Tomato 'Nonna Peppina's' (Organic)
Solanum lycopersicum L.

Tomato 'Nonna Peppina's' (Organic) Solanum lycopersicum L. Seeds kindly donated by Ken Carr. Secreted in the bra of Nonna Peppina, this treasured Australian-Italian heirloom, highly productive tomato made its way to our shores all the way from Calabria, Italy.

The incredible taste of this tomato wowed the judges at its first ever tomato taste test in 2024. A rich saucing tomato that's equally good when sliced and served on a sandwich. Donated to Diggers through our seed preservation program by Peppina’s grandson, Ken Carr.

We are so proud to be able to share this precious family heirloom with Diggers Members across Australia.

Corn 'Sheila O'Reilly'
Zea mays

Seeds kindly donated by Brian O'Reilly. Grown and cherished by Sheila and Kevin O’Reilly in the fertile Tallangatta Valley for more than 45 years, this remarkable heirloom corn stands as a living tribute to the passion and principles of home seed savers. Sheila, an early advocate for preserving open-pollinated and heritage varieties, believed that good food should always remain in the hands of ordinary people - not lost to hybridisation or corporate control.

Originally sourced from a seed saver’s nursery on the NSW coast, this Bali-type corn thrived in the O’Reilly family garden. It’s unlike any other sweet corn - producing multiple sturdy stems, each carrying an abundance of small, tender cobs with exceptional sweetness and depth of flavour. Grown in rich, manure-fed soil and rotated seasonally, it became a staple crop that fed a family of seven (and half the neighbourhood) year after year.

In true homegrown tradition, the O’Reilly's froze their harvest to enjoy through the year - boiled, buttered and salted, or stirred through Sheila’s beloved rice salads and summer soups. At full height, the plants can reach over 2.5 metres (9 feet), forming a stunning wall of green that also serves as a natural windbreak for smaller crops.

Today, Sheila O’Reilly Corn continues that legacy - a symbol of seed saving, self-sufficiency, and the simple joy of growing your own food from seed to plate.

Tomato 'Uncle Tony's La Stupenda' (Organic)
Solanum lycopersicum L.

Seeds kindly donated by Bill Henson. ‘Uncle Tony’s La Stupenda’ named after Uncle Tony Caruso was originally brought out to Australia from Italy in the 1970s. A prized family heirloom, ‘Uncle Tony’s La Stupenda’ is a large, round, red beefsteak tomato that's best suited to sauces and passatas due to its high flesh to seed ratio.

With large fruit averaging between 500-600 grams, some fruit will reach a whopping 800 grams!

Bean Snake 'Red Noodle' (Organic)
Vigna unguiculata

Seeds kindly donated by Arno King. A striking addition to the vegie patch, Snake Bean ‘Red Noodle’ produces long, glossy burgundy pods up to 45cm, packed with flavour and crunch. Highly productive in warm climates, it thrives through summer when other beans fade.

Grown up a trellis, it’s both ornamental and edible, making harvests easy and eye-catching. Best picked young and tender for stir-fries, curries or steaming. A must for heat-loving gardens. This warmth-loving snake bean produces striking burgundy pods up to 50cm long, but best picked at 20-25cm when young and tender.

Ornamental and productive, perfect for vertical growing, stir-fries, curries, casseroles and summer garden colour.

Tomato 'Neighbourhood Gem'
Solanum lycopersicum L.

Seeds kindly donated by Lorraine Wyers. Neighbourhood Gem is a grape-shaped tomato with a striking magenta hue - pointed at the end, never quite red, and impossible to overlook. This variety tells a story of community and generosity: it first appeared in a wire basket of mixed plants gifted by a kind neighbour, whose simple act of sharing sparked a gardening journey for Jan.

After a year, tomatoes from that original gift began to sprout everywhere in Jan’s compost. Unsure what to do with the abundance, she began researching, acquired all the right gear and added her rich compost to her wicking beds. The seedlings spread - literally - through her compost, her wicking beds and eventually across the nature strip in pots for others to grow.

A true community tomato, it stores well, ripens to a vivid magenta (never quite red), and delivers vibrant flavour all season. Tougher-skinned toward the end of summer, it holds its shape beautifully after harvest.

A tomato with heart - ideal for gardeners who love to share.

Bean 'Silvio's Yellow Flat'
Phaseolus vulgaris

Seeds kindly donated by Andrew Henshaw. Silvio’s Yellow Flat bean is more than just a delicious, prolific heirloom - it’s a living tribute to resilience, tradition, and the migrant story.

Brought to Australia by Italian families from the Veneto region, near the Austrian border, this treasured bean has been lovingly passed down through generations, shared among tight-knit communities in places like Wonthaggi.