Jalapeno - Black Seeds?Recent Customer Question: Can you eat a jalapeno that has black seeds? Answer: Yes, as long as you don't see any mold! If peppers have black seeds inside, there are a few reasons this could happen: 1. Immature Seeds If peppers don't fully mature, sometimes you'll see brown or black seeds inside when cut open - or they may look shriveled. These are seeds that simply didn't fully develop.This doesn't mean they are bad, we usually remove and compost the black shriveled seed...
Hot Sauce RecipesHere are some of our favorite hot sauce recipes to make with your abundant hot pepper harvests! Hot sauce is a great way to preserve your peppers and their spiciness for year-round use, and long after the snow starts flying! Favorite Hot Sauce Recipes:Fermentation Crock Hot Sauce Recipe »Louisiana Hot Sauce Recipe »Roasted Jalapeno Hot Sauce Recipe »Easy Fermented Hot Sauce Recipes »Chocolate, White, Yellow & Red Hot Sauce »No-Salt Hot Sauce Recipe »Orange Habanero & Carrot Hot Sau...
2023 Seed CatalogMake sure to check out our colorful 2023 Seed Catalog that is filled with seeds, recipes and more. We are so proud of our Sandia Seed Seed Catalog that is packed with heirloom seeds and organic seeds for peppers of the world, plus tons of tomato seeds and vegetable seeds, too! The new seed catalog also features new pepper recipes to try with your harvest! Order our Seed Catalog today! Our 2023 Seed Packets & Seed Catalogs are ready to ship! Here's a sneak peak at some of our Seed C...
How to Grow Peppers from SeedHow to Grow Peppers from Seed: Growing peppers from seed is one of the best ways to grow a wide variety of peppers from super spicy to sweet! One of the best reasons to grow peppers from seed is that you can pick the best peppers for your garden and taste. For example, if you live in a short season climate, you can grow the Fastest Growing Peppers for a more successful harvest. Or, if you love super hot peppers, you can grow a wide variety of hot peppers like Habaneros or the famous hottest p...
Pepper Plant has Flowers but No PeppersWhen a pepper plant has flowers but no peppers it is because of a lack of fertilization or extreme temperatures. For lack of pollination, there is an easy solution to help the pepper plant make fruit. First a little science background: Pepper plants are self-pollinating. A pepper flower already has both parts needed for fertilization, the pollen and the ovules. When the pollen gets to the ovules that is fertilization and the pepper plant will begin producing fruit. Sometimes peppers have fl...
How to germinate pepper seeds fastLearn how to germinate pepper seeds fast! If you want to learn how to make peppers grow faster – it's good to start them indoors early, and keep them nice and warm between 80-90˚ F to sprout quickly. It's also wise to transplant them into larger containers if you have the room to let them grow deep root systems before transplanting into the garden (after all chance of frost has passed.) Most peppers also like the temperatures to be above 60˚ F – even at night, so hold off on planting...
Types of PeppersThere are many types of peppers to grow in your garden! There are the five major types of peppers: Capsicum annuum: Life span: 1.5-3 years These include a lot of the largest peppers including Bell Peppers, sweet/Italian Peppers, Serrano, Cayenne, Paprika, Hatch Chile Peppers, ornamental peppers like the gorgeous NuMex Twilight pepper, and all of the fast growing Jalapeños. These pepper plants can live between 1.5-3 years. We find that the New Mexican Chile varieties really produce the...
Fruity Hot PeppersHere's a question from one of our seed customers asking aboutfruity hot peppers:"I enjoy the earthy flavor of jalapeños on occasions. They’re perfect with tacos but for sauces I prefer habaneros or something more fruity. Can you recommend some of your peppers that have a fruity flavor?" Answer: There are many types of hot peppers. For hot peppers with fruity flavors, Habaneros are always a good bet – check out our Red Caribbean Habanero or try growing our Orange Habanero with ...
No-Peel Canned Salsa with Apples!We have an apple tree, and this year it was loaded with fruit! While we like apple pie, we like salsa better, so we just made the No-Peel version of this Canned Salsa Recipe, below, and we added a few peeled & cored homegrown apples to the batch, for a bit of sweetness. It's spicy and delicious! We simply peeled and cored the four apples and threw them into the food processor along with the tomatoes and chiles. We had some sample tastes before canning, it was delish! We can't wait...
Ornamental Pepper RecipesCan you eat your ornamental peppers?Of course you can! They are usually quite hot, so add them with caution, add a little a time and taste-test your recipe until you get to the desired heat. Ornamental peppers are usually quite a bit hotter than your average Jalapeño, so unless you like it wicked hot, add in small doses until it's just right. Here are some of our favorite salsa recipes to use up your ornamental pepper harvest at the end of the season: Ornamental Peppers Salsa Recip...
What Veggies to Plant in MayMay is a great time to direct sow vegetable seeds for summer. While you may have started seeds for tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants indoors 4-8 weeks ago, you likely still have them growing indoors until it has warmed up to 50-60˚F at night consistently. But did you know that there are still lots of vegetable seeds you can still plant now in May and June? Cucumbers, Zucchini, Squash and PumpkinsCucumbers, zucchini, squash, pumpkins, cantaloupe and watermelons grow very quickly and you can sow...
How to grow jalapeno peppers from seedsHere are our top tips for growing jalapeño seeds: 1. Use Fresh Jalapeno SeedsWhen perfectly stored, jalapeno seeds can be viable for 25+ years, but realistically they'll last about 2-5 years with the best germination rates. Older seeds won't have as good of germination but that doesn't mean you can't use them, if they germinate you're off to the jalapeno races. Store jalapeno seeds in a cool, dark, dry environment to help them last longer.2. Keep Jalapeno Seeds War...
Jalapeno Salsa RecipeA classic, this Jalapeno Salsa Recipe is sure to please all salsa connoisseurs! Jalapeno Salsa Recipe 2-3 cups of chopped Fresh Tomatoes(or a jar or large 28oz can of preserved tomatoes)1 Bunch of fresh Cilantro leaves(use as much as you'd like)1-3+ Jalapenos - any varietyNote: You can also use any fresh or dried hot peppers for this recipe (Santa Fe Grande Peppers, Cayenne Peppers, Habanero Peppers, Thai Hot Peppers, Red Cherry Hot Peppers, Ghost Peppers, you name it!1/2 Onion, Dic...
Gardening by the Zodiac SignsWhen it comes to planting in your garden, soil, sun and seasons aren't the only factors to consider. It turns out the the zodiac signs can be just as important. For the best results, they should be considered when choosing plants for your garden. What to plant in your garden according to your zodiac sign. ARIES (March 21 to April 20) You are a fiery, energetic, and quick individual who likes spicy, invigorating plants and foods. Growing onion, garlic chives, basil, cayenne peppers, a...
What are the best peppers to grow indoors?We recently had a customer ask: What is a good pepper to grow indoors? Many peppers can grow great indoors if you have the space and good lighting! If you have limited space, we think that the best pepper plants for indoor growing are smaller peppers such as Pequins, Chiltepins, Habaneros, Mini Bell Peppers, Aji, Carolina Reapers, Thai peppers, or small ornamental peppers like Fire and Ice. Of course, don't limit yourself to just these peppers, you can really grow any peppers indoors if y...
Growing Peppers in TexasWhat peppers grow well in Texas? A customer just reached out to us with this question about Growing Peppers in Texas: We love your curated selection of heirloom and native seeds and making them available to people like us! We live in Zone 9a near Galveston,Texas. Our homestead garden is where we test and grow food for ourselves. We grow transplants naturally from seed to sell at markets and have recently started to offer to local nurseries! We are placing an order soon, just wanted to as...
Jalapeno - Black Seeds?
Recent Customer Question: Can you eat a jalapeno that has black seeds? Answer: Yes, as long as you don't see any mold! If peppers have black seeds inside, there are a few reasons this could happen: 1. Immature Seeds If peppers don't fully mature, sometimes you'll see brown or black seeds inside when cut open - or they may look shriveled. These are seeds that simply didn't fully develop.This doesn't mean they are bad, we usually remove and compost the black shriveled seed...
Hot Sauce Recipes
Here are some of our favorite hot sauce recipes to make with your abundant hot pepper harvests! Hot sauce is a great way to preserve your peppers and their spiciness for year-round use, and long after the snow starts flying! Favorite Hot Sauce Recipes:Fermentation Crock Hot Sauce Recipe »Louisiana Hot Sauce Recipe »Roasted Jalapeno Hot Sauce Recipe »Easy Fermented Hot Sauce Recipes »Chocolate, White, Yellow & Red Hot Sauce »No-Salt Hot Sauce Recipe »Orange Habanero & Carrot Hot Sau...
2023 Seed Catalog
Make sure to check out our colorful 2023 Seed Catalog that is filled with seeds, recipes and more. We are so proud of our Sandia Seed Seed Catalog that is packed with heirloom seeds and organic seeds for peppers of the world, plus tons of tomato seeds and vegetable seeds, too! The new seed catalog also features new pepper recipes to try with your harvest! Order our Seed Catalog today! Our 2023 Seed Packets & Seed Catalogs are ready to ship! Here's a sneak peak at some of our Seed C...
How to Grow Peppers from Seed
How to Grow Peppers from Seed: Growing peppers from seed is one of the best ways to grow a wide variety of peppers from super spicy to sweet! One of the best reasons to grow peppers from seed is that you can pick the best peppers for your garden and taste. For example, if you live in a short season climate, you can grow the Fastest Growing Peppers for a more successful harvest. Or, if you love super hot peppers, you can grow a wide variety of hot peppers like Habaneros or the famous hottest p...
Pepper Plant has Flowers but No Peppers
When a pepper plant has flowers but no peppers it is because of a lack of fertilization or extreme temperatures. For lack of pollination, there is an easy solution to help the pepper plant make fruit. First a little science background: Pepper plants are self-pollinating. A pepper flower already has both parts needed for fertilization, the pollen and the ovules. When the pollen gets to the ovules that is fertilization and the pepper plant will begin producing fruit. Sometimes peppers have fl...
How to germinate pepper seeds fast
Learn how to germinate pepper seeds fast! If you want to learn how to make peppers grow faster – it's good to start them indoors early, and keep them nice and warm between 80-90˚ F to sprout quickly. It's also wise to transplant them into larger containers if you have the room to let them grow deep root systems before transplanting into the garden (after all chance of frost has passed.) Most peppers also like the temperatures to be above 60˚ F – even at night, so hold off on planting...
Types of Peppers
There are many types of peppers to grow in your garden! There are the five major types of peppers: Capsicum annuum: Life span: 1.5-3 years These include a lot of the largest peppers including Bell Peppers, sweet/Italian Peppers, Serrano, Cayenne, Paprika, Hatch Chile Peppers, ornamental peppers like the gorgeous NuMex Twilight pepper, and all of the fast growing Jalapeños. These pepper plants can live between 1.5-3 years. We find that the New Mexican Chile varieties really produce the...
Fruity Hot Peppers
Here's a question from one of our seed customers asking aboutfruity hot peppers:"I enjoy the earthy flavor of jalapeños on occasions. They’re perfect with tacos but for sauces I prefer habaneros or something more fruity. Can you recommend some of your peppers that have a fruity flavor?" Answer: There are many types of hot peppers. For hot peppers with fruity flavors, Habaneros are always a good bet – check out our Red Caribbean Habanero or try growing our Orange Habanero with ...
No-Peel Canned Salsa with Apples!
We have an apple tree, and this year it was loaded with fruit! While we like apple pie, we like salsa better, so we just made the No-Peel version of this Canned Salsa Recipe, below, and we added a few peeled & cored homegrown apples to the batch, for a bit of sweetness. It's spicy and delicious! We simply peeled and cored the four apples and threw them into the food processor along with the tomatoes and chiles. We had some sample tastes before canning, it was delish! We can't wait...
Ornamental Pepper Recipes
Can you eat your ornamental peppers?Of course you can! They are usually quite hot, so add them with caution, add a little a time and taste-test your recipe until you get to the desired heat. Ornamental peppers are usually quite a bit hotter than your average Jalapeño, so unless you like it wicked hot, add in small doses until it's just right. Here are some of our favorite salsa recipes to use up your ornamental pepper harvest at the end of the season: Ornamental Peppers Salsa Recip...
What Veggies to Plant in May
May is a great time to direct sow vegetable seeds for summer. While you may have started seeds for tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants indoors 4-8 weeks ago, you likely still have them growing indoors until it has warmed up to 50-60˚F at night consistently. But did you know that there are still lots of vegetable seeds you can still plant now in May and June? Cucumbers, Zucchini, Squash and PumpkinsCucumbers, zucchini, squash, pumpkins, cantaloupe and watermelons grow very quickly and you can sow...
How to grow jalapeno peppers from seeds
Here are our top tips for growing jalapeño seeds: 1. Use Fresh Jalapeno SeedsWhen perfectly stored, jalapeno seeds can be viable for 25+ years, but realistically they'll last about 2-5 years with the best germination rates. Older seeds won't have as good of germination but that doesn't mean you can't use them, if they germinate you're off to the jalapeno races. Store jalapeno seeds in a cool, dark, dry environment to help them last longer.2. Keep Jalapeno Seeds War...
Jalapeno Salsa Recipe
A classic, this Jalapeno Salsa Recipe is sure to please all salsa connoisseurs! Jalapeno Salsa Recipe 2-3 cups of chopped Fresh Tomatoes(or a jar or large 28oz can of preserved tomatoes)1 Bunch of fresh Cilantro leaves(use as much as you'd like)1-3+ Jalapenos - any varietyNote: You can also use any fresh or dried hot peppers for this recipe (Santa Fe Grande Peppers, Cayenne Peppers, Habanero Peppers, Thai Hot Peppers, Red Cherry Hot Peppers, Ghost Peppers, you name it!1/2 Onion, Dic...
Gardening by the Zodiac Signs
When it comes to planting in your garden, soil, sun and seasons aren't the only factors to consider. It turns out the the zodiac signs can be just as important. For the best results, they should be considered when choosing plants for your garden. What to plant in your garden according to your zodiac sign. ARIES (March 21 to April 20) You are a fiery, energetic, and quick individual who likes spicy, invigorating plants and foods. Growing onion, garlic chives, basil, cayenne peppers, a...
What are the best peppers to grow indoors?
We recently had a customer ask: What is a good pepper to grow indoors? Many peppers can grow great indoors if you have the space and good lighting! If you have limited space, we think that the best pepper plants for indoor growing are smaller peppers such as Pequins, Chiltepins, Habaneros, Mini Bell Peppers, Aji, Carolina Reapers, Thai peppers, or small ornamental peppers like Fire and Ice. Of course, don't limit yourself to just these peppers, you can really grow any peppers indoors if y...
Growing Peppers in Texas
What peppers grow well in Texas? A customer just reached out to us with this question about Growing Peppers in Texas: We love your curated selection of heirloom and native seeds and making them available to people like us! We live in Zone 9a near Galveston,Texas. Our homestead garden is where we test and grow food for ourselves. We grow transplants naturally from seed to sell at markets and have recently started to offer to local nurseries! We are placing an order soon, just wanted to as...
