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...
What type of peppers does Mezzetta use? Cascabellas!What type of peppers does Mezzetta use? Mezzetta™ Hot Chili Peppers (those jars of spicy yellow pickled peppers) are made from Cascabella peppers. The hot and delicious yellow peppers that they put into jars of Mezzetta Hot Chili Peppers are grown in Northern California, but did you know that you can grow them in your own backyard? They're easy to start from Cascabella seeds! If you're addicted to the deliciously spicy Mezzetta Hot Chili Peppers, then make sure to grow some Cascabe...
How to Grow Bell PeppersWondering How to Grow Bell Peppers?Here are our top tips for Growing Bell Peppers: Bell peppers are relatively easy to grow, but here are a few tips so you can have the best success! First, plant pepper seeds at least 8-10 weeks before your area's last frost date. Plant seeds in pre-moistened well-draining seedling starter mix and bury the seeds about 1/4" deep. Use a seedling heat mat to speed up germination – this will help keep the seeds warm, ideally 80-90˚ F is optimal for fast...
Purple Bell PeppersLooking for Purple Bell Peppers or other Purple Pepper seeds? If you love purple like we do, you always want to plant purple flowers... but did you know you can also plant purple vegetables like Purple Bell Peppers or Purple Tomatoes? Purple is one of the best colors in your garden, it compliments the green leaves and everyone who sees a purple pepper or fruit are delighted! View all our beautiful Ornamental Peppers » If you like hot peppers like us, check out the Bhut Jolokia Purple pe...
Sweet Chocolate Bell Pepper - the earliest pepper!This Sweet Chocolate Bell Pepper is our earliest pepper! Ripening at just 57 days, this delicious pepper goes from green to dark brown on the outside with brick-red flesh on the inside. Very beautiful when chopped and put on salads, on sandwiches or in flash-fried for fajitas. If you like sweet peppers, you have to try this little delicious gem. These Sweet Chocolate Bell Peppers are about 3-4" in size, and the plants tolerate cool nights – making them good for earlier growing in the spr...
Top 15 questions about Bell PeppersWe receive many questions about peppers and have written the answers to the most common questions about Bell Peppers here. Answers will include Bell Pepper growth, color, storage and health benefits. View all of our bell pepper seeds » 1. What is the best Bell Pepper variety for my area? Peppers are a warm season crop and need temperatures above 75 degrees throughout their growing season. Higher latitudes and altitudes can extend the start of growing season, wet areas can use raised beds, and...
Sautéed Bell PeppersQuick and easy to make in just 15 minutes, these Sautéed Bell Peppers are a wonderful way to add color, flavor, and a veggie to so many meals! These perfect peppers make the ideal side dish or topping for tacos, fajitas, salads, and more. Servings: 4 servings Ingredients 3 bell peppers cut into ½-inch strips OR 3 cups of any sweet peppers 1½ Tablespoon olive oil 1 teaspoon dried thyme ½ teaspoon salt Instructions Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the s...
Christmas Bell - Bishop Crown PepperThe heirloom Bishop Crown: or "Christmas Bell" is originally from Brazil. This variety produces one of the most unusual pod shapes of any chile pepper. Bishop Crown is a unique thin-skinned red pepper with the unusual appearance of a tri-cornered hat like a Catholic Bishop’s Crown. The heat level has a very wide range from a medium 5,000 scoville heat units (SHU), all the way up to a very hot 15,000 SHU. Its small size is 1-1/2” long by 2”- 3“ wide with a sweet and fruity taste. B...
Pepper Plant CompanionsWondering what to plant with your chile peppers to help them thrive? Flowers, chives, carrots, radishes, squash, basil, parsley, dill, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, cucumbers, eggplant, and onions all do well when grown in close proximity to peppers. But don't plant them too close that they will shade your pepper plants: Squash and cucumbers, for example, need ample space so we plant them at least 3-4' away from our pepper patch. You can also use trellises for your cucumbers to grow th...
Plant Labels for Garden - Make Free Durable Plant Labels from Blinds!Looking for Cheap but Durable Plant Labels for your garden? We've found that old blinds make GREAT labels, as they often have UV resistance so they can last multiple seasons (where many plastic or wood garden markers start to get brittle or disintegrate after a season). Repurposing old blinds is an inexpensive way to label your native plant seedlings so you can share them and keep track of what's what! Mini-blind slats are easy to cut with a Utility knife / box cutter, or you ca...
How do you make Paprika? (homegrown from seeds!)Making Paprika is a lot of fun! This year ‘Making Paprika’ is a great theme for a pepper garden. Paprika powder is made from red peppers. It can be sweet, flavorful, mild or have a sweet bite of spice. All red chile peppers will produce chile powder. Here are some of the best peppers for Paprika: Most Popular Paprika Pepper Varieties: The most popular pepper choices for homemade paprika are Paprika R. Naky, Alma Paprika, and Hot Hungarian. Addition Peppers that make gre...
Pepper Seed Germination GuideHere is our Pepper Seed Germination Guide with all the best tips for your pepper-growing success! It's important to know that pepper seeds can take longer than most other vegetable seeds to germinate, so it's good to start them earlier to ensure plenty of time for growing indoors before transplanting outside. Here are our tips for fastest and germination: Use Fresh Pepper Seeds The older the seeds are, the harder they are to germinate. While pepper seeds can be viable for up to 25...
Datil Seeds & RecipeOur Datil seeds are back in stock! This is a unique pepper that has its own festival in St Augustine, Florida. It has a really cool history mixed with folktales. Believed to have been brought to Florida by Minorcan immigrants in the late 1700s, it became a cornerstone of local culture, often used in, jellies, and seafood dishes. Have you tried them? They are delicious!! Get the seeds now while they last, these are in limited supply and are fast sellers because people LOVE these hot peppers. ...
Datil Pepper Hot Sauce RecipeDatil Pepper Hot Sauce Recipe: 1 cup of Ketchup 1 white onion 2-3 garlic cloves 1 green bell pepper (or any sweet pepper) 3-5+ Datil peppers 1 stalk celery 1/2 cup grown sugar 2 tablespoons of vinegar Simmer ketchup and brown sugar on low heat. Remove seeds from Datil peppers, then process onion, garlic, bell pepper, celery and datil peppers and add to pot. Raise heat and simmer, cook about 30 minutes until reduced to combine flavors. Add vinegar, then pour into clean jar. Store in fridge....
Beginner‑Friendly Hot PeppersAt Sandia Seed we LOVE peppers, and we enjoy helping people grow their own peppers from seed! We think some of the best peppers for beginners to grow are the fastest growing peppers, including Jalapeños, Green Chiles, and Serranos. Why? Because they germinate fast, grow quickly, and produce a lot of peppers for a longer season so beginners are more likely to have success! And who doesn't like MORE peppers? Beginner's and experts alike will like all of these peppers we mention below. ...
Hot Sauce Ingredient IdeasHot Sauces are made from lots of ingredients beyond just hot peppers! Many recipes include fruit, juice (lime, lemon), different types of vinegar, ginger, mustard seeds, carrots, garlic, onions and other ingredients to add more flavor and thicken or extend sauces. It's fun to grow many of your own hot sauce ingredients in your garden for the freshest flavors. Hot sauce is a great way to preserve your harvest for year-round use. Grow your own Hot Sauce Garden and make your own hot sauce t...
When to Start Pepper Seeds in ColoradoCustomer question:I'm in Colorado Springs, and I want to start some sweet and mildly spicy peppers indoors. Should I start them indoors in February or March? Growing peppers in the Colorado is a great idea! Many varieties do grow well here, depending on where you are. The Front Range including most of Colorado Springs is usually around Zone 5b, and can have a relatively short growing season depending on the weather conditions in the spring and fall. You can start pepper seeds in Colora...
What are the best tasting sweet peppers?Customers ask often, what are the best tasting sweet peppers? We recommend to grow peppers beyond the classic bell peppers, which are also great when homegrown and come in a variety of sizes including the extra-early Chocolate Bell Pepper, but there are a ton of specialty sweet peppers from around the world that will wow your tastebuds and be very useful in the kitchen for all sorts of recipes. Whether you want sweet peppers to add to stir fries, burritos, sauces, or to pickle, marinate, roas...
Seed Shipping to Canada Resumed!Hey, good news! We're able to ship to Canada once again! 🙂🇨🇦 Lots of our customers are from Canada, and they love growing our New Mexico Chile varieties as well as other peppers of the world! We also have some of the best vegetables to grow in Canada that thrive in cooler weather and shorter growing seasons, making them ideal for the country's climates. These include leafy greens including lettuce or spinach, root vegetables including beets and carrots, plus peas, radishes, cabbages, ...
Best Sweet Peppers to GrowIf you are looking for the best sweet peppers to grow in your garden, we have you covered. With over 100 peppers of the world, we have tons of sweet peppers that are packed with flavor and nutrition. These peppers are favored by chefs and home cooks for the wide range of exceptional flavors and colors that they bring to the kitchen. So don't limit yourself to just Bell Peppers – make sure to discover the world of flavors that sweet peppers have to offer. Here are our top favorites: Padró...
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...
What type of peppers does Mezzetta use? Cascabellas!
What type of peppers does Mezzetta use? Mezzetta™ Hot Chili Peppers (those jars of spicy yellow pickled peppers) are made from Cascabella peppers. The hot and delicious yellow peppers that they put into jars of Mezzetta Hot Chili Peppers are grown in Northern California, but did you know that you can grow them in your own backyard? They're easy to start from Cascabella seeds! If you're addicted to the deliciously spicy Mezzetta Hot Chili Peppers, then make sure to grow some Cascabe...
How to Grow Bell Peppers
Wondering How to Grow Bell Peppers?Here are our top tips for Growing Bell Peppers: Bell peppers are relatively easy to grow, but here are a few tips so you can have the best success! First, plant pepper seeds at least 8-10 weeks before your area's last frost date. Plant seeds in pre-moistened well-draining seedling starter mix and bury the seeds about 1/4" deep. Use a seedling heat mat to speed up germination – this will help keep the seeds warm, ideally 80-90˚ F is optimal for fast...
Purple Bell Peppers
Looking for Purple Bell Peppers or other Purple Pepper seeds? If you love purple like we do, you always want to plant purple flowers... but did you know you can also plant purple vegetables like Purple Bell Peppers or Purple Tomatoes? Purple is one of the best colors in your garden, it compliments the green leaves and everyone who sees a purple pepper or fruit are delighted! View all our beautiful Ornamental Peppers » If you like hot peppers like us, check out the Bhut Jolokia Purple pe...
Sweet Chocolate Bell Pepper - the earliest pepper!
This Sweet Chocolate Bell Pepper is our earliest pepper! Ripening at just 57 days, this delicious pepper goes from green to dark brown on the outside with brick-red flesh on the inside. Very beautiful when chopped and put on salads, on sandwiches or in flash-fried for fajitas. If you like sweet peppers, you have to try this little delicious gem. These Sweet Chocolate Bell Peppers are about 3-4" in size, and the plants tolerate cool nights – making them good for earlier growing in the spr...
Top 15 questions about Bell Peppers
We receive many questions about peppers and have written the answers to the most common questions about Bell Peppers here. Answers will include Bell Pepper growth, color, storage and health benefits. View all of our bell pepper seeds » 1. What is the best Bell Pepper variety for my area? Peppers are a warm season crop and need temperatures above 75 degrees throughout their growing season. Higher latitudes and altitudes can extend the start of growing season, wet areas can use raised beds, and...
Sautéed Bell Peppers
Quick and easy to make in just 15 minutes, these Sautéed Bell Peppers are a wonderful way to add color, flavor, and a veggie to so many meals! These perfect peppers make the ideal side dish or topping for tacos, fajitas, salads, and more. Servings: 4 servings Ingredients 3 bell peppers cut into ½-inch strips OR 3 cups of any sweet peppers 1½ Tablespoon olive oil 1 teaspoon dried thyme ½ teaspoon salt Instructions Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the s...
Pepper Plant Companions
Wondering what to plant with your chile peppers to help them thrive? Flowers, chives, carrots, radishes, squash, basil, parsley, dill, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, cucumbers, eggplant, and onions all do well when grown in close proximity to peppers. But don't plant them too close that they will shade your pepper plants: Squash and cucumbers, for example, need ample space so we plant them at least 3-4' away from our pepper patch. You can also use trellises for your cucumbers to grow th...
Plant Labels for Garden - Make Free Durable Plant Labels from Blinds!
Looking for Cheap but Durable Plant Labels for your garden? We've found that old blinds make GREAT labels, as they often have UV resistance so they can last multiple seasons (where many plastic or wood garden markers start to get brittle or disintegrate after a season). Repurposing old blinds is an inexpensive way to label your native plant seedlings so you can share them and keep track of what's what! Mini-blind slats are easy to cut with a Utility knife / box cutter, or you ca...
How do you make Paprika? (homegrown from seeds!)
Making Paprika is a lot of fun! This year ‘Making Paprika’ is a great theme for a pepper garden. Paprika powder is made from red peppers. It can be sweet, flavorful, mild or have a sweet bite of spice. All red chile peppers will produce chile powder. Here are some of the best peppers for Paprika: Most Popular Paprika Pepper Varieties: The most popular pepper choices for homemade paprika are Paprika R. Naky, Alma Paprika, and Hot Hungarian. Addition Peppers that make gre...
Pepper Seed Germination Guide
Here is our Pepper Seed Germination Guide with all the best tips for your pepper-growing success! It's important to know that pepper seeds can take longer than most other vegetable seeds to germinate, so it's good to start them earlier to ensure plenty of time for growing indoors before transplanting outside. Here are our tips for fastest and germination: Use Fresh Pepper Seeds The older the seeds are, the harder they are to germinate. While pepper seeds can be viable for up to 25...
Datil Seeds & Recipe
Our Datil seeds are back in stock! This is a unique pepper that has its own festival in St Augustine, Florida. It has a really cool history mixed with folktales. Believed to have been brought to Florida by Minorcan immigrants in the late 1700s, it became a cornerstone of local culture, often used in, jellies, and seafood dishes. Have you tried them? They are delicious!! Get the seeds now while they last, these are in limited supply and are fast sellers because people LOVE these hot peppers. ...
Datil Pepper Hot Sauce Recipe
Datil Pepper Hot Sauce Recipe: 1 cup of Ketchup 1 white onion 2-3 garlic cloves 1 green bell pepper (or any sweet pepper) 3-5+ Datil peppers 1 stalk celery 1/2 cup grown sugar 2 tablespoons of vinegar Simmer ketchup and brown sugar on low heat. Remove seeds from Datil peppers, then process onion, garlic, bell pepper, celery and datil peppers and add to pot. Raise heat and simmer, cook about 30 minutes until reduced to combine flavors. Add vinegar, then pour into clean jar. Store in fridge....
Beginner‑Friendly Hot Peppers
At Sandia Seed we LOVE peppers, and we enjoy helping people grow their own peppers from seed! We think some of the best peppers for beginners to grow are the fastest growing peppers, including Jalapeños, Green Chiles, and Serranos. Why? Because they germinate fast, grow quickly, and produce a lot of peppers for a longer season so beginners are more likely to have success! And who doesn't like MORE peppers? Beginner's and experts alike will like all of these peppers we mention below. ...
Hot Sauce Ingredient Ideas
Hot Sauces are made from lots of ingredients beyond just hot peppers! Many recipes include fruit, juice (lime, lemon), different types of vinegar, ginger, mustard seeds, carrots, garlic, onions and other ingredients to add more flavor and thicken or extend sauces. It's fun to grow many of your own hot sauce ingredients in your garden for the freshest flavors. Hot sauce is a great way to preserve your harvest for year-round use. Grow your own Hot Sauce Garden and make your own hot sauce t...
When to Start Pepper Seeds in Colorado
Customer question:I'm in Colorado Springs, and I want to start some sweet and mildly spicy peppers indoors. Should I start them indoors in February or March? Growing peppers in the Colorado is a great idea! Many varieties do grow well here, depending on where you are. The Front Range including most of Colorado Springs is usually around Zone 5b, and can have a relatively short growing season depending on the weather conditions in the spring and fall. You can start pepper seeds in Colora...
What are the best tasting sweet peppers?
Customers ask often, what are the best tasting sweet peppers? We recommend to grow peppers beyond the classic bell peppers, which are also great when homegrown and come in a variety of sizes including the extra-early Chocolate Bell Pepper, but there are a ton of specialty sweet peppers from around the world that will wow your tastebuds and be very useful in the kitchen for all sorts of recipes. Whether you want sweet peppers to add to stir fries, burritos, sauces, or to pickle, marinate, roas...
Seed Shipping to Canada Resumed!
Hey, good news! We're able to ship to Canada once again! 🙂🇨🇦 Lots of our customers are from Canada, and they love growing our New Mexico Chile varieties as well as other peppers of the world! We also have some of the best vegetables to grow in Canada that thrive in cooler weather and shorter growing seasons, making them ideal for the country's climates. These include leafy greens including lettuce or spinach, root vegetables including beets and carrots, plus peas, radishes, cabbages, ...
Best Sweet Peppers to Grow
If you are looking for the best sweet peppers to grow in your garden, we have you covered. With over 100 peppers of the world, we have tons of sweet peppers that are packed with flavor and nutrition. These peppers are favored by chefs and home cooks for the wide range of exceptional flavors and colors that they bring to the kitchen. So don't limit yourself to just Bell Peppers – make sure to discover the world of flavors that sweet peppers have to offer. Here are our top favorites: Padró...
