Seeds & Stuff - Interview with Paul Lyons

Paul Lyons is a grower, seed guardian and producer whose attention to minute detail and practical innovation in threshing seeds never ceases to amaze me. His sustainable and inventive approaches to seed saving and processing have been a constant source of inspiration, and what makes Paul stand out even more is his generosity. He freely shares his tricks and insights, as well as seeds he finds on his journeys, not just with me but with the wider community of growers.

Paul’s path into seeds is as unique as the varieties he now cares for. He began his working life as a mechanic, a craft that honed his eye for precision and problem-solving. Later, his love for travel took him around the world, exploring new foods and flavours. With an academic background in geography and sociology, he eventually pursued a Master’s degree in organic horticulture, a journey that wove together his practical skills, intellectual curiosity, and love of food and land.

When he moved to Skibbereen in Cork for his horticulture degree, Paul found himself at the heart of a thriving food and farming culture. He WWOOFed and stayed with Madeline McKeever of Brown Envelope Seeds, where he was drawn into the world of seed saving. He also worked with a small-scale commercial grower where he learned about the realities and challenges of market gardening.

While at university, Paul’s research focused on spinach plants, comparing F1 hybrids with open-pollinated varieties in terms of soil coverage and yield. The F1 variety outperformed, with stronger germination, quicker soil cover (meaning fewer weeds), and better yields. The research raised deeper questions for him: he learned that growers rely on a narrow range of commercially available varieties which have not been trialed in Irish conditions. Despite the Dept of Agriculture’s massive budget, almost no work is done to support vegetable producers – vegetable trials are almost a non-existent, as well as seed production and knowledge, which is completely outsourced to the Netherlands and elsewhere. In relation to hybrids, are they dominant in commercial seed because they create a dependence on the supplier or is there a role for them? Can open-pollinated varieties be found or developed to replace hybrids? And what does it mean for food security to not produce either ourselves? What did it mean for growers, that hybrids seemed more effective in some conditions? And what was the future of open-pollinated varieties, if so few were available in Ireland? Those questions sparked his deeper exploration into seed saving, diversity, and the importance of maintaining resilient varieties.

Paul has since reflected on this in his Seeds & Stuff blog, where he explains F1 hybrids in clear, accessible terms. In essence, “F1” refers to the first generation seed produced by crossing two carefully inbred parent lines. These hybrids are valued for their uniformity (plants that grow and crop together, ideal for large-scale mechanised systems) and their hybrid vigour (often yielding better and resisting disease more strongly than their parents). But their seeds cannot be reliably saved , the next generation, F2, splits into unpredictable forms. This creates reliance on seed companies, who both invest heavily in breeding and profit from annual resales. Paul’s writing highlights both the technical strengths of F1s and the deeper importance of maintaining open-pollinated varieties, especially those adapted to Irish soils and climates, to safeguard resilience and sovereignty.

Today, Paul farms on leased land. That brings both opportunities and limits: while he can carry out his work as a grower and seed saver, the uncertainty of tenure restricts the range of crops he can invest in long-term and holds back organic certification. His situation reflects a broader issue facing many in Ireland… housing and land access remain persistent barriers, not only for farmers but for countless people across the country.

On the land he stewards, Paul works with application of organic principles, alongside careful seed saving protocols. He embraces the unpredictability of Irish weather, growing the majority of his seed crops outdoors. This makes his varieties especially hardy, acclimatised to the micro-climate of Cork, and well adapted to real conditions that other growers face. His approach builds resilience directly into the plants, ensuring that the varieties he saves are not just vigorous but also regionally grounded. Although, this idealism has clashed with the realities of the Irish climate. With many crop losses and more knowledge about seed diseases gained, plans for the future are to develop a blended production method for some crops where temporary covers are used, when seed is ripening but plants are exposed to the elements for most of their lifecycle.

Paul officially stepped into his role as a seed guardian in 2019, when we both began the Irish Seed Savers’ two-year immersion into seed guardianship. From the beginning, he was drawn to the culinary aspect of seeds, flavour as the leading trait, while also prioritising biodiversity, hardiness, and adaptability to the Irish climate. Among his favourites are the winter butterhead lettuce Mira, collard greens, Buttercup squash, Black Dakota popcorn, and the fiery Aleppo pepper, which he grew at the request of a local chef. He also treasures peas like Green Beauty and Sugar Snap, the latter originally cared for and saved by Noreen Dalton.

In his seed saving, Paul is rigorous about maintaining genetic diversity. He works with high population numbers to ensure healthy, adaptable, and genetically broad seed lines, and applies careful selection to preserve desirable traits while still keeping populations resilient. His attention to detail extends into seed health and disease management: crops are monitored closely, and isolation distances and timing are used to avoid unwanted cross-pollination. By saving the majority of his crops outdoors, Paul also ensures that his seeds are tested by the elements themselves, resulting in hardy, climate-ready varieties.

Beyond his own fields, Paul is also involved in collaborative projects that strengthen seed knowledge across Ireland and beyond. He takes part in the Gaia Foundation’s broad bean project, guided by Holly Silvester, which looks at maintaining and developing resilient bean varieties. He has also contributed to wider agricultural research, including what I believe was an oat project with Teagasc, exploring traits of interest to both farmers and plant breeders. On his own initiative, Paul is constantly trialling new varieties , searching for crops worth testing, saving, and adapting to Irish conditions. This restless curiosity ensures a pipeline of seeds that are not only practical but also innovative, keeping alive the link between tradition and experimentation.

When asked what drives him to keep growing food and seed crops, Paul said it comes down to developing a skill that is not yet fully established in Ireland. His dream is to guide people through that process, helping to build a knowledge base not just for today, but for future generations. In doing so, Paul inspires others to begin by growing more of their own food, and later to contribute to food sovereignty in Ireland. Looking ahead, he hopes to collaborate more closely with market gardeners here, in the same spirit as organisations like Vital Seeds and Seeds of Scotland are doing so effectively in the UK.

What strikes me most about Paul is how his life experiences merge in his seed work. His mechanic’s ingenuity, his global encounters with food, his grounding in social and ecological systems, and his horticultural training all feed into his approach. The varieties he grows are vigorous and practical, but they are also the embodiment of accumulated knowledge and curiosity.

Paul’s work reminds me that seeds are never just about plants, they are about people, culture, and exchange. His contribution to seed sovereignty in Ireland is not only in the seeds he saves, but also in the way he inspires others to join the practice, sharing knowledge freely and encouraging growers to experiment for themselves.