Seeds & Stuff

08/03/2026

Playing 'in the pot or not' with the leeks today. Dug and selected the best ones for replanting as the seed crop. Making selections to maintain the desired genetic traits is an important part of seed saving and varietal maintenance.

01/03/2026

Great time catching up with on the 'Flax – Threads of Time' project during the week. An amazing day of workshops was organised and I learned so much about flax growing and processing from Charlie and Helen who made the trek down from Tyrone to share their experience with us.

Looking forward to having some of this heritage growing in the garden this coming season.

08/02/2026

Some new varieties to the collection which can be sown in February:

Onion 'Globo' - very large sweet white onions that store well

Chili 'Ethiopian Brown' - chili used to make the east African 'Berbere' spice

Tomato 'Stripes of Yore' - striking tomato with yellow skin streaked with purple mottling

Butterhead Lettuce 'Rosemarry' - early variety which produces large heads of blistered burgundy tinged soft green leaves

All ready to go on the website!

18/01/2026

🌱 GREEN GIVEAWAY 🌱

A chance to win a collection of 12 (green themed) seed varieties from the website, all grown in Skibbereen, West Cork.

How to take part:

1. Follow us on Instagram

2. Join our newsletter (link in bio)

3. Share this post to your stories

The competition closes Friday 30th January

The winning name will be drawn from a hat and will be announced to our stories on Saturday 31st January. Winner will be contacted directly by email

Good luck!

What even is seedsandstuff??
An independent seed company located in the south west of Ireland. Motivated by a desire to have more diversity in our food system – most importantly, on our plates. The aim is to produce quality seed from (mostly) food plants that grow well in Irish conditions. Check out the website for all the varieties available and information on seed saving.

This competition is only open to Ireland & EU residents.

Competition is in no way affiliated with Instagram.

                           

04/01/2026

Messing with the germination tests and canva. This is 'Asterix' squash (C. moschata) which was a good find this year and now on the website. They are very vigorous and productive. They don't store as well as maxima squashes, probably because they have a higher water content, but most importantly for seed savers, they don't cross with them either!

Like most vegetables, they have 'epigeal' germination. This is when the emerging stem drives the cotyledons (seed leaves) above the soil level. Often the seed coat is still attached and falls off as the leaves expand and grow. Or, like in most of these, it can come off whilst still in the soil. These first leaves are unique and supply energy to the germinating seed. They will be different in appearance to the, so called ‘true’, leaves that grow from then on.

14/12/2025

Delighted to see the seeds amongst all the other great products in

Just 3.4km away from where they're grown!

07/12/2025

New on the website: hollyhock ‘Black Mallow’. Very striking deep purple to black flowers. Very easy to grow and works really well against a wall where the flowers really pop and the tall stems are protected somewhat from the wind. A plant that has an ancient use in medicine and dye making.

          

10/10/2025

10/10/2025

Every year I grow a small amount of cereals to learn more about these crops and keep some varieties in circulation.

This year I grew black oats, naked barley and kamut.

‘Bountiful’ black oats which came from the Irish oat collection. Traditionally black coloured oats were favoured by horse breeders. They are higher in protein and antioxidants – horses fed on black oats were said to ‘go the extra furlong’.

I grew a naked barley called ‘Pirona’. Naked, or ‘hulless’, barley can be threshed in a small scale without any specialist equipment. The grains are good for adding to stews whole. Naked barley was most likely what was introduced into Ireland around 4000-3000BC by European Neolithic farmers who also brought with them wheat, cattle, sheep and goats. This period marks the transition from hunter gathering lifestyles to farming in Ireland.

I tried to grow Kamut, a type of wheat with very large grains, but that crop failed to ripen and had a lot of problems with fungus.

08/10/2025

Fermenting Seeds.

Tomato and cucumber seeds are surrounded by a germination inhibiting sac to prevent them from germinating in the wet environment of their particular fruits. These need fermentation to remove that gelatinous layer. The below process highlights this for for cucumber but the same steps apply for tomatoes.

Fermenting

First choose suitably ripe fruits. For cucumber they will have turned yellow in colour. Cut the cucumber in half and scrape the seeds into a glass jar container. Add a small amount of water (a pinch of sugar can also be added to help fuel the fermentation process). The jar should not be sealed fully and placed somewhere warm. 23-30°C is ideal for fermentation. Stir occasionally to prevent mold buildup and keep the fermentation even through the solution. Usually a day or two is enough. If you wait too long the seeds can be spoiled as without the gelatinous layer they can imbibe water and germinate. They are ready when the seed loses its slippery feeling and feels rough (the seed sinking also indicates the sack has dissolved).

When fermentation is complete pour the mix into a large bowl and add water. Give it a stir and pour off the floating layer of pulp and floating seeds (seeds which float are probably not fully developed inside and are likely unviable). Repeat a few times. When the water is fairly clear wash the seeds vigorously in a sieve under a tap.

It is important to dry the seeds as quickly as possible. Sterile tea towels or kitchen paper can be used to wick away some of the moisture. Seeds can then be laid out on a plate and places somewhere warm, dry and airy. It should not take more than 2 days for them to dry fully. Placing them close to a dehumidifier is a good way of insuring the right conditions.

         

07/10/2025

Getting ready to process some of this years chili varieties.

Ethopian Brown
Aji Largo
Thai Orange Hot

30/09/2025

Back in .ie last Saturday harvesting the flax which was sown with last May.

Kathy is an eco artist who has took it upon herself to dive into the folklore of flax production in West Cork - an industry which employed over 10,000 people early in the 18th Century. She has done beautiful work researching the crop’s history, collecting and documenting stories of those who toiled at its growing and processing, and engaging the public in events such as this one.

As most flax grown these days is for seed production (linseed is from the same plant), it can be difficult for growers seeking traditional varieties suitable for fiber production to source seed. I made off with a fistful of the harvest which should glean enough seed to grow out a decent patch next year. Hopefully, there will then be more seed available for anybody else who wants to have a piece of this heritage growing in their garden.