Best Salt Substitute: Hot Peppers!Watching your salt intake? One of our favorite ways to spice up a dish without salt is none other than hot peppers! Any spicy peppers are a great way to get your tastebuds excited about anything you eat. We love growing hot peppers and then drying them and crushing into hot pepper flakes or powder so that we can sprinkle flavor on anything including sandwiches, soups, tacos, burritos, wraps, burgers, pizza, you name it!! Clean Salt-Substitute: The great thing about hot pepper flakes is that ...
Ornamental Pepper: NuMex EasterThe Ornamental Pepper NuMex Easter is gorgeous in pastels! Also great for drying at the end of the season for use as hot pepper flakes or to add to salsa. Beautiful and delicious! View more of our Ornamental Peppers » Ornamental Peppers are not only beautiful, they are quite prolific! And, contrary to popular belief, you can eat ornamental peppers! They are perfect peppers for making hot sauces, pepper flakes or powder, or to use in any recipes such as for salsa.
Can seedlings get too much light?Can seedlings get too much light? Yes. Can grow lights be too bright? If you have super bright lights and they are placed too close to the seedlings, you can burn seedlings.A recent lesson learned: Above is a photo from a couple weeks back, we got a new 100W Sansi LED floodlight that was recommended by a pepper grower and thought, "Wow, this super bright light is going to really get those peppers growing big before putting out in the garden!" Unfortunately, our shelf that we were...
Why are my pepper plants so small?We have this question quite often: Why are my pepper plants so small? There is a number of reasons that your peppers may not be growing larger. TOO BRIGHT LED LIGHTS Recently, we had an experience (see the sad & small pepper plants above) where we had placed a super bright 100W Sansi Floodlight above our transplanted seedlings about 8" away. Sadly, it was TOO bright – if we had it farther away, such as a couple feet, the seedlings may have been fine. But, since they were fairly clo...
Spicy Pickles RecipeGrow and make your own spicy pickles! Here's a couple recipes: Spicy Refrigerator Dill Pickle Recipe » Jalapeno Pickles Recipe » Spicy pickles are one of the easiest ways to preserve your cucumber harvest for year-round enjoyment. You can make spears or slices so you can use them on sandwiches, burgers, or just as a snack anytime. Of course, we think spicy pickles are the best, and we like to experiment with using different chiles to flavor them. Try adding Hatch Chiles for a Ne...
Free Seeds for Lettuce!NOTE: This offer is expired, stay tuned and signup for our newsletter for future deals.Now through June 30, 2021, you can get Free Seeds for Lettuce from Sandia Seed with the purchase of any of our Get Real Gardening vegetable seeds. We will add a free seed packet of our delicious Little Gem Lettuce in with any vegetable seeds in our Get Real Gardening collection. Looking for more more seed deals? Check out our Discount Seeds » Chef's love Little Gem Lettuce as it is a cross between ...
Red Chile is Green ChileDid you know red and green chiles both grow on the same plant? Every red chile begins as a green chile and then matures to red. We often refer to both the red and green chiles as green chile. There are dozens of different varieties of green chile and some of them are better to use when red. Varieties that are designated as red have less flesh and a smoother heat with more robust flavor. They will dry quickly in the sun and can be used at any time. For example, the dried pods can be reconstit...
How to Make Lettuce Last LongerCRISPY LETTUCE TIPThe secret to crispy lettuce from your garden:If you harvest lettuce from your garden, you may wonder how to make lettuce last longer. Well, here’s the trick to keep it crispy in your fridge for days! No more wilted lettuce.How to preserve lettuce from the garden: Immediately after picking, soak your freshly picked greens in cold water for 20-30 minutes to "crisp" them up for storing longer in the fridge. This will prevent wilting of your lettuces and other greens...
Summer Succotash with Peaches & Cream CornSuccotash is a celebration of all the vibrant vegetables coming into season. It is an American dish created where the Three Sisters of corn, beans, and squash are native. Although succotash is mainly composed of vegetables, it is not unusual for bacon to be added for flavor. Succotash knows no limits when it comes to substitutions. The cherry tomatoes have a nice fresh flavor, but when ripe red tomatoes are at their peak, dice and add them for a rich flavor. Early season jalapeños can be us...
How deep should I plant my seeds?The rule of thumb is to plant seeds at a depth equal to two or three times their width. For a pepper seed that would be about 1/4 to 3/8” deep. A common mistake is to plant them too deep. This inhibits their growth, not only because they may not germinate at all, but also because their stems may not be designed to push through the heavy pile of soil above them. It is better to plant seeds too shallow than too deep. Read the seed packet carefully, for detailed information about how deep to pla...
How much should I water my seeds?For seeds to germinate, you need to keep the growing soil damp but not too wet. To conserve moisture, you can cover the container with clear plastic until seeds germinate. Once seeds sprout, do not miss a watering. Unlike established plants, seedlings do not have an extensive root system they will die if soil dries out. At the same time, it is important not to overwater and let seedlings sit in water. Learning how to water seedlings is vital for success. Related Topic: Why are my pepper pla...
What Seeds to Plant in June - Companion Plants!Wondering what seeds you should plant in June? It's not too late to start your garden! June is a great time to plant companion plants with your peppers, tomatoes and other veggies. There is a great range of seeds to choose from that you can plant in June including cilantro, squash, cucumbers, nasturtium, lettuce, basil, and many more. Read about them below... Cilantro - great for salsas, and the flowers attract lots of beneficial insects and produce more seeds (also known as Corian...
Grow Hatch Chile SeedsGrow Hatch Chile seeds in your garden this year and experience one of the best flavors in the world! Growing Hatch chile plants is easy – if you can grow other peppers or tomatoes, you have the right growing conditions for Hatch chile! Hatch Chile varieties range in heat, so you can pick out mild, medium-hot to extra hot chiles for your tastes. See all of our Hatch Chile seed varieties » If you don't live close enough to New Mexico to get chile from the farmers, then grow them! You can ...
Best Tomatoes for Salsa - Grow from seeds!The best tomatoes for salsa include a wide range of tomato varieties. Don't limit yourself to just one kind of tomato for your salsa! Often, fresh chopped tomato salsas like pico-de-gallo are made with firm, fleshy tomatoes such as San Marzanos or Roma Tomatoes. However, this is because those are the types that you can find in the stores. But that doesn't mean they are the only (or best) tomatoes for salsa! Good heirloom tomatoes are not often available at the grocery store. But you ...
When to Top Pepper PlantsAre you thinking about topping your chilli plants? Wondering when to top your pepper plants? Our answer: Keep it simple, we say don't worry about topping your plants at all! If you grow peppers from seed – you may wonder if (and when) you should top your pepper plants. In our experience, topping pepper plants does not necessarily result in more peppers than their un-topped counterparts. If you are growing your peppers outdoors, we don't think topping is necessary. We find that toppi...
Hardening Off Pepper PlantsHardening Off Pepper Plants is important but simple – you just want to gradually expose your indoor-started pepper seedlings to the outside sun and breezes so they are not shocked by full sun on their first day outside. Don't let them get a sunburn! Hardening off pepper seedlings is simple – it just means gradually exposing seedlings to sunlight, wind, and temperature changes over a few days or a week, toughening them up and allowing them to develop thicker leaves and stems. This process...
How to Prune Tomato PlantsIf you grow tomato seeds, here are our top tips for how to prune tomato plants so they are more productive and healthy all season: First, you can start with pruning your young tomato plants – pruning off some of the first blossoms can help the tomato plant will help it put more energy into growing bigger. Pruning off the first blossoms on your seedlings and plants is especially good to do before transplanting, so they can spend energy getting their roots settled in before going into seed pr...
Habanero Pepper Heat ScaleHabanero Pepper Heat Scale Our Habanero seeds grow Habaneros that range from 0 to 450,000 Scovilles. That's right, we have two no-heat Habaneros that pack all the great fruity flavor of Habaneros but without heat so they're considered sweet peppers. Our classic Orange Habanero Seeds produce pods that have around 250,000 Scovilles. Get our hottest Habanero with our newer Yellow Caribbean Habanero seeds which produce pods with 450,000 Scovilles. Our second runner up is our Red Caribbean...
Books about PeppersIf you love peppers, and love growing peppers, here are some great books about peppers! One of our favorite books about peppers was a book called Hot Peppers: The Story of Cajuns and Capsicum by Richard Schwid that goes into the history of peppers and goes into depth about Tabasco peppers. An interesting read! The whole time while reading I was craving hot sauce. Chasing Chiles: Hot Spots Along the Pepper Trail by Gary Paul Nabhan, Kraig Kraft, and Kurt Michael Friese is also good to read. ...
Fresh Tomato Salsa RecipeFresh Tomato Salsa Recipe Fresh tomatoes make the best salsa! You can make pico-de-gallo or this delicious restaurant-style salsa recipe below: 3-4 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped* 1 cup diced onion (green onions, or use a red or white onion) ¼ cup diced fresh cilantro (you can dice up stems and all!) 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (~1 lime) 1-2 jalapeño peppers* (diced, including seeds) ½ teaspoon ground cumin 1-3 cloves of garlic, minced Salt and pepper to taste *You can use any mixture o...
Best Salt Substitute: Hot Peppers!
Watching your salt intake? One of our favorite ways to spice up a dish without salt is none other than hot peppers! Any spicy peppers are a great way to get your tastebuds excited about anything you eat. We love growing hot peppers and then drying them and crushing into hot pepper flakes or powder so that we can sprinkle flavor on anything including sandwiches, soups, tacos, burritos, wraps, burgers, pizza, you name it!! Clean Salt-Substitute: The great thing about hot pepper flakes is that ...
Ornamental Pepper: NuMex Easter
The Ornamental Pepper NuMex Easter is gorgeous in pastels! Also great for drying at the end of the season for use as hot pepper flakes or to add to salsa. Beautiful and delicious! View more of our Ornamental Peppers » Ornamental Peppers are not only beautiful, they are quite prolific! And, contrary to popular belief, you can eat ornamental peppers! They are perfect peppers for making hot sauces, pepper flakes or powder, or to use in any recipes such as for salsa.
Can seedlings get too much light?
Can seedlings get too much light? Yes. Can grow lights be too bright? If you have super bright lights and they are placed too close to the seedlings, you can burn seedlings.A recent lesson learned: Above is a photo from a couple weeks back, we got a new 100W Sansi LED floodlight that was recommended by a pepper grower and thought, "Wow, this super bright light is going to really get those peppers growing big before putting out in the garden!" Unfortunately, our shelf that we were...
Why are my pepper plants so small?
We have this question quite often: Why are my pepper plants so small? There is a number of reasons that your peppers may not be growing larger. TOO BRIGHT LED LIGHTS Recently, we had an experience (see the sad & small pepper plants above) where we had placed a super bright 100W Sansi Floodlight above our transplanted seedlings about 8" away. Sadly, it was TOO bright – if we had it farther away, such as a couple feet, the seedlings may have been fine. But, since they were fairly clo...
Spicy Pickles Recipe
Grow and make your own spicy pickles! Here's a couple recipes: Spicy Refrigerator Dill Pickle Recipe » Jalapeno Pickles Recipe » Spicy pickles are one of the easiest ways to preserve your cucumber harvest for year-round enjoyment. You can make spears or slices so you can use them on sandwiches, burgers, or just as a snack anytime. Of course, we think spicy pickles are the best, and we like to experiment with using different chiles to flavor them. Try adding Hatch Chiles for a Ne...
Free Seeds for Lettuce!
NOTE: This offer is expired, stay tuned and signup for our newsletter for future deals.Now through June 30, 2021, you can get Free Seeds for Lettuce from Sandia Seed with the purchase of any of our Get Real Gardening vegetable seeds. We will add a free seed packet of our delicious Little Gem Lettuce in with any vegetable seeds in our Get Real Gardening collection. Looking for more more seed deals? Check out our Discount Seeds » Chef's love Little Gem Lettuce as it is a cross between ...
Red Chile is Green Chile
Did you know red and green chiles both grow on the same plant? Every red chile begins as a green chile and then matures to red. We often refer to both the red and green chiles as green chile. There are dozens of different varieties of green chile and some of them are better to use when red. Varieties that are designated as red have less flesh and a smoother heat with more robust flavor. They will dry quickly in the sun and can be used at any time. For example, the dried pods can be reconstit...
How to Make Lettuce Last Longer
CRISPY LETTUCE TIPThe secret to crispy lettuce from your garden:If you harvest lettuce from your garden, you may wonder how to make lettuce last longer. Well, here’s the trick to keep it crispy in your fridge for days! No more wilted lettuce.How to preserve lettuce from the garden: Immediately after picking, soak your freshly picked greens in cold water for 20-30 minutes to "crisp" them up for storing longer in the fridge. This will prevent wilting of your lettuces and other greens...
Summer Succotash with Peaches & Cream Corn
Succotash is a celebration of all the vibrant vegetables coming into season. It is an American dish created where the Three Sisters of corn, beans, and squash are native. Although succotash is mainly composed of vegetables, it is not unusual for bacon to be added for flavor. Succotash knows no limits when it comes to substitutions. The cherry tomatoes have a nice fresh flavor, but when ripe red tomatoes are at their peak, dice and add them for a rich flavor. Early season jalapeños can be us...
How deep should I plant my seeds?
The rule of thumb is to plant seeds at a depth equal to two or three times their width. For a pepper seed that would be about 1/4 to 3/8” deep. A common mistake is to plant them too deep. This inhibits their growth, not only because they may not germinate at all, but also because their stems may not be designed to push through the heavy pile of soil above them. It is better to plant seeds too shallow than too deep. Read the seed packet carefully, for detailed information about how deep to pla...
How much should I water my seeds?
For seeds to germinate, you need to keep the growing soil damp but not too wet. To conserve moisture, you can cover the container with clear plastic until seeds germinate. Once seeds sprout, do not miss a watering. Unlike established plants, seedlings do not have an extensive root system they will die if soil dries out. At the same time, it is important not to overwater and let seedlings sit in water. Learning how to water seedlings is vital for success. Related Topic: Why are my pepper pla...
What Seeds to Plant in June - Companion Plants!
Wondering what seeds you should plant in June? It's not too late to start your garden! June is a great time to plant companion plants with your peppers, tomatoes and other veggies. There is a great range of seeds to choose from that you can plant in June including cilantro, squash, cucumbers, nasturtium, lettuce, basil, and many more. Read about them below... Cilantro - great for salsas, and the flowers attract lots of beneficial insects and produce more seeds (also known as Corian...
Grow Hatch Chile Seeds
Grow Hatch Chile seeds in your garden this year and experience one of the best flavors in the world! Growing Hatch chile plants is easy – if you can grow other peppers or tomatoes, you have the right growing conditions for Hatch chile! Hatch Chile varieties range in heat, so you can pick out mild, medium-hot to extra hot chiles for your tastes. See all of our Hatch Chile seed varieties » If you don't live close enough to New Mexico to get chile from the farmers, then grow them! You can ...
Best Tomatoes for Salsa - Grow from seeds!
The best tomatoes for salsa include a wide range of tomato varieties. Don't limit yourself to just one kind of tomato for your salsa! Often, fresh chopped tomato salsas like pico-de-gallo are made with firm, fleshy tomatoes such as San Marzanos or Roma Tomatoes. However, this is because those are the types that you can find in the stores. But that doesn't mean they are the only (or best) tomatoes for salsa! Good heirloom tomatoes are not often available at the grocery store. But you ...
When to Top Pepper Plants
Are you thinking about topping your chilli plants? Wondering when to top your pepper plants? Our answer: Keep it simple, we say don't worry about topping your plants at all! If you grow peppers from seed – you may wonder if (and when) you should top your pepper plants. In our experience, topping pepper plants does not necessarily result in more peppers than their un-topped counterparts. If you are growing your peppers outdoors, we don't think topping is necessary. We find that toppi...
Hardening Off Pepper Plants
Hardening Off Pepper Plants is important but simple – you just want to gradually expose your indoor-started pepper seedlings to the outside sun and breezes so they are not shocked by full sun on their first day outside. Don't let them get a sunburn! Hardening off pepper seedlings is simple – it just means gradually exposing seedlings to sunlight, wind, and temperature changes over a few days or a week, toughening them up and allowing them to develop thicker leaves and stems. This process...
How to Prune Tomato Plants
If you grow tomato seeds, here are our top tips for how to prune tomato plants so they are more productive and healthy all season: First, you can start with pruning your young tomato plants – pruning off some of the first blossoms can help the tomato plant will help it put more energy into growing bigger. Pruning off the first blossoms on your seedlings and plants is especially good to do before transplanting, so they can spend energy getting their roots settled in before going into seed pr...
Habanero Pepper Heat Scale
Habanero Pepper Heat Scale Our Habanero seeds grow Habaneros that range from 0 to 450,000 Scovilles. That's right, we have two no-heat Habaneros that pack all the great fruity flavor of Habaneros but without heat so they're considered sweet peppers. Our classic Orange Habanero Seeds produce pods that have around 250,000 Scovilles. Get our hottest Habanero with our newer Yellow Caribbean Habanero seeds which produce pods with 450,000 Scovilles. Our second runner up is our Red Caribbean...
Books about Peppers
If you love peppers, and love growing peppers, here are some great books about peppers! One of our favorite books about peppers was a book called Hot Peppers: The Story of Cajuns and Capsicum by Richard Schwid that goes into the history of peppers and goes into depth about Tabasco peppers. An interesting read! The whole time while reading I was craving hot sauce. Chasing Chiles: Hot Spots Along the Pepper Trail by Gary Paul Nabhan, Kraig Kraft, and Kurt Michael Friese is also good to read. ...
Fresh Tomato Salsa Recipe
Fresh Tomato Salsa Recipe Fresh tomatoes make the best salsa! You can make pico-de-gallo or this delicious restaurant-style salsa recipe below: 3-4 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped* 1 cup diced onion (green onions, or use a red or white onion) ¼ cup diced fresh cilantro (you can dice up stems and all!) 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (~1 lime) 1-2 jalapeño peppers* (diced, including seeds) ½ teaspoon ground cumin 1-3 cloves of garlic, minced Salt and pepper to taste *You can use any mixture o...
