing until after the midsummer solstice. Most are very cold tolerant but will grow more lush undercover in Winter.

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Mustard Lettuce (CO - ISSA)This one captured the interest of many visitors. Brilliant emerald green leaves with curly, serrated-edges - most attractive. A great flavour with the distinct mustard hot tang. It can be used in salads or cooked. Its very hardy and can be grown outdoors all Winter as well as under cover, with a long growing season.

Ruby Streaks Mustard (CO - ISSA)A lovely ornamental mustard leaf, with deeply serrated leaves, flashed deep with purple-magenta veining. Quite a tender mild mustard flavour to liven up salads, and good for steaming or stir frys.

Salad Rocket (Eruca sativa) (CO - ISSA)A salad green cultivated since Roman times. The nutty spicy leaves give interesting flavour to milder salad leaves. Best grown in cool conditions. The flowers are also incredibly beautiful, delicate creamy stars with purple veins.

Wild Rocket (Eruca diplotaxis) (CO-ISSA)This type has much smaller and deeply serrated leaves compared to the salad rocket and is more pungent. It can grow as a perennial, which means it is slower growing and over the Summer months it is far less prone to running to seed too soon, making it a useful addition to the salad garden. When it does flower , they are bright yellow.

Hayachinena Japanese Greens (Brassica rapa) (CO – ISSA)Wonderful mustard greens with lush big, brilliant green leaves. A delicious flavour, not too strong, especially nice steamed, and served with a lemon juice and soya sauce dressing.

Pac Choi - Tai Sai (Brassica rapa) (CO-ISSA)A fine sturdy heirloom variety, with long, lush deep green leaves, juicy white stems, giving a fresh taste to salad and stir fry.

Claytonia/ Winter Purslane (CO -ISSA)An attractive Winter salad crop. The leaves and stems are both edible and have a refreshingly succulent mild flavour. Can be used on a cut and come basis, has pretty white flowers which are also edible. Sometimes called ‘Miners lettuce’, as it formed a valuable part of the diet of miners in the 1850’s gold rush in America, helping to prevent scurvy when fresh vegetables were scarce. Self seeds easily.

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Corn Salad/ Lambs Lettuce (Valerianella locusta) (CO-ISSA)This hardy salad has been cultivated and eaten for hundreds of years. The small green leaves have a soft texture and mild, gentle flavour, invaluable in Winter salads. ALso known as field salad or mache.

Salad mix (CO - ISSA)A mix of lush cut-n-come varieties of salads. Including lettuce, mustard leaves, pak choi, rocket, endive etc.

GrainsEuropean Millet (Panicum miliaceum) (CO - ISSA)

One of the oldest grains, millet is gluten free, very nutritious and keeps well in stor-age. This type known as proso will grow in cool climes and is suited to differing soil types and climates, ripening in a short season of around 70 days. It grows up to 1.2m high and is also known as broomcorn millet.

Quinoa (Chenopodium quino)Temuco (CO - ISSA)

Madeline McKeever of Brown Envelope Seeds sent us this grain, quinoa, to trial and grow. It was a surprisingly easy and trouble free crop. Direct sown in drills in April, it grew up to 1.5m tall, harvested in early September. Quinoa is a small and sacred food of the Inca people, also very nutritious, high in protein and essential amino acids. The grain contains bitter saponins (a chemical defence against birds), which needs to be washed out before use.

Golden Amaranthus (CO - ISSA)This is grown both as a vegetable, the young leaves can be eaten, and a grain seeds though small, are a highly nutritious grain. Once a sacred food of the Aztec’s. It is also a stunning flower with vibrant golden tassels that last most of the Summer until harvesting the grain in Autumn.

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HerbsDill (Anethum graveolens)

Sweet Mona’s (CO - ISSA)Very easy to grow, sow in April, with lovely aromatic ferny leaves, used in salads, pickles and sauces. The seeds are also used for flavouring (particularly in gherkins) Lovely flowers, with clear lemon-yellow heads, attractive to any beneficial insects.

Parsley (Petroselinum crispum)Note; Parsley can survive through our mild Winters outdoors but if you want to be sure of a supply of those wonderfully nutritious leaves for soup and salad, dig up a couple of plants at the end of Summer and replant undercover.Leave it growing a little longer in Spring and you will easily be able to harvest some seed from the flowering umbrels.

Karen Hermes Flat Leaf (CO - ISSA)An excellent parsley which was saved for many years by bio-dynamic grower Karen Hermes. Stands well through the Winter so could be picked all year round.

Frise Vert Fonce (CO-ISSA)This translates as ‘curled, dark green’ an accurate description of this old French va-riety. The tightly curled leaves are held clear of the ground on long stalks for clean and easy harvest.

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FlowersA - Annual P – Perennial B - Biennial

Calendula Marigold - A (CO - ISSA)What garden would be complete without these brilliant, cheerful orange and yellow-gold flowers? Flower petals can be eaten, good for companion planting and lots of medicinal uses. Self-seeds with abundance.

Poppy mix - A (CO - ISSA)This is a mix of various shades of poppy, pink, magenta, mauve purple and some with frilly petals or double blooms! Easy to grow, direct sow, self seed easily.

Aquilegia – P (CO - ISSA)A graceful but hardy plant with purple/ mauve/ pink, delicate flowers on tall stems above a mound of scalloped foliage. Flowers May to June, good for cut flowers, and seed heads can be dried for winter displays. Slugs don’t like it!

Yellow Welsh Poppy – P (P. Meconopsis cambrica) (CO – ISSA)Happy growing almost anywhere, a short bush with elegant graceful foliage and lots of flimsy, bright yellow poppy flowers from Spring – Autumn. Short lived as a peren-nial but self seeds freely.

Love in the Mist (Nigella) – A (SG)Dates back to English gardens of 1570. An easy to grow border flower with lovely, wispy, feathery foliage and attractive flowers in mauve/blue/white shades. Interest-ing seed heads that can be dried. Self seeds easily.

Mullein – B (CO – ISSA)It is a rather grand, large, wild plant with large downy leaves and a tall spike of yel-low flowers which bees love.

Honesty – B (CO – ISSA)This plant has lovely purple flowers, giving a fine display from May to June, followed by the flat silvery pods ideal for Winter floral arrangements. Height reaches 75cm.

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Rose Campion – B (SG)Easy to grow (slug resistant), tends towards a perennial in our climate. Forms a lovely clump of lance shaped silvery grey downy leaves. Many small heads of showy, bright magenta/pink flowers held on long stems well clear of the foliage. Dead head to encourage flowering all through the summer.

French Marigold (Tagetes patula) Pinwheel metamorph- A (SG)These make an absolutely stunning display in the garden given to us from Peace Seeds in Oregon. Tall plants up to 1m high with the pungent smell of the tagetes marigolds that can help to confuse pests. The flowers are brilliant bold deep red, golden and bright yellow in dramatic stripes of each. Very good for companion planting.

Sweet William – P (SG)Early flowering, lovely fragrant mix of bright shades of pink and white. Long, firm stems making it an ideal cut flower through early summer.

Austrian Saffron – A (CO - ISSA)This makes a beautiful display of brilliant orange flowers, also known as Safflower. Its seeds can be pressed to give an edible oil which is high in unsaturated fat and lin-oleic acid, both of which are nutritionally important in the diet. It was grown to use in dying fabrics (monk’s robes), but can also be dried for arrangements and makes an attractive addition to the garden. Grows up to 1m high.

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Sweet Pea – A (CO-ISSA)Old fashioned mix of colours, pink, white, mauve, purple – with that most lovely evocative fragrance.

Red Corn Poppies (Papaver rhoeas) – A (CO – ISSA)This is the ‘common bright scarlet poppy’, seen as a splash of colour in cereal fields and along road sides. The seed is extremely fine so take due care when sowing. Mix-ing with a small amount of sand can make dealing with the seed easier.

California Poppy (Eschscholzia) – A (SG)Brilliant orange flowers that continue opening throughout the summer. Intense col-our that brings joy even on the greyest day. Lovely fine blue/green pinnate (feathery) foliage. Best grown in full sun. Seeds develop in long slim pods that can be harvested as they dry.

Woad (Isatis tinctoria) (CO-ISSA)Woad has been used for centuries to obtain a blue dye, it is said a hundred weight of leaves yields 10 lbs of dye and is quite an elaborate process to extract. However it is easy to grow this ancient plant and, as Richard Mabey describes in one of his books, worth it. An attractive plant with 1m high stems, long succulent leaves which shine like stained glass, with inner blue foamy clusters and brilliant yellow flowers; pendant fiddle shaped seeds’. The seeds may also turn blue/purple in wet weather.

Wildflower Mix (CO - ISSA)A mix of brightly coloured annual and biennial flowers which attract butterflies, bees and other insects to your garden or orchard; flowers from April to September. Included in the mix are marigolds, campion, foxgloves, oxeye daisy, poppies, ragged robin, mullein, woad, linseed and aqualegia. Always sow in bare cultivated soil to get established.

Tree lupins – P (CO - ISSA)Vigourous woody shrub with lovely lupin like bright yellow flowers in early Sum-mer. Beneficial in the garden as an insect attractant and also fixes nitrogen in the soil. Prune hard in Autumn/Winter to keep them vigourous and healthy.

Sunflower (Helianthus annus) (CO-ISSA)Tondo du Firenze

Magnificent giant of a sunflower with huge bright yellow flower heads, that go on to ripen into good quantities of very large seeds for eating.

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€65 €50 €35 Supporter No. (for existing supporters)

€50 Family Direct Debit €40 Individual Direct Debit (NB. Please complete Direct Debit Mandate overleaf)

I would like to pay an annual subscription of:€25 Junior Supporter €5.00 per quarter by direct debit Jan/Apr/Jul/Oct. €50 Individual Subscriber€65 Family (Family Direct Debit €50)€35 Concession Subscription (unwaged, senior citizens, disabled people and students)€30 Friend€40 Individual Direct Debit Supporter €10.00 Per quarter Jan/Apr/Jul/Oct.€50 Family Direct Debit Supporters€120 Contributor Supporter €30.00 per quarter by direct debit Jan/Apr/Jul/Oct.€250 Benefactor Supporter €62.50 per quarter by direct debit Jan/Apr/Jul/Oct.€500 Custodian Supporter €125 per quarter by direct debit Jan/Apr/Jul/Oct.€1,500 Life Time Supporter One o� payment of €1,500 (non-transferable)

€12.50 Per quarter Jan/Apr/Jul/Oct.

I would like to pay a donation: * Your donation could go even further, at no extra cost to you.

making your donation worth up to 43% more! Please tick the box relevant to your circumstances:I am a PAYE taxpayer (if your circumstances change, please let us know)

I am Self-Assessed/Self Employed (tax can be refunded to you)Make all CHEQUES or POSTAL ORDERS payable to: Irish Seed Savers Association Ltd.

Please debit my Credit Card / Laser Card by the amount shown below:

Expiry date: Signature:

Credit / Laser Card no: CVV:

OFFICE USE ONLY:

Subscription No:

To order, please phone 061 921866/856, e-mail [email protected] or shop on-line at www.irishseedsavers.ie

EXTRA SEED POTATOES ARE NOT AVAILABLE.List any other seeds you wish to order, below

Extra seeds @ €2.75 each No. of packs Extra Seeds @ €2.75 each No. of

packs1.

10.

2.11.

3.12.

4.13.

5.14.

6.15.

7.16.

8.17.

9.Total Packs =



P&P Seeds €2.75 € 2.75


€


*Donation €


Total Amount €







List any other seeds you wish to order, belowExtra seeds @ €2.75 each No. of

packs Extra Seeds @ €2.75 each

1.10.

2.11.

3.12.

4.13.

5.14.

6.15.

7.16.

8.17.

9.Total Packs =



P&P Seeds €2.75 € 2.75


€


*Donation €


Total Amount €






Credit /Laser Card no: __/__/__/__/ __/__/__/__/ __/__/__/__/ __/__/__/__/ __/__/__/


Address:

Phone: Mobile:

Email:





€50 Family Direct Debit €40 Individual Direct Debit (NB. Please complete Direct Debit Mandate overleaf) I would like to pay an annual subscription of:€50 Individual Subscriber€65 Family (Family Direct Debit €50)€35 Concession Subscription (unwaged, senior citizens, disabled people and students)€30 Friend€40 Individual Direct Debit Supporter €10.00 Per quarter Jan/Apr/Jul/Oct.€50 Family Direct Debit Supporters €12.50 Per quarter Jan/Apr/Jul/Oct.


making your donation worth up to 43% more! Please tick the box relevant to your circumstances:I am not a PAYE taxpayer (if your circumstances change, please let us know) I am Self-Assessed/Self Employed (tax can be refunded to you)

Make all CHEQUES or POSTAL ORDERS payable to: Irish Seed Savers Association Ltd.




OFFICE USE ONLY:

Subscription No:

To order, please phone 061 921866/856, e-mail [email protected] or shop on-line at www.irishseedsavers.ie

11.

3.12.

4.13.

5.14.

6.15.

7.16.

8.17.

9.Total Packs =



P&P Seeds €2.75 € 2.75


€


*Donation €


Total Amount €







11.

3.12.

4.13.

5.14.

6.15.

7.16.

8.17.

9.Total Packs =



P&P Seeds €2.75 € 2.75


€


*Donation €


Total Amount €







Irish Seed Savers AssociationSUPPORTER FORM


Address:

Phone: Mobile:

Email:





€50 Family Direct Debit €40 Individual Direct Debit (NB. Please complete Direct Debit Mandate overleaf) I would like to pay an annual subscription of:€50 Individual Subscriber€65 Family (Family Direct Debit €50)€35 Concession Subscription (unwaged, senior citizens, disabled people and students)€30 Friend€40 Individual Direct Debit Supporter €10.00 Per quarter Jan/Apr/Jul/Oct.€50 Family Direct Debit Supporters €12.50 Per quarter Jan/Apr/Jul/Oct.


making your donation worth up to 43% more! Please tick the box relevant to your circumstances:I am not a PAYE taxpayer (if your circumstances change, please let us know) I am Self-Assessed/Self Employed (tax can be refunded to you)

Make all CHEQUES or POSTAL ORDERS payable to: Irish Seed Savers Association Ltd.




For additional seed orders we ask for a donation of €2.75 per pack.EXTRA SEED POTATOES ARE NOT AVAILABLE.


packs Extra Seeds @ €2.75 each No. of packs

1.10.

2.11.

3.12.

4.13.

5.14.

6.15.

7.16.

8.17.

9.Total Packs =



P&P Seeds €2.75 € 2.75


€


*Donation €


Total Amount €







For additional seed orders we ask for a donation of €2.75 per pack.EXTRA SEED POTATOES ARE NOT AVAILABLE.


packs Extra Seeds @ €2.75 each

1.10.

2.11.

3.12.

4.13.

5.14.

6.15.

7.16.

8.17.

9.Total Packs =



P&P Seeds €2.75 € 2.75


€


*Donation €


Total Amount €







SEPA Direct Debit Mandate

Unique Mandate Reference: Creditor Identifier: IE02ZZZ304188 * By signing this mandate form, you authorise; (A) the Irish Seed Savers Association to send instructions to your bank to debit your account and (B) your bank to debit your account in accordance with the instruction from the Irish Seed Savers Association. As part of your rights, you are entitled to a refund from your bank under term and conditions of your agreement with your bank. A refund must be claimed within 8 weeks starting from the date on which your account was debited. Your rights are explained in a statement that you can obtain from your bank.

Please complete the following and return to the Irish Seed Savers Association Ltd. First Name: Surname: Your Address: City/postcode: Country: Account Number (IBAN): Swift BIC: Creditors Details

Type of payment: Recurrent or One-off Payment (please tick ) Date: Signature(s): 1. 2.

For Information Purposes Only Additional Supporter’s Details Please tick () one of the following:

Individual supporter - €40 (€10/per quarter) or Family supporter - €50 (€12.50/per quarter) Supporter Type: New Member or Renewal Supporter No: # Phone Number: Email: Note: Direct debits are taken per quarter – Jan/ Apr/ July/ Oct.

Irish Seed Savers Association Ltd. Capparoe,

Scarriff, Co. Clare

Tel: 061921866/856

__________________________________________________________

SEED SWOP & SHAREat

IRISH SEED SAVERS

6th March 2016 from 12-5pm

Bring your saved seeds to exchange or just come for a chat and a cup of tea and cake.

All Welcome!Irish Seed Savers, Capparoe, Scariff, Co. Clare

Documents

Association Seed Catalogue 2016 · Please find supporter forms and information at the back of this catalogue. All our seed is Open Pollinated and grown in Ireland. Beside each variety