Seed Saving and Save Money

Seed Saving and Save Money

In these times when it is often much harder to get the seed you want, discover how to collect your own.

Madeline McKeever of the Brown Envelope Seed Catalogue explains the joy and true essence of being a gardener by growing your own plants from seed or purchasing certified organic seeds. Madeline explains that with the right light and some simple equipment, it’s easy to grow from seed to harvest. She also discusses other things to look for during seed cultivation including disease, insects and bad weather.

Biography

Madeline grew up on a farm in Co Meath. She studied botany in TCD completing a MSc in vegetation history in 1984. After some time travelling, including a year apprenticing on an organic farm in Maine, she began farming in West Cork in 1986.

The farm in Ardagh was managed as an organic dairy farm from 1987-1999, after which beef cattle and seeds became the main focus. In 2005 the business name Brown Envelope Seeds was registered, and half of the farm was planted in broad-leaved trees. Since then seed production has been the main source of income on the farm.

Brown Envelope Seeds sells seeds grown on the farm and since the shortages of seed caused by Brexit and Covid-19, has recently started to buy seeds from other Irish seed producers. All the seeds are Irish grown and certified organic.