IRISH SEED SAVERS Seed Catalogue 2020
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IRISH SEED SAVERS
Seed Catalogue
2020
American Flag Elephant Limburg Caro Rich
Leek Amaranth Yellow Tomato
Morning Gortahork Blanche de
Glory Sunflower Cabbage Virginie
Australian Gene Bank Evening Grandpa
Blue Marrow Primrose Admires Lettuce
Sweet William Old Flame Lily White Linseed
Sea Kale
Frise Vert Lucullus GilGil Seed Slovenian
Fonce Parsley Chard Coriander Market
CONTENTS
Onions & Leeks - Alliaceae Family 4-6
Cabbage, Kale, Brussel Sprouts, Sea Kale, Cauliflower,
Swede, Turnip, Radish - Brassicaceae Family 6-11
Beetroot, Chard, Spinach, Quinoa - Chenopodiaceae Family 12-14
Lettuce, Salsify - Compositae Family 15-16
Cucumber, Courgette, Melon, Squash, Pumpkin -
Cucurbitaceae Family 16-20
Oats, Sweetcorn - Gramineae Family 20
Broad Beans, French Beans, Runner Beans, Peas -
Leguminoseae Family 21-28
Asparagus - Liliaceae Family 28
Linseed / Flax - Linaceae Family 29
Pepper, Chilli Pepper, Tomato, Cape Gooseberry -
Solanaceae Family 29-34
Carrot, Parsnip, Celeriac, Celery, Root Parsley -
Umbelliferae Family 35-37
Salad Leaves & Greens 37-38
Herbs 39-40
Flowers & Fruit 40-42
Vegetable & Herb Seeds €2.95 & Flower Seeds €3.25
Irish Seed Savers, Capparoe, Scariff, Co. Clare
www.irishseedsavers.ie . info@irishseedsavers.ie . 061-921866
SEED LIST SPRING 2020
Welcome to our 2020 catalogue packed with seeds that are all grown in Ireland.
We continue with growing and saving as many heritage and open pollinated vegetable
varieties as possible and hope this is reflected in the choices available to you. Several
varieties are only for supporters until the order closing date of April 3rd 2020.
Making the choice yourselves to save seed of even one of these varieties is a step towards
independence and control over your own food source, as well as helping these crops to
adapt to your own environmental conditions and a contribution towards the conservation
of diversity for the future.
Our objective is to preserve Ireland’s rich food crop heritage by conserving rare varieties
of vegetables, grains and heritage apple trees, suitable for our climate and soil.
We connect with communities throughout Ireland to encourage and share our skills to pro-
vide awareness, education and on-site opportunities to teach the importance of self-suffi-
ciency, seed sovereignty programme and protecting our environment
This knowledge and seed base means that Ireland continues to have some control over
its future food security in times of continuing industrialisation of food and diminishing
resources worldwide.
To date, we have saved and researched over 600 varieties of organic, open pollinated
heritage seeds - some even from extinction, which are housed in our purpose built living
seed bank. Through this catalogue we hope to give you a taste of some of the heritage
varieties we have saved to date.
All our seed is Open Pollinated, grown in Ireland in accordance with organic principles,
although some of our seed growers are small scale so do not have official organic certifi-
cation. Those varieties that are certified organic have C.O. by the name.
It brings great pleasure when filling out orders, to read your gardening news and tips, how
different crops grew in different places, recipes or stories, and for us makes contact with
you that little bit more real and personal. So if you have time please put pen to paper or
finger to keyboard.
A thousand thanks for continuing to support us and believing in the importance of this
work for the next generations.
As an Indian proverb tells; ‘All the food, the flowers, the life for tomorrow is held in the
seed of today’
1
STAFF AND VOLUNTEER CROP PICKS
Deirdre: Sugar Snap Peas
So sweet, tasty, crunchy and very healthy looking.
Jason: Common Cabbage
The sheer size and beauty, amazing... plus all that food!
Barry: Suzan lettuce
Utterly gorgeous.
Felice: Morning Glory
Such beautiful flowers.
Jen: Tommy Toe Tomato
I liked the succulent taste, so good in salad and very productive.
Marrianne: Londonderry broad Bean
Sweet, nutty flavour and grew well even from old seed, kept long past the sell by
date.
Gemma: Red venture Celery
My children adored it and Gabacho Negro tomato a big hit.
Tristan: Wintercrop Leeks
Watching them flower, loved the seed head, so striking with the black seed inside
the seed pods, as good as ornamental alliums for beauty.
Jo: Malinowy Tomato
Blown away by the utter deliciousness of this tomato, every bit as tasty as Brandy-
wine, but much easier to grow!
Tansy: Cape Gooseberry (Physalis peruviana)
I love these beautiful oriental looking fruits. They have a shiny wax like surface,
and when you bit into the fruit it has a texture not unlike a firm tomato with the
flesh and seeds, but the taste is a sweet taste with a sour aftertaste similar to fresh
cranberries. These wonderful little fruit are high in Vitamin C and Vitamin A.
2
DATES TO REMEMBER FOR 2020
Community Seed Exchange - Sunday, 1st March 2 - 4pm
Bring your extra seeds to share on the day, and take home some seeds to plan your
garden for the year.
Community Plant Exchange - Sunday, 17th May 2 - 4pm
Bring your surplus seeds, plants, seedlings and shrubs to share. Meet our team of
experts to learn how your support helps protect Ireland’s collection of rare and
heritage food seeds and fruit trees.
The Great Irish Garden - Sunday, July 5th - time tbc
A day dedicated to showcasing the wonderful heritage seed gardens in full bloom
at Irish Seed Savers. Along with garden tours, childrens activities, refreshments,
including Irish Seed Savers own organic apple juice, will be available on the day.
This event is a great learning, fun and interactive event, connecting all to the won-
ders of our own natural heritage on the doorstop of East Clare.
Heritage Tour - Tuesday, 18th August - time tbc
As part of National Heritage Week we will be giving tours of our heritage seed
gardens and orchards.
Apple Day - Sunday, September 14th - time tbc
A day dedicated to showcasing the heritage Irish apple tree collection. Along with
orchard tours, childrens activities, refreshments, including Irish Seed Savers own
organic apple juice, will be available on the day.
Please follow us on social media, sign-up to our ezene
or check our website for more information on events and tours.
www.irishseedsavers.ie . info@irishseedsavers.ie . 061-921866
3
ONIONS & LEEKS James long keeping - CO
ALLIACEAE FAMILY This is one of the most “asked about”
crop varieties that we have. The RHS
of 1819 states ‘Well known sort raised
Onions (Allium cepa)
by market gardener of the name James
Note: To grow onions from seed: Sow in
several years ago”. Dropped from the
trays/modules under cover in February.
national list in 1993 in Britain, this
Plant out seedlings approx 15cm apart
wonderful onion has good flavour me-
in April into really moist soil (water
dium size red/brown bulbs and as the
well if dry). Onions need to have plenty
name suggests, is an excellent keeper.
of green leaf growth by solstice, when
Amazing to see its still popular after
the change in daylight starts the pro-
200 years.
cess of swelling the bulb. Harvest when
tops have started to die back in August.
Paille Des Vertus - CO
This variety is a French heirloom also
Buan – CO
known as ‘Brown Spanish’, a standard
This is a true native Irish onion bred by
variety in Europe for over 200 years.
Barnie Crombie who was still doing on-
It was said by ‘Vilmorin in 1855 in his
ion trials up until the 1980’s when he
famous book ‘Les Plantes Potageres’,
passed on. However, he had sent seed
‘That the winter supply of onions for
to the Russian and English gene banks
Paris and Europe consists chiefly of this
from which Irish Seed Savers Associ-
variety’. Now it is rare and very hard
ation received seed and we have been
to find. The onion is a productive ear-
growing and saving this unique vari-
ly cropper with flat bulbs up to 10cm
ety since. It has performed extremely
across, Full of flavour, brown/copper
well in the most adverse conditions for
skin and keeps well.
‘good quality onions’, i.e. an average
Irish summer. The name comes from
Up to date - CO
old Irish, ‘Long life’, and it is indeed a
This onion goes back 80 years, once a
really good white fleshed storage bulb,
commercial registered variety but hard
often not sprouting until summer the
to find now, the Up to date onion has
following season.
good resistance to the disease white
rot. A yel-
low skinned
variety good
all round and
excellent for
storage.
Buan Onion Up to Date
4
Stamme Gold (globe selection) - CO Bunching onions (Allium fistulosum)
SUPPORTERS ONLY Evergreen SUPPORTERS ONLY
‘Stamme’ is an old variety from Norway This an easy to grow perennial onion
and the word itself translates as, ‘tribe, that forms a clump of lush green stems
trunk, sense of belonging, strength, root- much like scallions and never forms a
edness’. We got the original seed from bulb. Sometimes known as a ‘Welsh
a gene bank and found the variety to be onion’. To harvest you just keep cutting
of mixed types but grows’ well in our the stems to use
short, cool summer. We have gradually
been selecting different strains from the
original and this is one with gold globe Leeks (Allium ampeloprasum)
shaped bulbs. You may find a few that Note: Leeks need a long growing sea-
display other traits like slightly red skin
son, we usually sow them in trays under
or flesh or more flattened bulbs, but cover in February, ready for planting
you could also start your own Stamme outdoors in their final bed by the end
adapted line. of April or early May by which time the
seedlings are quite sturdy. If you have a
Red onion Wiener Rote - CO polytunnel, a side bed can be used as a
SUPPORTERS ONLY direct sown seedling bed. When trans-
This is a variety from Arche Noah, planting use a dibber to create a good
seed savers in Austria with dark red flat long planting hole 15cm apart and
rounded bulbs and grows well. make sure the soil is very moist, soak
before planting if dry.
Overwintering Varieties
Note; These are best sown in late July/ American Flag/Giant Musselburgh
August in trays and planted out as seed- - CO
lings September/October. These onions This variety is also known as ‘Scotch
produce really well in a cool tunnel, flag’, nothing to do with patriotic senti-
start harvesting as fresh scallions in ment the term flag is an old reference to
April, leaving remainder to mature into plants with sword-like foliage as have
big bulbs by late June. leeks. This vari-
ety remains pop-
Sendai Ki Tamanegi - CO ular, going back
Tamanegi is in fact the Japanese word as far as 1870.
for onion. This great variety came from Broad, green
the open pollinated small seed compa- leaves and good
ny visited by one of our staff in Japan. thick stalks with
Grows lovely large bulbs from a late mild and tender
summer sowing and also stores well. flavour. American Flag
5
Blue Green Winter - CO CABBAGE, KALE, BRUSSEL
SUPPORTERS ONLY
Continental heirloom, very hardy win-
SPROUTS, SEA KALE,
ter leek with upright, attractive blue/ CAULIFLOWER, SWEDE,
green leaves.
TURNIP, RADISH
BRASSICACEAE FAMILY
King Richard - CO
An early maturing leek which we found Cabbage
also overwinters here in mild Ireland
(Brassica oleracea var. capitata)
Noteworthy long shanks, white/pale
green with excellent flavour. Support-
Flat Dutch (Common) - CO
er Niki Griffin commented, ‘they were
A selection from the native Irish on-
still standing in March with no rust and
farm collection of seed; these big white/
good flavour’
green heads of flat dutch cabbage were
often locally just called plain ‘Common
Lyon - CO
cabbage’. They are big heads that stand
A classic Leek, also known as Prize-
well through the winter and also good
taker dating back to 1886 from the
for making fermented cabbage.
UK. Uniform, long white thick stems
of mild flavour. Very cold-hardy, will
stand well all winter Great for showing
in competitions as they form the perfect
leek.
Monstrueux D’Elbeuf - CO
A traditional French cultivar grown in
the alluvial plains of the Seine in Nor- Flat Dutch
mandy. It has
short, chunky
Gortahork - CO
stems and
This variety has been maintained by
lovely bright
three generations of the Sweeney fam-
green foli-
ily from Gortahork village in Donegal,
age, good for
the original seed was brought back
autumn and
from Scotland by Owen Sweeney in
winter har-
1910 and saved ever since. A distinct
vesting.
landrace, large drumhead winter hardy
Monstrueux D’Elbeuf cabbage with excellent flavour.
6
Irish Savoy Drumhead - CO Spring Cabbage - CO
Beautiful dark green savoy heads of From our native Irish collection, these
medium size cabbage that are winter particular Spring cabbages were grown
hardy, grown out from the native Irish and collected in and around Cork city.
collection. Lush tender greens and small pointed
heads all through spring. Will produce
Paddy’s Cabbage - CO even in hard winters.
An heirloom developed by an Irish allot-
ment holder who then shared seed with Note: Sow Spring cabbage end of July/
his allotment neighbours. The variety is beginning August for the following
spring sown for use from late summer Spring in modules and plant out trans-
onwards, a vigorous grower produc- plants 4-6 weeks later 30-40cm apart.
ing large heads, good and crunchy and Spring Cabbages were traditionally
standing well into winter. Mona, a lo- grown where early potatoes had been
cal market gardener and seed guardian, dug.
grew this one for seed and was very im-
pressed with it and is going to continue Cut-n-Come Cabbage
growing the cabbage for sale. (B. Oleracea var. acephala)
Crops that are primarily for winter use,
Shetland Cabbage/Kale we sow in early summer. This spreads
This is the oldest known local vegetable both the work and propagating space.
variety in Scotland, grown on the Shet- Hardy crops like kale/swede can be
land Isles possibly since the 1500’s. The sown outdoors. We use module trays
heads are quite open, the green leaves and transplant; but you can also direct
tinged a beautiful pink-purple, deep- sow, though crops are then more vulner-
ening as winter progresses. The out- able to slugs. For baby leaves for salads
er dropped leaves where traditionally they can be sown up until September.
used as animal feed. Due to the extreme
weather on the Shetlands, the cabbage Delaway Cabbage - CO
seeds used to be planted in “Plantie A popular native Irish cut ‘n’ come
Crubs”, small circular stone walled en- cabbage with great resilience even in
closures before transplanting into larg- difficult growing conditions like wa-
er fields also enclosed in stone walls. terlogged soil or exposed places. it
This rare cabbage grew beautifully on provides delicious purple/green tender
a windy hillside in Clare, hardy right crinkled leaves that can be picked for
through the winter, the cabbage itself several months and go on producing
has a distinctive peppery taste that was more. Lovely addition to the winter
once a prized ingredient of mutton stew garden.
on the Northern Isles.
7Dunbard Standard Spring Greens - said customers found it very tasty and
CO he could barely keep up with demand at
These are lovely strong plants with the market.
large luscious dark green leaves that
can be picked from summer to late the Thousand Headed - CO
following Spring. So sweet and tender Very productive 1m high kale originat-
they can even be used raw. ing in the west of France prior to 1865,
known as ‘Branching Borecole’. Easy
to grow, plain leaf kale with spread-
ing foliage. Winter hardy, particularly
suited to our climate, reliable and very
tolerant of poor soils. Supporter, Hilary
Killops sug-
gests eating
it, ‘Lightly
Dunbard Standard Spring Greens steamed and
served with a
Winter Greens Mix sauce of yo-
A mix of different varieties of kale, cut ghurt and a lit-
and come greens and mustard leaves tle chilli pep-
that can be sown often and used when per.’
small for baby leaf tangy salad leaves Thousand Headed
or thinned out and left to mature for de- Uncle John’s
licious, nutritious winter greens. This variety was grown and saved by
John Burke in Co. Cork for 50 years. It
Kale has proved to be extremely popular be-
ing a most delicious, tender and sweet
Red Russian kale, with lovely bright green leaves
Very tender and mild, a pre 1885 heir- that thrive all through the winter well
loom variety. Big oak shaped leaves can into spring, showing good resistance to
have a red tinge especially after frost, black spot. Megan Bromley, school gar-
very tender with great flavour. den coordinator, writes’ ‘Uncle Johns
has a great flavour and the new growth
Siberian - CO impressively tender.’
Compact plants with lots of tender
curled green leaves that keep going all NB. Remember when kales start pro-
winter. One of the hardiest kales, leaves ducing flowering shoots in spring
sweetening after frost. Grown by Jason, these can be pinched off and eaten like
market gardener and seed guardian,who sprouting broccoli.
8Brussels Sprouts Cauliflower
(B. oleracea var. gemmifera) (B. oleracea var. botytris)
Balbriggan - CO Winter Roscoff - CO
A native Irish selection of hardy and This great cauliflower was collected
vigorous sprouts, holds its own with in Co. Dublin in 1982 from an elderly
whatever the winter weather brings. farmer and produces magnificent curds.
Overall large plants with numerous big Kim Tyler told us ‘It is super reliable
sprouts holding well through winter, year after year, can’t remember when I
but as with any landrace types you will received seed from you but it’s the only
find some variation. cauliflower I grow now it’s so good!’
Sow July/ August and plant out in Sep-
Dublin Cropper - CO tember for an early crop the following
Now an Irish heirloom, probably once spring; can also be grown in tunnels
grown in the horticultural fields around over winter for an even earlier crop.
Dublin. As the name suggests a great
‘cropper’ of delicious mild flavoured,
medium size sprouts that keep on pro-
ducing all through the vagaries of win-
ter weather.
Irish Glacier - CO
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, Winter Roscoff
describes it as an outstanding variety,
with small tight Purple sprouting Broccoli
sprouts, good for (B. oleracea var. italica)
freezing. Plants
are very neat and Cardinal
uniform. It lives SUPPORTERS ONLY
on as a parent to Crops in Spring over many weeks from
the modern F1 March to May. Heavy cropping with
variety Lunet, medium to large, deep purple spears of
bred in Holland. excellent flavour. This variety won the
RHS award of garden merit in 2013.
Irish Glacier
9Sea Kale (Crambe maritima) Best of all - CO
A traditional swede/turnip, with purple
Lily white - CO and white skin growing to a good size.
This is a perennial crop, so it requires a Golden flesh very sweet and tasty, last-
permanent site. It has distinctive grey/ ing well into spring before going woody,
blue green fleshy leaves and gives a all round ‘excellent’ as described by a
beautiful display of pure white flowers supporter. Madeline at Brown Envelope
in late spring. However, as a food crop seeds trialled it one winter in conjunc-
it is the early shoots (like asparagus) tion with popular commercial varities
that are eaten raw or cooked. They are and it came out ‘Best of All’!
best when blanched, so put a thick lay-
er of straw over them in autumn/winter.
Don’t start cropping until the second
year. The seeds come in a little round-
ish fruit each containing only one seed,
which are sown whole and take a few
weeks to germinate, much longer than
Best of all
other Brassica species.
Major Dunne
This was a popular variety common-
ly grown in the north and given to us
by John McCormack of Co. Down. It
grows quite upright, ‘high’ on the sur-
face thus not prone to soil pests like
Lily White Sea Kale eel worm. Good purple colour, sweet
tasty flesh and hardy through the win-
ter. Many grow to a good size. If you
Swede (Brassica napus) prefer small Swedes, delay the sowing
Note: these are a much undervalued and planting until the very end of June.
vegetable these days being so easy to
grow and are very hardy, left in the Six Mix - CO
ground all winter for harvesting when We grew out all the six native Irish
needed. Full of nutrition and almost swede varieties together in 2015 so we
as versitile as the spud, you can boil, could do botanical descriptor work on
mash, roast or even make chips with the them. This seed is then a mix of all six
swede and a great addition to soup, I’ve varieties and there may be some in-
even had them grated in salad. They teresting surprises if the flowers were
also long predate the pumpkin as the cross pollinated!
Halloween Lantern.
10Tipperary Turnip - CO rapidly but are quite delicious roasted
A favourite crop of seed guardian Jason at this stage. Sow successionally from
Horner, as the Tipperary Turnip does early spring to summer either direct or
not suffer from Boron deficiency on his transpalned from modules.
land to the same degree as other variet-
ies. A native cultivar of swede returned Radish (Raphanus sativus)
to us from the Wellesbourne gene bank.
Like other native Brassicas, it is hardy Black - CO
and disease resistant. It has a delicate, A large white root with thin black skin
mellow, sweet flavour, still remembered and crisp pungent flesh. Very cold har-
by many of the locals.“The flesh” says dy and can be harvested through the
supporter, Andrew Williams, “is not winter after a late summer planting.
tough at all and keeps well through win- The roots will sweeten when cooked.
ter”. Very disease-resistant and easy to grow.
Western Perfection - CO
A popular variety grown in Cork and Daikon - CO
donated to us by Eddie Lucey. A round, This is an oriental radish, can grow up
medium sized swede turnip with pur- to 25cm long with dense and crunchy
ple/magenta skin and delicious golden flesh, mild flavour. In Japan they are tra-
flesh. Good disease resistance and very ditionally pickled but can also be used
hardy even in exposed locations. in stir fry or grated raw. Winter hardy
can be sown from Spring to Autumn.
York - CO
Sometimes known as York Purple Top, Purple Plum - CO
it has the distinction of being grand SUPPORTERS ONLY
champion at the royal winter Fair in A lovely radish with bright purple co-
Toronto. Smooth, uniform, fine quality lourful skin, and sweet crisp white flesh
roots with purple shoulders and sweet that does not get pithy, growing up to
yellow flesh. Small to medium in size 3-4cm.
and excellent winter keeper.
Round Red Forcing - CO
Turnip (Brassica rapa) Quick growing red radish of good size,
very reliable, not too hot but crisp and
White Egg - CO juicy. Sow successionally from Spring
These are quick growing pure white, and can also be used for Winter produc-
summer season turnips, mild-flavoured, tion under cover.
pulled and eaten straight away when
small. Left in the ground they swell very
11BEETROOT, CHARD, harvested over a long period. Here are
descriptions from the staff who tried
SPINACH, QUINOA a taste test - ‘moist, mouthwatering,
sweet, juicy and tender’.
CHENOPODIACEAE FAMILY
Egyptian Flat Top - CO
Beetroot (Beta vulgaris) A variety of very old heritage dating
NB: A great way to use small beetroot is back to the 1800’s, originating in Egypt.
roasted whole with a little balsamic vin- Vilmorin in his crop descriptions in
egar, black pepper and goats’ cheese. 1885 states ‘Exceedingly early variety,
Perfection! best of all early kitchen garden kinds’
This is echoed in modern times by gar-
Dagger leaf - CO dener Bob Flowerdew proclaiming it to
The leaves of this variety, (from the have ‘the best flavour’. Early maturing,
1800’s) are indeed ‘dagger’ like, nar- smooth skin on wide roots, deep crim-
row, long and graceful, purple-red in co- son/purple flesh both sweet and tender.
lour with a metallic lustre. They grow in Very popular among the staff taste tests.
a thick cluster and picked for a beautiful Grows above the ground so easy to pull
addition to the salad bowl. The roots are for harvest.
long, smooth and spindle shaped with
blood red tender flesh.
Dobbies Purple
This variety was bred in the 19th centu-
ry by a then, small independant Scottish
seed company ‘Dobbies’ which down
the years has now morphed into a chain
that is part of the Tesco empire!
They are very sweet beets with long ta-
pered roots that can be cut to cook with-
out the colour bleeding. Egyptian Flat Top
Early Wonder - CO Feuer Kugel - CO
SUPPORTERS ONLY SUPPORTERS ONLY
Introduced in 1911, this old variety has A rare, smooth-skinned variety from
semi globe roots and smooth dark red Switzerland. Described by growers as
skin. Deep red flesh and glossy leaves “spectacular, tender bulbs with fantastic
that can make good greens. It matures flavour and bolt resistant”, “Very suc-
early but also a single sowing can be cessful and absolutely delicious”.
12Cylindra/Formanova - CO Chard/Leaf Beet
A wonderful heirloom from Denmark,
famous for slicing with long cylindri- Note; Chard has been cultivated for
cal roots. This tender and sweet variety millennia, Aristotle mentions cultivat-
with dark red flesh is also known as ing red chards in ancient Greece. Much
‘Butter Slicer’ or ‘Cooks Delight’ be- more robust, long lasting, versatile and
cause of its wonderful texture. easier to grow than Spinach, giving
lush greens nearly year round. Sown
Rotunda April- June either in modules or di-
From the Italian ‘rotonda’ meaning rect, it will last to the following spring.
‘round’, this beetroot grows quite large Young leaves make a great addition to
into perfect round spheres. Very juicy salads while large leaves along with
and sweet, with a distinct earthy fla- the stems can be boiled, stir fried or
vour. steamed. With all the different colour
stems giving you a range of nutritious
Runde Kugel - CO phyto-nutrients
This translates simply as ‘Round ball’,
deep red in colour with a delicious Ladakh Beta Chard
fruity, mild taste particularly good in The seeds of this variety were brought
salads. back from an international slow food
gathering in Turin, Italy. We weren’t
Sanguina - CO initially sure whether it was going to
Very productive ‘blood’ red conical be a leaf/chard type or a fodder beet-
beetroot with juicy, intense flesh that root crop. When grown in our gardens it
remains tender and sweet even when turned out to be a vigorous, hardy crop
quite large. with large light green leaves.
Touchstone Gold - CO Orange Oriole - CO
Delicious, smooth, round gold roots This came to us from Baker Creek heir-
with sweet flavoured bright yellow loom seeds in
flesh, the colour retained even when America. A
cooked. This variety has been ‘rebred’ stunning all
from old seed stocks to create this vig- orange stalk
orous, quick growing brilliant yellow selection that
beet. will brighten
up the gar-
den, delicious
leaves.
Orange Oriole
13Luccullus - CO Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa)
This variety of Italian heritage, was
named after a Roman General ‘Lucius Quinoa is a fairly easy and trouble-free
Luccullus’ renowned for his splendid crop. Direct sow in drills in April, grows
banquets and vast gardens some 2000 up to1.5m tall, harvest early September.
years ago. It was introduced in 1914 Quinoa is a small grain, sacred and
and won the RHS award of garden highly nutritious food of the Inca peo-
merit. Quite hardy through the winter, ple. It has been found to contain a near-
with heavily ‘crumpled’, bright, lush ly perfect protein for human consump-
green leaves and white stalks that can tion together with essential amino acids
be almost like asparagus when cooked. and a good source of calcium and Iron.
Young flowering stalks in Spring can be The grain contains bitter saponins (a
used like sprouting broccoli. chemical defence against birds), which
It has the seal of approval from Scoil needs to be washed out before use.
Chroi, Galway, ‘Lucullus a big hit with
students of all ages, they loved it de- Rainbow - CO
vouring it raw.’ SUPPORTERS ONLY
This one is a mix of the many colours
Spinach (Spinacia oleraceae) of different types of Quinoa, tan, red,
N.B. Whilst Spinach is found cultivated orange and black, each with a slightly
in many areas, it has never been found different attribute - sweeter or nuttier or
in its wild state. It is thought to have chewier.
come west form Persia with the Arabs,
named ‘Prince of Vegetables’, as far Red Faro - CO
back as the 6th Century. The leaves are From the North of Chile, Red Faro is
rich in iron, iodine, carotene, folic acid both productive for the grain and attrac-
and chlorophyll. tive with red-pink foliage and cream
seed heads.
Bloomsdale - CO
Sometimes also called Bloomsdale Temuco - CO
Long standing, this heirloom has been This variety is
cultivated since 1925.It is perhaps the from Temuco in
most popular open pollinated variety southern Chile and
being very slow to bolt, even in the has an open head
warmer months. The glossy, dark sa- shape thus less
voyed leaves are tender and rich in fla- prone to mould
vour, the plants upright and vigorous. and suitable for
Can be sown from Feb – Oct, grows our cool, damper
very well under cover over winter. climate. Temuco
14The loose leaf heads have apple green
LETTUCE, SALSIFY leaves, speckled maroon/scarlet. It has
lovely buttery flavour, holds well in
COMPOSITAE FAMILY
warm weather with good resistance to
bolting.
Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
Brown Gold Ring - CO Garnet Oak Leaf - CO
A lettuce with heritage; it won an award This is an outstanding variety bred by
of merit from the Royal Horticultural Alan Kapaler in Oregon for organic
Society in 1923. A Romaine/Cos variety conditions. It has proved to be a favou-
with upright, compact head, dark green rite, very hardy, ovewinters well (out-
crunchy leaves that have a slight golden side as well as in a tunnel). A giant cut
bronze colouring. Especially beautiful n come lettuce with lush deep red lobed
in the sunshine when the leaves shim- leaves that can be picked all through au-
mer. Can be grown both in summer and tumn, Winter and Spring.
overwinter.
Grandpa Admires - CO
Crisp Mint - CO Named after an American civil war vet-
SUPPORTERS ONLY eran born in 1822. This variety grows
An old variety of Romaine type from well, surviving poor weather and has
the USA. Upright, compact heads large, crisp juicy leaves, light green with
growing upto 25cm with straight, bright a bronze-red tinge and a loose heart.
green leaves almost serrated. Holds
well through the winter under cover, Oreilles du diable - CO
so the delicious and crunchy leaves of The name translates as ‘Ears of the
crisp mint can be grown all year round. Devil’, but do not be put off. This is an
extremely old heirloom variety, leaves
Deer Tongue - CO that are triangular shaped, red burgundy
This is a really rare old heirloom vari- in colour and delicious. A unique and
ety going back to the 1700’s from the beautiful variety.
Amish people. Very unusual rosette
shaped heads with bright green triangu- Outredgeous - CO
lar leaves. The heart is creamy, tender This is a wonderful lettuce bred by Wild
and sweet. Reliable, all season lettuce Garden Seeds in Oregon. A large loose
and very cold tolerant. A real gem. leaf but upright cos typehead perfect for
‘cutting and coming again’. It is out-
Forellenschluss - CO rageously red, a colourful addition to
An heirloom from Austria originally, salad. Hardy over Winter, also good for
the name means ‘speckled like a trout’. Spring sowing.
15Rubin - CO Salsify - CO
SUPPORTERS ONLY (Tragopogon porrifolius)
A Swiss Ruby variety which is very This is a root vegetable that goes back
cold hardy, with an upright habit and a to the middle ages. Pulled in winter it
loose head of deep maroon leaves, ex- has long tapering roots with a distinct
cellent for cut and come the year round. flavour, similar to oysters, delicious in
a vegetable stew. If left in the ground,
Suzan - CO the flower is the ornamental gardeners
This variety was sent into us by Stephen best kept secret as all summer long they
Marsh, a long-standing supporter of bloom with brilliant purple large daisy
our work. He described it as a ‘beauti- like flowers. The seed heads are puff
ful butterhead’, that he used to grow 50 balls that shine as golden orbs in sun-
years ago and was then very popular. In shine.
2016 he rediscovered it in a catalogue
and sent us the seeds. Light green tasty
big heads with tightly packed fleshy
hearts. It is described as a Spring/ Sum-
mer sown type, but we sowed in early
autumn and it grow fine and healthy un-
der cover. Salsify Root
CUCUMBER, COURGETTE,
MELON, SQUASH,
PUMPKIN
CUCURBITACEAE FAMILY
Suzan Cucumbers (Cucumis sativus)
Early Fortune - CO
Verde a Foglia Riccia - CO Also called ‘Special Dark Green’, this
A lovely large loose curled green leafy variety was a selection from ‘Davis
lettuce with very crunchy leaves of Perfect’ (now extinct), which on release
great texture. Especially good addition in 1906 was hailed as the earliest and
to a salad mix. Grows well year round. best ever offered. A dependable garden
Donated to us by supporter Steven cucumber up to 20cm long with a re-
Marsh. freshing clean taste. Good for slicing or
pickling.
16Izjatnoi - CO Melon (Cucumis melo)
Estonian variety with medium size
fruits. Tolerant of cool temperatures and Green Nutmeg - CO
producing solid skinned, soft juicy flesh This is an 1850’s heirloom variety, an
cucumber. Another Open Pollinated va- early ripening small musk melon with
riety that is not bitter. oval fruit and rough, netted green skin.
It holds within a sweet perfumed, pale
Parade - CO green flesh. Needs to be grown under
Originally from Russia, this is quite a cover and yields several fruits per vine.
hardy variety so worth trying outdoors,
reputed to be resistant to extreme weath- Squash, Pumpkins
er conditions. It can be eaten fresh, has
& Courgettes
no bitterness but comes into its own as
a gherkin ie. for pickling and storage.
Fruits are about 12cm and very uniform. Butternut squash
(Cucurbita moschata)
Shintokiwa - CO
A long Japanese burpless type, tender Aussie - CO
and sweet even when large, productive Big Butternut squash, seed brought
and delicious. Needs to be grown with back from a trip down under. Charac-
protection. teristic dense, delicious flesh perfect for
roasting. Fruit keeps stored all winter
into spring.
Shintokiwa
Aussie
Suyo Long - CO
SUPPORTERS ONLY Waltham - CO
Amazing hardy Chinese cucumber. SUPPORTERS ONLY
Grows exceptionally long fruit up to 50- Smooth light-tan fruits which are bottle
60cm but retains a lovely fresh flavour, shaped and exceptionally good keepers.
crisp and tender flesh, which does not Flesh is fine-textured, rich, dry, solid
get bitter. Definitely one for the cucum- and golden orange. Vigourous and de-
ber lover, keeps fruiting all summer. pendable between four and seven fruits
The skin is slightly prickly, but easily per vine, each fruit has a very small
rubbed smooth. seed count, the rest is solid flesh.
17Courgette Syrian White - CO
(Cucurbita pepo) This variety came from a Syrian ref-
ugee. The young courgettes are pale
Black Beauty - CO green, quite small very delicious and
An heirloom from Italy also called retain good flavour when mature. Sup-
‘Nero di Milano’, with cylindrical, porter Angela Plunkett describes it as ‘A
smooth, dark green fruits best eaten particular favourite – lovely in a salad
about 15cm long. It is a bush variety when young’, echoed by Julia McMas-
with open growth and is quite early ma- ter saying, ‘It is the tastiest courgette
turing. ever, I would even nibble them fresh
when I the garden working’.
Blanche De Virginie - CO
A French heirloom ‘Full of delicate White Volunteer - CO
surprises’. Small, clear pale green fruit SUPPORTERS ONLY
with a pleasant fruity flavour. ‘Carpac- Prolific producer of short, chubby, very
cio’ is a great way to enjoy this gem pale green courgettes that keep on com-
– cut the courgette into vertical slices, ing all season. Slightly more subtle and
grill briefly on both sides, then marinate fruity in flavour to the dark green types.
with olive oil, lemon, salt, pepper and They remain tender even when allowed
fresh coriander. to swell to marrows.
Gene Bank Marrow - CO Squash
We had seven seeds in a packet from
the German gene bank, dated 1999, the Table Queen Acorn - CO
place of origin, Sweden, the description So called as the fruits are acorn shaped;
‘vegetable marrow’. The six that ger- dark green ribbed skin about 20cm
minated grew amazingly well, quick- long, several per plant. However, when
ly covering an entire bed in the tunnel you come to eat them it’s clear why
with their small tasty courgette’s and the ‘Table Queen’ part is so fitting be-
also good as the more traditional mar- cause the deep orange dry, thick flesh is
row. so incredibly sweet and delicious. The
squash can be eaten fresh or stored over
Serafina - CO winter. It was introduced in 1913 by
Reliable bush type, with an open habit, Des Moines’s Iowa Seed Company and
thus easy to harvest he many shiny dark in a ‘bake off’ in the 1930’s reigned su-
green slightly marbled fruits over a long preme against three dozen other squash-
season. es. However, it is believed to have orig-
inated from the Arikara Tribe of North
Dakota.
18Pumpkins (Cucurbita maxima) Pink Banana - CO
SUPPORTERS ONLY
Anna Swartz Hubbard - CO Called also ‘Mexican Banana’ and
The Hubbard types have been described ‘Plymouth Rock’, this heirloom was in-
as ‘squash with personality’, however troduced in the USA in 1893. The fruits
they are said to be the “acme of per- are, well, kind-of banana shaped, cylin-
fection in squashdom”. This one was a drical rather than round, the skin turn-
family heirloom producing big fruits in ing pink-orange as they ripen. The skin
hard shells, so good for winter storage. is quite thin, smooth and velvety which
The flesh is sweet, creamy, deep orange makes them very attractive (and you
and delicious. This variety is recom- don’t need to peel for roasting or soup
mended as being cool tolerant. making). Golden orange flesh is thick,
firm, sweet and ‘superbly fine tasting’.
Australian Blue - CO It actually melts in the mouth. Each
Australia is the land that gave birth to plant can produce several large fruits.
the ‘Blues’... at least in the world of A good keeper as it stores for up to six
pumpkins. This one has indeed blue- months. For Supporter Kim Tyner, it
green skin, fruits of varying size, round gave a ‘bumper crop outdoors, grown
and ribbed but slightly flattened at the under sweetcorn, tastes super and so
top and bottom, good for storing. Dense easy to cut and cook’
brilliant orange tasty flesh. Produced
very well outdoors. Green Crinkled - CO
If beauty is in the eye of the beholder,
Crown Prince - CO these are indeed a beautiful pumpkin that
SUPPORTERS ONLY falls into the Turban & Buttercup group
This variety you will find often listed of squashes. They are a pumpkin within
as an F1. However, it is quite possibly a pumpkin – one end having a pumpkin
the same as listed by Vilmorin in 1856 of smooth skin bursting out through a
as ‘Verte d’Australie’ Mona one of our lumpy and highly ridged shoulder. The
seed growers has kept her own seed taste is excellent – quite sweet with a
year on year and it grows reliably the nutty, chestnut flavour and firm texture
same each time, so almost definitely not – good for roasting or making pumpkin
an F1. As do all the blue pumpkins, it pie or soup.
hails from Australia, the silvery-blue
skin contrasts beautifully with its bright
orange flesh. The dense flesh delicious-
ly sweet and nutty, second to none.
Good for storage.
Green Crinkled
19Uchiki Kuri Corn (Zea Mays)
Medium-sized squash from Japan orig-
inally, brilliant orange, tear drop shape. True Gold - CO
Smooth yellow flesh with sweet and SUPPORTERS ONLY
nutty flavour. Quite a long trailing hab- A variety of Sweetcorn that has been
it, early to mature, suited to our climate selected from a 1955 hybrid and which
and grows well outdoors. Good for stor- is now open pollinated. Described as an
age through the winter. ‘old fashioned’ corn that will transform
any plate to a luxurious meal. A late
Note; Pumpkins and Squash can take season corn that delivers tender, sweet,
up a lot of ground space with their trail- rich, delicious golden cobs up to 3 per
ing growth habit so it can be benefical plant.
to poly crop with a crop like sweetcorn
that is tall and upright casting little True Platinum - CO
shade ón the crop below. Make sure you This unusual sweetcorn has been bred
plant the pumpkin away from the corn by Alan Kapular, a plant breeder of
so the roots are not in competition.Some what are called ‘Tomorrows Heirlooms’
growers prefer to support them growing in Oregon U.S.A. This variety is an
upwards like cucumber but with the Open Pollinated one actually bred out
bigger fruits they need a net hung to from a popular hybrid Platinum Sweet
take the weight. Lady. The corn is a pale cream colour
with a delicious buttery mild sweet fla-
vour. The seed is almost translucent- so
OATS, SWEETCORN a little different to usual varieties of
GRAMINEAE FAMILY sweetcorn.
Glass Gem - CO
Oats (Avena sativum) This stunning corn was bred from a
number of Native American varieties
Glasnevin Success - CO
by Carl White Eagle Barnes, famous
We have almost no infomation on this
Cherokee corn collector whose life
variety, but from the name it must be
work was preserving and sharing native
one of many Irish oats bred ‘’Success-
corns.
fully’’at Glasnevin in the last century.
It has several very beautiful, multi co-
It grew well and strong here at Cap-
loured, translucent kernels resembling
paroe, as part of our ongoing conserva-
glass beads, growing on each tall stalk.
tion work of heritage cereals.
As well as being so decorative it is an
edible ‘flint corn’ either gound into
corn meal or made into ‘popped’corn.
20BROAD BEANS, Canadian Purple - CO
FRENCH BEANS, This variety produces good sized beans
on bushy plants. The beans vary in
RUNNER BEANS, PEAS shade from pale to deep purple making
LEGUMINOSEAE FAMILY this variety an attractive addition to a
dish. They dry to a very dark purple.
Broad Bean (Vicia faba)
Broad beans or favas are ideally suit- Hangdown - CO
ed to cool climes, thus a good choice SUPPORTERS ONLY
for Ireland. In fact, if the weather is too A Spring sown variety that gives a
warm they will not flower and set pods bumper crop. Long pods (that ‘hang-
so best grown either overwinter or from down’) with at least 5 or 6 delicious
and early Spring sowing. The beans are meaty beans inside.
high in plant protein, dietary fibres and
essential vitamins and minerals. They Londonderry - CO
can also be made into a lovely hummus This came from the British Heritage
dish, no need to import other beans Seed library, but presumably has Irish
from far off places for this! origins. It grows well and is very hardy,
the flowers have a lovely scent. Produc-
Bacardi - CO es long pods with four or five creamy
Productive compact variety that grows seeds. Can be used for autumn sowing.
to about 1m high. It averages about five
small beans per pod, with a delicate fla-
vour.
Black Russian - CO
This was a bean selected in the Gri-
bovsky Russian breeding station in the
1950’s. Compact plants with beautiful Londonderry
lilac flowers that fruit in a short season,
pods 8cm or Oldambaster - CO
so long. The A Dutch heritage variety from the prov-
beans are small ince of Gronigen. It has unusual pure
and tender and white flowers which smell wonder-
of course, deep ful. Medium pods packed with beans
purple – very growing up the whole stem, thus very
beautiful. productive. Good for both Autumn and
Spring sowing.
Black Russian
21Sutton Dwarf French Beans
SUPPORTERS ONLY (Phaseolus vulgaris)
Bred by Suttons Seeds in 1925 this va-
riety continues to hold its own nearly a Note; It can be good to grow both a
century later, winning the RHS Award bush and climbing variety especially if
of Merit in 1993 and reconfirmed in you enjoy beans fresh. Bush types start
1999. Very easy to grow, the dwarf producing beans a lot quicker than the
plants produce a large number of pods climbers so give an earlier crop but is
with 4 or 5 beans of superior quality. then finished ,at which time the climb-
Can be used for Spring and Autumn ers have done all their growing and will
sowing. start cropping over a longer season.
For dried beans to store (or seed), leave
Tarma Spiral - CO the pods as long as possible on the plant
SUPPORTERS ONLY until they are brown and parchment like
These beans collected in Peru (Tarma before picking.
is a highland market town there). May
also be called ‘Atawallapas’ finger- Dwarf Varieties
print’, after the last great Inca Emperor
who died in 1533. This is an astounding Black Coco - CO
living artifact, with amazing concentric This variety is an early maturing up-
circle spiral marking on the bean itself, right, strong bushy plant. The beans
dark brown against a buff background. are good both as green snap beans and
They are not as productive as modern quick maturing for dried beans with a
varieties but interesting to grow. rich, nutty flavour.
Vectra - CO Buerre De Roquencourt - CO
Compact plants which produced a huge Named from the French town situat-
number of neat smallish pods, contain- ed in rich, farming country, this yel-
ing 4-5 beans. The beans are very pale low pod wax bean yields well in most
green with a climes. The beans are uniform in size,
lovely mild slim, stringless, crisp and firm with fine
and pleasant flavour.
flavour and
quite tender. Canadian Wonder - CO
A reliable old favourite Victorian heir-
loom variety. Prolific long, round and
thick fleshy green pods, tender and
Vectra tasty. They dry to a type of kidney bean,
great for chill con carne.
22Dragon Tongue - CO forced out of their homelands on the
SUPPORTERS ONLY ‘trail of tears’ in 1838. It’s a prolific va-
A Dutch heirloom with beans up to riety with lovely pink flowers and slim
16cm long, streaked purple that are de-green pods that turn purple as they ma-
licious both fresh and as podded beans.ture. Use the fresh beans when they are
approx. 15cm long or leave to dry on
Eastern Butterwax the plant as the small black beans are
SUPPORTERS ONLY good for storage. When the pods begin
The ‘butterwax’ beans have curved to turn purple, the plant itself becomes
yellow pods up to 10 cm long with jet most strikingly decorative.
black seeds. Good stringless snap bean
fresh and cooked.
Jersey - CO
Grown for generations in the Channel
Islands, an essential ingredient when
dried, of a local dish there called the
‘Jersey bean Crock Pot’. The flat bean
pods are stripped, very productive and
can be eaten either fresh or matured and
dried.
Cherokee Trail of Tears
Climbing Varieties
Corona d’ Oro - CO
Carol Leenstra’s - CO ‘Heavy cropping yellow pencil pod
An Italian heirloom bean that grows type beans, virtually string-less with
well here, as Micheal Viney from Mayo excellent flavour’ says supporter Liam
says ‘gave an outstanding crop in my Gaffney who sent in seed for us to trial
tunnel, almost too vigorous’. The plants and save.
climb very quickly producing an abun-
Early Riser - CO
dant crop of delicious flat green podded
beans late season. They are good for This is an excellent variety for northern
growing outdoors. A supporter in Ker- climates as it has a short growing sea-
ry had great success using them as dry son, approximately 55 days to the start
storage beans. of harvest. A Romano type, with long
delicious flat green pods, stringless and
Cherokee Trail of Tears - CO very tender, keeps producing to late in
This heirloom bean was preserved by the season. Also know as ‘Northeaster’
Cherokee Indians as a staple food when or ‘Kwintus’.
23Hunter - CO Pams Speckled - CO
A classic variety of French Bean, SUPPORTERS ONLY
heavy-yielding with a wide, flattened Donated to us by supporter Pam from
pod, they are tender and reliable. Pro- Wales, who has saved this beautiful
duce bright green beans that are almost bean for 20 years which originally came
stringless and can grow to around 25cm from China. Pods are stripped red and
long. Delicious flavour, they’re best have quite a lot of variation which is
picked young to enjoy at their most ten- lovely to see and taste great.
der.
San Antonio - CO
Klosterfrauen This climbing, green-podded variety
A rare variety from Switzerland going was sourced from the Heritage Seed Li-
back to 1912. This climbing bean pro- brary. Vigorous and prolific, the young
duces many quite short, wide, flat pods beans are lovely fresh and also freeze
that can be eaten green. Left to mature, well, retaining their rich sweet flavour.
the beautiful two-colour dark red and Look closer at the seed eye... each seed
white beans develop, which are deli- is marked with a saint-like figure in
cious when podded and cooked. monk’s robes.
Mr Ferns - CO Slovenian Market - CO - ISSA
This variety has greatly impressed our Brought from a local market in Slo-
seed guardian, market gardener Jason venia, this wonderful bean is pictur-
Horner, who told me it thrived and pro- esque with creamy-beige flowers and
duced far better than his usual commer- lovely yellow/green pods that produce
cial variety in a poor summer. Original- the most delicious creamy, melt in the
ly donated by a supporter as one of his mouth beans.
favourites, Mr Fern has beautiful pink
flowers and tender green beans that
hold well.
Mrs Fortunes - CO
Given to Doris Fortune (hence the
name) by the head gardener at Windsor,
then to the Heritage Seed Library. This
lovely climber has pale blue flowers,
smooth green and blue/purple mottled
pods that darken as they mature. String-
less pods, a delicious fresh shelling
bean or also good dried. Slovenian Market
24Runner Beans plants are vigourous, long pods which
(Phaseolus coccineus) develop maroon streaking (a charac-
teristic more common in old varieties).
Note: Although runner beans have per- Pick the young and tender pods as they
fect flowers, they need to be ‘jiggled’ come.
for pollination to occur, especially if
you are growing an early crop under Peas (Pisum sativum)
cover when there is little insect activi-
ty (this is why beans sometimes fail to Bounty
develop in the early bracts of flowers). Quite a compact vining pea only 1 –
This can be achieved by gently shaking 1.2m high. Hardy and early, giving
the vines or directing a good stream of large fat pods – on such small plants. 8
water spray from a hose. peas per pod and very good flavour.
Coal - CO Daniel O’Rourke - CO
This is a variety once grown by miners This pea was widely cultivated in the
in a Shropshire village passed down 1800’s, also known as Sangsters No.
through generations of families. Known 1. An article in the New York times
as Coal because the seeds are black. 1881 describes bushels being sold ev-
Sturdy and vigorous plants producing ery Spring on both sides of the Atlan-
clusters of long beans up to 40cm long. tic. There is even a drawing of this pea
and others by Charles Darwin in 1898.
Jacks - CO It has been given a new lease of life on
Bred by Alan Kapular of Peace seeds repatriation to us from the Vavilov Rus-
in Oregon, ‘Jacks’ bean lives up to its sian gene bank. A tall vine, with prolif-
name growing up tall very fast. Lots of ic quantities of pods full of sweet peas,
pods of medium size and curved at the best eaten while young. Good disease
end which may be eaten while young, resistance. The peas can also be left to
but comes into its own when the big mature and dry off to be used as a soup
white beans develop used fresh or dried pea in winter.
as a wonderful ‘Butter’ bean substitute.
Yardstick - CO
An old variety originally coming from
a miner and keen gardener in South
Wales. He had saved his own seed for
years and Jo Newton (Seed Curator)
has saved this seed in Clare for over fif-
teen years, so its well acclimatised. The Daniel O’Rourke
25Fill the bucket - CO Irish Preans - CO
An Irish pea of distinction, also known SUPPORTERS ONLY
This was returned to us from the Brit-
as Fill the basket or even Fillbasket. It is
listed in the Edmonson Brothers Dublin ish Heritage seed library, having come
seed catalogue in 1921. It was sent in originally from an Irish agricultural re-
to us by John O Neil, his neighbours, searsh station. Very tall growing up to
the Christies from Tipperary town had 2m, flowers are maroon/mauve which
grown and saved this variety for over develop into large pods of enormous
50 years. Easy to grow small plants peas. They are in fact more like a bean
1-1.2m but very productive with truly (hence the name prean), coming into
delicious peas, enough to ‘fill a bucket’. their own when cooked in soups and
stews as they have good substance and
Green Arrow - CO nutrition. It may be easier to grown
This variety is the progenitor of a whole them as a climbing bean although they
type of peas with long slender curved are botanically a pea.
pods packed with 8 or more fat, green
peas. Prolific, heavy cropping and long Josh Toombs Purple Pod - CO
lasting. Have been known to win a prize This wonderful heirloom pea came to us
or two in the country show. from Josh Toombs in Co. Antrim. Josh
got in touch with Seed Savers when he
Hurst Greenshaft was 79 years old because he wished to
An exceptional pea, reliably producing share this pea with other gardeners. It
heavy crops (9-11 peas per pod) with had been preserved in his family for
superb sweet flavour. It has good mil- over a century. The decorative pink and
dew and fusarium wilt resistance. This mauve/purple flowers produce a classic
variety won the RHS Award of Garden dark purple pod. Peas are good eaten
Merit in 1993 – and then reconfirmed fresh when young and immature, or
in 2005. left to dry on the plant which make an
excellent storage pea. Supporter Julia
Irish Green Pea - CO
gave this feedback, ‘I always grow Josh
One of our most popular varieties, repa-
Toombs pea as it is healthy, fruitfull,
triated from the Vavilov Gene Bank in
easy to pick and tasty.’
Russia. The plants grow swiftly in our
temperate climate, so need good sup-
port. They produce an abundance of
delicious sweet round peas, described
by many as a wonderful crop. They
have good mildew resistance and are
less prone to sprouting in the pod in a Josh Toombs Purple Pod
wet summer.
26Little Marvel - CO Twiggy
Cultivated since 1900 when you grow From the Court of Eden seed savers
this pea you can understand why. Vig- in Holland. These pea plants are quite
orous dwarf plants 1 m high, very high remarkable with beautiful extensive-
yielding with pods packed with 6 or ly curled ‘twig’ like tendrils. Approx.
7delicious dark green peas. It also has a 1.2m tall, pods full with up to 8 peas,
good extended picking season. excellent flavour.
Magnum Bonum
Translates as ‘Great Good’, this pea has
been around since 1872 and with good
reason. Described as ‘a willing giant of
a pea, brimming with health and large
luscious pods’. Needs firm supports.
Twiggy
Purple Pod Capucijners - CO
The name comes from an order of Ultra U - CO
monks in Holland, who have long been This beautiful, tall pea came originally
custodians of diverse fruit and vege- from the Northern Irish Organic garden
tables. This is a tall vigorous plant so Society having been grown in Ireland
needs good support. It has beautiful for three generations. Needs good sup-
pink/white flowers and deep purple ports, but worth the effort giving a great
pods. In the Scoil Chroi school garden abundance of large pods filled with
Galway, students enjoyed the purple the sweetest peas. Thanks to supporter
peas both raw and dried for soup. Liam Gaffney for sending seed for us
to grow on.
Robinson - CO
SUPPORTERS ONLY Sugar Snap &
A Scottish heritage variety with long Mangetout Varieties
slim pods packed full with up to 11
peas with outstanding flavour, remain- Dwarf Green Sugar - CO
ing sweet even when quite mature. It A unique variety donated to us many
was once a very popular variety with years back by an elderly seed saver, the
exhibitors with such ‘perfect’ pods. name a perfect description. Compact,
Grows quite tall, up to 1.5m and is very short vines that produce multitude of
productive. Has become famous since small mangetout pods, best eaten when
Monty Don pronounced it one of his the peas inside are just starting to swell.
favourites on television gardening pro- They keep a nice firm, crunchy texture
gramme. when cooked.
27Golden Sweet Mangetout - CO
A rare variety collected originally from ASPARAGUS
a market in India.Tall vines that flower LILIACEAE FAMILY
with abundant purple/maroon blooms
and are absolutely stunning. The pods
are a beautiful lemon yellow, best
Asparagus (Aspargus officinalis)
picked while quite flat and perfect for
stir fry. Can be autumn sown under cov-
Cherbury - CO
er.
This was sent in to us by Suzette Hughes
(of the Hughes family who donated
Sugar Snap - CO
the famous Delaway cabbage to us).
A tall variety of sugar snap pea so re-
The original plants were grown in the
quires good staking, but is worth it for
Edgeworth gardens near Dublin called
an amazing harvest of sweet, succulent,
Cherbury, where her mother worked as
crispy pods, best eaten when the peas
a young girl. Suzette has been growing
are well-developed, whole pod and all,
them successfully in her own garden for
raw or cooked. This variety was given
the last 40 years and sent in seeds to us
to us years back by Stormy Hall seed
three years ago. Normally Asparagus
company to save, as it has been dropped
are propagated vegetatively but we had
from the commercial seed register.
great success growing it from the seeds.
We tasted the shoots for the first time
Winterkefe Mangetout - CO
this year, and they were delicious, even
If sown under cover in October, Winter-
raw. In a final twist of irony, those aged
kefe will produce wonderful pink and
gardens live on in the name of the mod-
magenta flowers from February and
ern housing estate built there ‘Cherbury
an abundant crop of mangetout from
Gardens’.
mid April onwards. A very tall vigor-
ous plant; this landrace is originally
from Switzerland. “Sown in February,
it grew vigorously and supplied pods
in great quantity; excellent, delicious,
easy and rewarding. I thoroughly rec-
ommend this variety.” says a member
from Galway.
Cherbury
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