Growing Peppers in ColoradoThere are many different growing zones in Colorado, and you can grow peppers in any areas that you can grow tomatoes and other veggies! For Colorado gardeners, starting peppers indoors is a must with short season gardening, we recommend starting your pepper seeds at least 6-8 weeks before mid-to-late May when you will transplant them into the garden. Use a seedling heat mat to keep the pepper seeds warm during germination, they like to germinate around 80˚F! Choose short season peppers for...
Best Vinegar for Hot SauceMaking your own hot sauce recipes from homegrown hot peppers? Some people like to make fermented hot sauce recipes (and SOMETIMES they add vinegar at the end after it's fermented), some like to cook hot peppers down in a sauce pan and add vinegar for a quick hot sauce, and some people like to pickle whole hot peppers in vinegar for a spicy vinegar treat. You can even add lime or lemon juice to hot sauces for a tropical burst of flavor and acidity. There is no wrong way to make hot sauce, ...
Best Peppers for Hot SauceWe've picked out our favorite peppers for hot sauce (and some of your favorites) that you can grow in your garden to make hot sauce! Find our favorite hot sauce recipes and make them your own with any of these hot peppers. You can use any hot pepper or combination of peppers to make hot sauce, so don't feel limited, experiment! The sky's the limit. You'll find that some you love some peppers even more than others, but it's fun to try them all. Hot sauce captures the essenc...
Ten great peppers for pots in small spaces!Peppers are a great vegetable to grow on a patio, deck or sunny balcony. So if you don't have a lot of space, you can still grow some peppers! Some people even grow them under lights indoors, year-round! Above are Fire and Ice peppers growing in a glorious blue ceramic pot – this variety is perfect for patio containers as it really looks like fire at the end of the season with colorful yellow to orange to red peppers growing upwards. Most peppers grow great in pots and containers – and ca...
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...
Hot Sauce GardenGrow your own Hot Sauce Garden One of the reasons many gardeners grow hot peppers is to make their own hot sauces and salsas. Once you start growing peppers, you'll discover the full range of complex flavor and different kinds of heat peppers of the world provide for your tastebuds. It's addictive, too, the more varieties of peppers you taste, the more you want to try! And the more heat you try, the more heat you crave! But you don't need to grow extra hot peppers to make hot sa...
Planting PeppersPlanting Peppers Tips Winter is the time for dreaming! Next season for our pepper garden, we plan to plant a wide variety of peppers, including some Habaneros, Habanadas (no-heat all flavor Habaneros - which we think have the best flavor in hot sauce!), Cayennes, Jalapenos, Sriracha peppers, Banana Peppers, Shishitos, Mini Bells, and several Hatch chile varieties, of course! Can't wait to see some happy little seedlings again. Planting Peppers From Seeds: The trick to successfully s...
Bird Seed Garden: Sunflower, Echinacea and Hot Peppers!Bird Seed Garden: Sunflowers attract Goldfinches! Grow your own Bird Seed Garden to produce organic bird seed with sunflowers or Echinacea flowers – plus you can grow some super hot peppers to help keep the squirrels and rodents away from your seed mix! What kind of seeds are in bird seed? There are a lot of different kinds of seeds marketed as bird seed from the stores, many include seeds for millet, safflower, and cracked corn – and of course sunflower seeds. We've found that most bir...
Homemade Chili Powder RecipeHomemade Chili Powder Recipe: ½ C Cumin ½ C Clove ½ C Cayenne 1½ C Paprika 1½ C Dried Pasilla 1½ C Dark Chile Powder 1½ C Light Chile Powder ¼ C Oregano ¼ C Garlic Powder 1 Handful Dried Chile de Arbol 1 Handful Dried Guajillo DIRECTIONS: Bring a medium sauce pan up to heat and quick roast your non-powder chiles until fragrant, this brings out the flavors and will enhance the flavor of your Chile powder. Remove from pan and let cool. Once cool, grind Chiles in blender and transfer to a...
Red Chile Powder RecipeRed Chile Powder - Homemade This red chile powder recipe is quick and easy to make from scratch. It has an incredibly robust and vibrant flavor when compared to store bought powders. INGREDIENTS 4-6 cups Dried Red Chile peppers or 4-6 ounces (We recommend a combination of hatch red chiles, ancho, guajillo and any other variety you like, and if you want heat add some arbol or cayenne.) 2 tablespoons Garlic Powder or freshly dehydrated garlic 2 tablespoons Onion Powder or freshly dehydrate...
Can you overwinter New Mexico Chile plants?We were recently asked: Is it a 100% no for overwintering NM Chile plants? If so why? We've found that New Mexico chile plants don't produce as well after being overwintered – they will survive if kept from frost, but they are not usually anywhere near as productive as fresh started plants the next year. Some pepper plants are more suited to overwintering and can live and produce for many years, but New Mexico chile plants seem to be best in their first year. The super hot Rattl...
Homegrown Sriracha Sauce RecipeHomegrown Sriracha Sauce 1.5 pounds Sriracha Peppers, or other red hot peppers such as cayenne, goat horn, fresno, bishop crown, thai hot, or jalapeno peppers ⅓ cup water 6 cloves garlic, peeled 3 tablespoons brown sugar 1 tablespoon kosher salt ½ cup white vinegar Cut off stems of peppers, add to a food processor or blender and add water, garlic, brown sugar, and salt.Pulse, then blend until smooth. Add puree into a large glass jar or pitcher, and keep covered in a cool dark location for 3 ...
What are the easiest peppers to grow?What are the easiest peppers to grow? We think most peppers are easy to grow, but growing faster growing peppers can help improve your success, especially in shorter growing seasons. The fastest germinating peppers are typically in the Capsicum Annuum family, so we'd say they are easiest to grow. This is a big family of peppers, so for an easier garden, you can grow fast-growing jalapeño seeds, serrano seeds, cayenne seeds, Anaheim chile seeds, Hatch chile seeds, and poblano seeds.Green C...
What peppers would you consider a must grow?While there are hundreds of peppers of the world you can grow (see just some of them above), we have a (fairly long & evergrowing) list of our favorite peppers that we grow each and every season. Many of these varieties are hard to find at the store, so they are great to grow – plus, all homegrown peppers (like tomatoes) taste better than store-bought! You can also let them fully ripen to get the maximum flavor that you'll want to taste and grow again and again. Here's our top pi...
Best Peppers for SalsaIf you love salsa like us, growing hot peppers from seed is a great way to step up your salsa game! Best Peppers in Salsa: With tons of different peppers to choose from in different heat levels, flavors and colors, don't limit yourself to just Jalapenos and Serranos – which are the most popular choices – be sure to try all sorts of hot peppers in your salsa to taste the rainbow of flavors! Roasted Anaheim chile, green chile and poblano peppers offer a milder, smoky flavor. Or for a wi...
Hottest Peppers ScaleHottest Peppers Scale Sandia Seed's list of their 101 peppers of the world, in order of their heat Scoville scale ratings: Bell Chocolate Sweet - 0 ScovillesBell Golden Cal Wonder - 0Bell Green Cal Wonder - 0Bell Orange Mini Snacker 0Bell Purple Beauty - 0Cubanelle - 0Fushimi - 0Jimmy Nardello - 0Marconi Red - 0Pimiento - 0Shishito - 0Sweet Cherry - 0Trick or Treat NuMex Habanero - 0Gypsy Pepper - 0Padron 0-100Paprika 0-100Alma Paprika 0-500Piquillo 0-500Pimento Sheepnose 0-500Sweet Ba...
NEW SEEDS FOR 2025WE HAVE NEW SEEDS ARRIVING! We are excited to announce the addition of new seeds to our mid-season lineup.New seeds now available: Gypsy Sweet Pepper This super fast growing sweet pepper has a fantastic sweet flavor and is never bitter like a bell pepper can be. The plants produce an unbelievable amount of fruit all season that you can enjoy early at the yellow-green stage or wait until they fully ripen to orange-red. Sun Gold F1 TomatoThese bright golden orange tomatoes have a sweet, juicy,...
Types of Peppers to GrowAt Sandia Seed we have seeds for over 101 peppers of the world to grow in your garden! There are many types of peppers to grow, ranging from sweet to super hot, so there is a pepper for everyone. What is the Best Pepper to Grow? Golly, it's really hard to choose just one pepper considering the huge range of flavors, heat levels and colors they provide. Sorry, but it's just too hard to narrow down to just one pepper, so here are a few of our top favorites for the best peppers to ...
How to Dry PeppersHere are our top ways you can dry peppers: 1. Make Chile Ristras!Chile Ristras can be made from lots of different kinds of peppers, not just the common New Mexico and Hatch chile varieties. This is a great way to store your peppers for the winter. You want to string up the peppers so that they get maximum airflow and hang them in a dry sunny place to dry out. Then you can use them in your kitchen for recipes and making red chile sauces. Growing peppers that have think flesh and are suited ...
So, as a life long BOC fan and an avid gardener who loves the quality of seeds I’ve always received from Sandia Seeds. I just had to have this shirt. It rocks! I ordered a couple more for some fellow BOC fans as well. Great quality and the graphic is outstanding!
I'm going to grow these every year, they are HOT!! They make great poppers and salsa. Very productive, easy to grow, quick germination and fast growing plants. Thank you for the stellar seeds.
I planted several cultivars from wholesale seed. These were prolific. See all that RED (and green)?!? Looking forward to harvesting in a few days. Thank You Sandia Seed!
I pretty much use Sandia seeds exclusively! A few years ago I just happened to order your Jalapeño M. To me it's the perfect Jalapeño! Really nice size! Perfect heat for what we like! Wonderful flavor with a meatyness that's perfect for many different uses! I make my own Sriracha so I wait for them to turn red. They're one of my base peppers for my sauce! I praise them to all my personal friends and to members of groups that I belong to!
Serrano Hidalgo Seeds fromSandia Seed produce even in the HOT drought of central Illinois this year! I love adding a little Mexican kick to my salsa but also tossing these on the grill! They have great flavor and produce all summer long!
I had looked high & low, and searched the web with many word combinations ‘looking’ specifically for my favorite chili, the Dynamite xx Hot… so I could grow my own. The peppers were sold in Colorado at select places during roasting season, but you couldn’t buy seeds for them… anywhere!
Finally, as luck and persistence would have it, I discovered Sandia Seed Company.
Thank you Sandia! I planted them and had a great crop this year. I plan on growing them every year as well as trying some of their other seeds,
There's just something fun about growing a jalapeno that is light enough in color that some people think it's a banana pepper. LOL! I picked these just for color variety, and I'm very pleased that my plants have been loaded with them all season! We donated about 50 lbs of mixed peppers this year from our garden and I still had enough to freeze some and can more jars of recipes than we'll probably be able to use before next season. All my peppers were from Sandia Seed Company. I've never had such great pepper production before using these seeds!!
This spinach germinated well, and produced way more spinach than I'd initially expected. It grew really well, was slow to bolt in the summer, and has a really nice mild flavor for salads or steamed.
This was my first time growing these and I will definitely be growing them from now on. Great germination and very sturdy plants that have withstood some really high winds. Huge long peppers that are excellent green or red, very easy to peel skin.
Growing these in Florida, (Recent transplant of NM).
Lovely peppers. Took a couple weeks is all and wow! I have several budding; 2 large enough to nickname. They're still in their infancy, but I can tell they are going to be great! Love the seeds!
Growing Peppers in Colorado
There are many different growing zones in Colorado, and you can grow peppers in any areas that you can grow tomatoes and other veggies! For Colorado gardeners, starting peppers indoors is a must with short season gardening, we recommend starting your pepper seeds at least 6-8 weeks before mid-to-late May when you will transplant them into the garden. Use a seedling heat mat to keep the pepper seeds warm during germination, they like to germinate around 80˚F! Choose short season peppers for...
Best Vinegar for Hot Sauce
Making your own hot sauce recipes from homegrown hot peppers? Some people like to make fermented hot sauce recipes (and SOMETIMES they add vinegar at the end after it's fermented), some like to cook hot peppers down in a sauce pan and add vinegar for a quick hot sauce, and some people like to pickle whole hot peppers in vinegar for a spicy vinegar treat. You can even add lime or lemon juice to hot sauces for a tropical burst of flavor and acidity. There is no wrong way to make hot sauce, ...
Best Peppers for Hot Sauce
We've picked out our favorite peppers for hot sauce (and some of your favorites) that you can grow in your garden to make hot sauce! Find our favorite hot sauce recipes and make them your own with any of these hot peppers. You can use any hot pepper or combination of peppers to make hot sauce, so don't feel limited, experiment! The sky's the limit. You'll find that some you love some peppers even more than others, but it's fun to try them all. Hot sauce captures the essenc...
Ten great peppers for pots in small spaces!
Peppers are a great vegetable to grow on a patio, deck or sunny balcony. So if you don't have a lot of space, you can still grow some peppers! Some people even grow them under lights indoors, year-round! Above are Fire and Ice peppers growing in a glorious blue ceramic pot – this variety is perfect for patio containers as it really looks like fire at the end of the season with colorful yellow to orange to red peppers growing upwards. Most peppers grow great in pots and containers – and ca...
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...
Hot Sauce Garden
Grow your own Hot Sauce Garden One of the reasons many gardeners grow hot peppers is to make their own hot sauces and salsas. Once you start growing peppers, you'll discover the full range of complex flavor and different kinds of heat peppers of the world provide for your tastebuds. It's addictive, too, the more varieties of peppers you taste, the more you want to try! And the more heat you try, the more heat you crave! But you don't need to grow extra hot peppers to make hot sa...
Planting Peppers
Planting Peppers Tips Winter is the time for dreaming! Next season for our pepper garden, we plan to plant a wide variety of peppers, including some Habaneros, Habanadas (no-heat all flavor Habaneros - which we think have the best flavor in hot sauce!), Cayennes, Jalapenos, Sriracha peppers, Banana Peppers, Shishitos, Mini Bells, and several Hatch chile varieties, of course! Can't wait to see some happy little seedlings again. Planting Peppers From Seeds: The trick to successfully s...
Bird Seed Garden: Sunflower, Echinacea and Hot Peppers!
Bird Seed Garden: Sunflowers attract Goldfinches! Grow your own Bird Seed Garden to produce organic bird seed with sunflowers or Echinacea flowers – plus you can grow some super hot peppers to help keep the squirrels and rodents away from your seed mix! What kind of seeds are in bird seed? There are a lot of different kinds of seeds marketed as bird seed from the stores, many include seeds for millet, safflower, and cracked corn – and of course sunflower seeds. We've found that most bir...
Homemade Chili Powder Recipe
Homemade Chili Powder Recipe: ½ C Cumin ½ C Clove ½ C Cayenne 1½ C Paprika 1½ C Dried Pasilla 1½ C Dark Chile Powder 1½ C Light Chile Powder ¼ C Oregano ¼ C Garlic Powder 1 Handful Dried Chile de Arbol 1 Handful Dried Guajillo DIRECTIONS: Bring a medium sauce pan up to heat and quick roast your non-powder chiles until fragrant, this brings out the flavors and will enhance the flavor of your Chile powder. Remove from pan and let cool. Once cool, grind Chiles in blender and transfer to a...
Red Chile Powder Recipe
Red Chile Powder - Homemade This red chile powder recipe is quick and easy to make from scratch. It has an incredibly robust and vibrant flavor when compared to store bought powders. INGREDIENTS 4-6 cups Dried Red Chile peppers or 4-6 ounces (We recommend a combination of hatch red chiles, ancho, guajillo and any other variety you like, and if you want heat add some arbol or cayenne.) 2 tablespoons Garlic Powder or freshly dehydrated garlic 2 tablespoons Onion Powder or freshly dehydrate...
Can you overwinter New Mexico Chile plants?
We were recently asked: Is it a 100% no for overwintering NM Chile plants? If so why? We've found that New Mexico chile plants don't produce as well after being overwintered – they will survive if kept from frost, but they are not usually anywhere near as productive as fresh started plants the next year. Some pepper plants are more suited to overwintering and can live and produce for many years, but New Mexico chile plants seem to be best in their first year. The super hot Rattl...
Homegrown Sriracha Sauce Recipe
Homegrown Sriracha Sauce 1.5 pounds Sriracha Peppers, or other red hot peppers such as cayenne, goat horn, fresno, bishop crown, thai hot, or jalapeno peppers ⅓ cup water 6 cloves garlic, peeled 3 tablespoons brown sugar 1 tablespoon kosher salt ½ cup white vinegar Cut off stems of peppers, add to a food processor or blender and add water, garlic, brown sugar, and salt.Pulse, then blend until smooth. Add puree into a large glass jar or pitcher, and keep covered in a cool dark location for 3 ...
What are the easiest peppers to grow?
What are the easiest peppers to grow? We think most peppers are easy to grow, but growing faster growing peppers can help improve your success, especially in shorter growing seasons. The fastest germinating peppers are typically in the Capsicum Annuum family, so we'd say they are easiest to grow. This is a big family of peppers, so for an easier garden, you can grow fast-growing jalapeño seeds, serrano seeds, cayenne seeds, Anaheim chile seeds, Hatch chile seeds, and poblano seeds.Green C...
What peppers would you consider a must grow?
While there are hundreds of peppers of the world you can grow (see just some of them above), we have a (fairly long & evergrowing) list of our favorite peppers that we grow each and every season. Many of these varieties are hard to find at the store, so they are great to grow – plus, all homegrown peppers (like tomatoes) taste better than store-bought! You can also let them fully ripen to get the maximum flavor that you'll want to taste and grow again and again. Here's our top pi...
Best Peppers for Salsa
If you love salsa like us, growing hot peppers from seed is a great way to step up your salsa game! Best Peppers in Salsa: With tons of different peppers to choose from in different heat levels, flavors and colors, don't limit yourself to just Jalapenos and Serranos – which are the most popular choices – be sure to try all sorts of hot peppers in your salsa to taste the rainbow of flavors! Roasted Anaheim chile, green chile and poblano peppers offer a milder, smoky flavor. Or for a wi...
Hottest Peppers Scale
Hottest Peppers Scale Sandia Seed's list of their 101 peppers of the world, in order of their heat Scoville scale ratings: Bell Chocolate Sweet - 0 ScovillesBell Golden Cal Wonder - 0Bell Green Cal Wonder - 0Bell Orange Mini Snacker 0Bell Purple Beauty - 0Cubanelle - 0Fushimi - 0Jimmy Nardello - 0Marconi Red - 0Pimiento - 0Shishito - 0Sweet Cherry - 0Trick or Treat NuMex Habanero - 0Gypsy Pepper - 0Padron 0-100Paprika 0-100Alma Paprika 0-500Piquillo 0-500Pimento Sheepnose 0-500Sweet Ba...
NEW SEEDS FOR 2025
WE HAVE NEW SEEDS ARRIVING! We are excited to announce the addition of new seeds to our mid-season lineup.New seeds now available: Gypsy Sweet Pepper This super fast growing sweet pepper has a fantastic sweet flavor and is never bitter like a bell pepper can be. The plants produce an unbelievable amount of fruit all season that you can enjoy early at the yellow-green stage or wait until they fully ripen to orange-red. Sun Gold F1 TomatoThese bright golden orange tomatoes have a sweet, juicy,...
Types of Peppers to Grow
At Sandia Seed we have seeds for over 101 peppers of the world to grow in your garden! There are many types of peppers to grow, ranging from sweet to super hot, so there is a pepper for everyone. What is the Best Pepper to Grow? Golly, it's really hard to choose just one pepper considering the huge range of flavors, heat levels and colors they provide. Sorry, but it's just too hard to narrow down to just one pepper, so here are a few of our top favorites for the best peppers to ...
How to Dry Peppers
Here are our top ways you can dry peppers: 1. Make Chile Ristras!Chile Ristras can be made from lots of different kinds of peppers, not just the common New Mexico and Hatch chile varieties. This is a great way to store your peppers for the winter. You want to string up the peppers so that they get maximum airflow and hang them in a dry sunny place to dry out. Then you can use them in your kitchen for recipes and making red chile sauces. Growing peppers that have think flesh and are suited ...
