Beans not getting soft?If you cook beans from scratch (dried beans), you may have noticed that they sometimes don't get soft no matter how long you cook them. There are a couple reasons that beans might not be getting soft: Old beans may not get soft, so use fresh beans. Why? As dried beans age, moisture evaporates, giving pectin time to age and harden the skin, which results in beans that refuse to get fully soft. Beans can remain hard if acidic ingredients are added before they get soft. Tomatoes, vinega...
Pinto Beans Recipe - a simple classic!EASY PINTO BEANS RECIPE: Enjoy homemade pinto beans with this classic and simple recipe: Soak beans overnight. Rinse. Add beans to pot. Add water. Add salt, add a whole onion (or dice it up) and a head of garlic. Bring to boil, then bring down to simmer. When they get soft, taste and add more salt if desired. This usually takes about 2-3 hours. Once the beans are cooked and soft, you can add any other ingredients to spice it up! Optional additions and variations: Chile de Arbol, destemmed...
20% OFF ALL OF OUR FASTEST GROWING VEGETABLE SEEDS!SORRY, THIS SALE HAS ENDED! Signup for our newsletter to get our future deals!20% OFF ALL OF OUR FASTEST GROWING VEGETABLE SEEDS! Use discount code: FASTERHARVEST to save big on all of our Fastest Growing Vegetable Seeds Collection!Now through Sunday, May 24, 2026!This collection has all of our fastest growing peppers, tomatoes plus lots of companion vegetables that make great companions for your peppers.Lettuce, chives, carrots, radishes, beans, cilantro, squash, basil, parsley, dill, orega...
Conserve Nutrients & Moisture in your Vegetable Pots with MulchConserve Nutrients & Moisture in your Vegetable Pots with Mulch Shown above, a new pepper plant has been transplanted into a large pot that has some lettuce growing in it currently. This pot was mulched with grass clippings to conserve moisture (which is important in our dry Western climate) and feed the soil life. Conserve Nutrients in your Veggie Pots:Adding mulch to your veggie pots can help them hold onto nutrients. Growing veggies in pots is a great way to expand your growing spac...
Eat the weeds: Dandelion Quesadilla RecipeEat the weeds! Weeds are a great source of food. In fact, many of them, like Dandelions, were brought over to North America to be used as food. Early Romans documented eating dandelions and European settlers who came to America purposely brought dandelions with them to the new world for their high nutritional value, medicinal properties, and versatility as a food source. So don't nuke them with pesticides, eat them! Just make sure that you are picking only dandelions that have not been s...
Free FertilizerOn a budget? Make your own fertilizer for your garden vegetables. Fertilizer isn't inexpensive, and it is getting more expensive every year. And organic fertilizers, which we use, cost even more! But you can create your own organic fertilizer, in fact, you may already be making fertilizer in your kitchen and you don't realize it! Do you make mashed potatoes? Skip the salt when cooking and use the water for your garden! The cooled (unsalted) water used for boiling potatoes is a highly...
Low Water VegetablesWondering what are the best low water vegetables to grow? Here are a few of our suggestions along with tips for conserving water in your garden. #1 Favorite Low Water Vegetables: Peppers* Peppers need less water than many other vegetables. As tropical plants, they thrive in warm, well-draining soil and don't mind it drying out slightly between watering. The famous New Mexico Chiles are grown annually in the dry regions of Hatch Valley and Chimayó regions of New Mexico, and the Pueblo Ch...
Chili con Carne RecipeChili con carne is a Spanish phrase that literally translates to "chili with meat". Originating from Tex-Mex cuisine, it is a spicy stew typically composed of chili peppers, meat (usually beef), tomatoes, and often beans. Ingredients 2-2.5 lbs. chuck roast 3 Ancho dried chiles 3 Guajillo dried chiles 1 onion 4 garlic cloves 3-4 Roma tomatoes 1 chipotle in adobo (optional) 1-2 (15) oz. cans black beans or kidney (optional) 4-5 cups beef or vegetable stock 1 tablespoon Mexic...
World Wildlife DayHappy World Wildlife Day! Want to support more wildlife in your garden? Grow a diverse range of flowering herbs and vegetables to attract lots of wildlife like birds, pollinators and beneficial insects to help naturally with pest control. Check out our Pollinator Garden Seed Bundle for an easy way to get started.Expand your culinary journey and wildlife-supporting garden with our Pollinator Seeds Garden Bundle, featuring six must-have pollinator flowers: Basil, Cilantro, Dill, Oregano, Scarle...
Companion Planting HerbsHerbs, like Sage, make great companion plants for vegetable gardens! Ladybugs love herbs like Sage (shown above). Yes, herbs are excellent companion plants because they can attract beneficial insects, repel pests, improve soil quality, and even enhance the flavor of other vegetables! Herb seeds are easy to start and many of our herbs are perennial (Oregano, Sage, and Garlic Chives) so you can plant them once and they'll provide you with an endless supply of flavor for years to come.Plan...
Why are bell peppers so hard to grow?Do you have luck growing bell peppers? Or do you struggle growing them? Do they only produce a couple peppers for the season? Growing Bell peppers can be challenging for some growing regions. Bell peppers are tropical natives that enjoy warm temperatures between 65-85˚F, and they generally prefer high humidity with fertile soil. In some regions, like the arid West with it's intense high altitude sun, bell peppers can be more challenging to grow. Bell peppers are especially prone to sunbur...
Chili Recipe with Homegrown Red Chiles!Make this delicious red chili from chiles and other ingredients from your garden! Ingredients: 3 whole dried Guajillo chiles 3 whole dried Ancho chiles 3 whole dried Red New Mexico chiles 1-2+ green bell peppers or roasted/peeled New Mexico or Pueblo Green Chiles, chopped 1 large poblano pepper, chopped, seeds removed (can also roast) 2 (16 oz.) cans red kidney beans 1 (16 oz.) can pinto beans 1 cup of fresh or canned diced tomatoes (optional) 1 Onion 4-6+ Garlic Cloves, minced (2+ ...
Hatch Green Chile RecipeGet out those roasted Hatch chiles in your freezer (or fresh out of the garden and off of your grill) and make up a batch of this delicious stew. This is great served in a bowl, and is also great for smothering burritos or enchiladas. HATCH GREEN CHILE RECIPE: Ingredients: 1½ tbsp olive oil 1 cup roasted homegrown Hatch green chiles, peeled and diced 2 lbs of pork or chicken, cubed (or go vegan and instead use pinto beans, potatoes, crumbled sauteed tofu and/or mushrooms if desired) 3 Pota...
Squash Wilting?Why does my squash wilt? If your zucchini, pumpkin, squash or cucumber plants are wilting, it could be a few things: 1. Wilting squash during the Heat of the Day: The most common reason that pumpkin, cucumbers, zucchini and squash leaves wilt is that the cucurbita family has a low root-to-shoot ratio, meaning that they have a shallow root system that supports a very large mass of above ground vegetation. Because of this, during the dry heat of the sunniest part of the day, squash leaves...
Simple Squash Blossom RecipeDo you have squash blossoms from your zucchini, squash or pumpkin plants? These beautiful large orange flowers are perfect for stuffing and pan-frying for a delicious summer treat. You can harvest just the male blossoms and leave the females to develop the squash for later. There are a ton of recipes out there, but here is our easiest recipe, you can also vary up the ingredients for the stuffing, there is no right or wrong way to make these! Simple Squash Blossom Recipe INGREDIENTS: • 6-12+...
Fastest Growing VegetablesDo you want to grow the Fastest Growing Vegetables? We have a great selection of fast growing vegetable seeds to grow in your garden. Whether you want to fill more vegetables into your garden, or you're starting your garden late, or just want to eat fresh veggies faster, any of these varieties are sure to please! Here are our top suggestions for the fastest growing crops that you can start from seed: Radish – Harvest in 22+ Days!The classic Cherry Bell Radish is super easy to grow and i...
Hatch Chile RecipesHatch chile are one of our favorite peppers to grow – their flavor, when roasted and peeled, is out of this world! Buttery, smokey, spicy with slightly sweet fruitiness, Hatch Chile offers intense flavor to any dish. Hatch chile seeds can be grown in any vegetable garden, make sure to grow some of these giant flavorful peppers to add flavor and heat to your table! You can simply roast them on a grill, air fryer, or under a broiler until blacked and blistered – then let cool in a covered glas...
Easy Christmas Green Chile RecipesThese are the best Christmas Green Chile Recipes and other spicy dishes to make your holidays even tastier: Hatch Green Chile Gravy Recipe »Go Christmas-style at Christmas with green chile gravy and red chile recipes below – pour half green, half red on your mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes, and other dishes for a festive and super tasty Christmas-Style delight. Red Chile Sauce Recipe »Fresh Red Chile Sauce Recipe » A classic, Mexican Red Chile Sauces make every recipe special...
Plant Vegetables in July!Did you know that July is the PERFECT time to get things outside for the fall season for many growing regions? It's not too late to add to your garden!Sandia Seed is excited to share that we just added lots more Vegetable Seeds to go with all of our 140+ different types of chile pepper and tomato seeds! July is a great time to plant any of the leafy greens like lettuce and spinach, and other veggies like carrots, beets, radishes, beans, scallions, and broccoli. July and August are a gre...
Grow a Victory GardenGrow Lots of Food This Year!If you haven't started your vegetable garden yet, now is a great time! Here are our top tips on How to Start a Garden: 1. Grow a Variety of Seeds! Growing different types of vegetables is a great way to harvest over a longer season! While peppers and tomatoes are great for summer growing for fresh eating, pickling, and lots of recipes to use year-round, you can also grow other veggies throughout the seasons. Lettuce, onions, cabbages, radishes, kale, cila...
Beans not getting soft?
If you cook beans from scratch (dried beans), you may have noticed that they sometimes don't get soft no matter how long you cook them. There are a couple reasons that beans might not be getting soft: Old beans may not get soft, so use fresh beans. Why? As dried beans age, moisture evaporates, giving pectin time to age and harden the skin, which results in beans that refuse to get fully soft. Beans can remain hard if acidic ingredients are added before they get soft. Tomatoes, vinega...
Pinto Beans Recipe - a simple classic!
EASY PINTO BEANS RECIPE: Enjoy homemade pinto beans with this classic and simple recipe: Soak beans overnight. Rinse. Add beans to pot. Add water. Add salt, add a whole onion (or dice it up) and a head of garlic. Bring to boil, then bring down to simmer. When they get soft, taste and add more salt if desired. This usually takes about 2-3 hours. Once the beans are cooked and soft, you can add any other ingredients to spice it up! Optional additions and variations: Chile de Arbol, destemmed...
20% OFF ALL OF OUR FASTEST GROWING VEGETABLE SEEDS!
SORRY, THIS SALE HAS ENDED! Signup for our newsletter to get our future deals!20% OFF ALL OF OUR FASTEST GROWING VEGETABLE SEEDS! Use discount code: FASTERHARVEST to save big on all of our Fastest Growing Vegetable Seeds Collection!Now through Sunday, May 24, 2026!This collection has all of our fastest growing peppers, tomatoes plus lots of companion vegetables that make great companions for your peppers.Lettuce, chives, carrots, radishes, beans, cilantro, squash, basil, parsley, dill, orega...
Conserve Nutrients & Moisture in your Vegetable Pots with Mulch
Conserve Nutrients & Moisture in your Vegetable Pots with Mulch Shown above, a new pepper plant has been transplanted into a large pot that has some lettuce growing in it currently. This pot was mulched with grass clippings to conserve moisture (which is important in our dry Western climate) and feed the soil life. Conserve Nutrients in your Veggie Pots:Adding mulch to your veggie pots can help them hold onto nutrients. Growing veggies in pots is a great way to expand your growing spac...
Eat the weeds: Dandelion Quesadilla Recipe
Eat the weeds! Weeds are a great source of food. In fact, many of them, like Dandelions, were brought over to North America to be used as food. Early Romans documented eating dandelions and European settlers who came to America purposely brought dandelions with them to the new world for their high nutritional value, medicinal properties, and versatility as a food source. So don't nuke them with pesticides, eat them! Just make sure that you are picking only dandelions that have not been s...
Free Fertilizer
On a budget? Make your own fertilizer for your garden vegetables. Fertilizer isn't inexpensive, and it is getting more expensive every year. And organic fertilizers, which we use, cost even more! But you can create your own organic fertilizer, in fact, you may already be making fertilizer in your kitchen and you don't realize it! Do you make mashed potatoes? Skip the salt when cooking and use the water for your garden! The cooled (unsalted) water used for boiling potatoes is a highly...
Low Water Vegetables
Wondering what are the best low water vegetables to grow? Here are a few of our suggestions along with tips for conserving water in your garden. #1 Favorite Low Water Vegetables: Peppers* Peppers need less water than many other vegetables. As tropical plants, they thrive in warm, well-draining soil and don't mind it drying out slightly between watering. The famous New Mexico Chiles are grown annually in the dry regions of Hatch Valley and Chimayó regions of New Mexico, and the Pueblo Ch...
Chili con Carne Recipe
Chili con carne is a Spanish phrase that literally translates to "chili with meat". Originating from Tex-Mex cuisine, it is a spicy stew typically composed of chili peppers, meat (usually beef), tomatoes, and often beans. Ingredients 2-2.5 lbs. chuck roast 3 Ancho dried chiles 3 Guajillo dried chiles 1 onion 4 garlic cloves 3-4 Roma tomatoes 1 chipotle in adobo (optional) 1-2 (15) oz. cans black beans or kidney (optional) 4-5 cups beef or vegetable stock 1 tablespoon Mexic...
World Wildlife Day
Happy World Wildlife Day! Want to support more wildlife in your garden? Grow a diverse range of flowering herbs and vegetables to attract lots of wildlife like birds, pollinators and beneficial insects to help naturally with pest control. Check out our Pollinator Garden Seed Bundle for an easy way to get started.Expand your culinary journey and wildlife-supporting garden with our Pollinator Seeds Garden Bundle, featuring six must-have pollinator flowers: Basil, Cilantro, Dill, Oregano, Scarle...
Companion Planting Herbs
Herbs, like Sage, make great companion plants for vegetable gardens! Ladybugs love herbs like Sage (shown above). Yes, herbs are excellent companion plants because they can attract beneficial insects, repel pests, improve soil quality, and even enhance the flavor of other vegetables! Herb seeds are easy to start and many of our herbs are perennial (Oregano, Sage, and Garlic Chives) so you can plant them once and they'll provide you with an endless supply of flavor for years to come.Plan...
Why are bell peppers so hard to grow?
Do you have luck growing bell peppers? Or do you struggle growing them? Do they only produce a couple peppers for the season? Growing Bell peppers can be challenging for some growing regions. Bell peppers are tropical natives that enjoy warm temperatures between 65-85˚F, and they generally prefer high humidity with fertile soil. In some regions, like the arid West with it's intense high altitude sun, bell peppers can be more challenging to grow. Bell peppers are especially prone to sunbur...
Chili Recipe with Homegrown Red Chiles!
Make this delicious red chili from chiles and other ingredients from your garden! Ingredients: 3 whole dried Guajillo chiles 3 whole dried Ancho chiles 3 whole dried Red New Mexico chiles 1-2+ green bell peppers or roasted/peeled New Mexico or Pueblo Green Chiles, chopped 1 large poblano pepper, chopped, seeds removed (can also roast) 2 (16 oz.) cans red kidney beans 1 (16 oz.) can pinto beans 1 cup of fresh or canned diced tomatoes (optional) 1 Onion 4-6+ Garlic Cloves, minced (2+ ...
Hatch Green Chile Recipe
Get out those roasted Hatch chiles in your freezer (or fresh out of the garden and off of your grill) and make up a batch of this delicious stew. This is great served in a bowl, and is also great for smothering burritos or enchiladas. HATCH GREEN CHILE RECIPE: Ingredients: 1½ tbsp olive oil 1 cup roasted homegrown Hatch green chiles, peeled and diced 2 lbs of pork or chicken, cubed (or go vegan and instead use pinto beans, potatoes, crumbled sauteed tofu and/or mushrooms if desired) 3 Pota...
Squash Wilting?
Why does my squash wilt? If your zucchini, pumpkin, squash or cucumber plants are wilting, it could be a few things: 1. Wilting squash during the Heat of the Day: The most common reason that pumpkin, cucumbers, zucchini and squash leaves wilt is that the cucurbita family has a low root-to-shoot ratio, meaning that they have a shallow root system that supports a very large mass of above ground vegetation. Because of this, during the dry heat of the sunniest part of the day, squash leaves...
Simple Squash Blossom Recipe
Do you have squash blossoms from your zucchini, squash or pumpkin plants? These beautiful large orange flowers are perfect for stuffing and pan-frying for a delicious summer treat. You can harvest just the male blossoms and leave the females to develop the squash for later. There are a ton of recipes out there, but here is our easiest recipe, you can also vary up the ingredients for the stuffing, there is no right or wrong way to make these! Simple Squash Blossom Recipe INGREDIENTS: • 6-12+...
Fastest Growing Vegetables
Do you want to grow the Fastest Growing Vegetables? We have a great selection of fast growing vegetable seeds to grow in your garden. Whether you want to fill more vegetables into your garden, or you're starting your garden late, or just want to eat fresh veggies faster, any of these varieties are sure to please! Here are our top suggestions for the fastest growing crops that you can start from seed: Radish – Harvest in 22+ Days!The classic Cherry Bell Radish is super easy to grow and i...
Hatch Chile Recipes
Hatch chile are one of our favorite peppers to grow – their flavor, when roasted and peeled, is out of this world! Buttery, smokey, spicy with slightly sweet fruitiness, Hatch Chile offers intense flavor to any dish. Hatch chile seeds can be grown in any vegetable garden, make sure to grow some of these giant flavorful peppers to add flavor and heat to your table! You can simply roast them on a grill, air fryer, or under a broiler until blacked and blistered – then let cool in a covered glas...
Easy Christmas Green Chile Recipes
These are the best Christmas Green Chile Recipes and other spicy dishes to make your holidays even tastier: Hatch Green Chile Gravy Recipe »Go Christmas-style at Christmas with green chile gravy and red chile recipes below – pour half green, half red on your mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes, and other dishes for a festive and super tasty Christmas-Style delight. Red Chile Sauce Recipe »Fresh Red Chile Sauce Recipe » A classic, Mexican Red Chile Sauces make every recipe special...
Plant Vegetables in July!
Did you know that July is the PERFECT time to get things outside for the fall season for many growing regions? It's not too late to add to your garden!Sandia Seed is excited to share that we just added lots more Vegetable Seeds to go with all of our 140+ different types of chile pepper and tomato seeds! July is a great time to plant any of the leafy greens like lettuce and spinach, and other veggies like carrots, beets, radishes, beans, scallions, and broccoli. July and August are a gre...
Grow a Victory Garden
Grow Lots of Food This Year!If you haven't started your vegetable garden yet, now is a great time! Here are our top tips on How to Start a Garden: 1. Grow a Variety of Seeds! Growing different types of vegetables is a great way to harvest over a longer season! While peppers and tomatoes are great for summer growing for fresh eating, pickling, and lots of recipes to use year-round, you can also grow other veggies throughout the seasons. Lettuce, onions, cabbages, radishes, kale, cila...
