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. ...
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...
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...
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...
What are peppers called when dried?Peppers often have different names in their dried form, depending on the region. For example, here are some common dried pepper names: Dried (Smoked) Jalapeños = ChipotleDried Poblanos = AnchoDried Anaheim Chile = Colorado or CaliforniaDried Mirasol** = GuajilloDried Serrano = Chile Seco*(or more specifically: balin, chico, tipico and largo)Dried Chilaca = PasillaDried Chile de Arbol = Chile Seco* *Read more about fresh vs. dried pepper names »
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...
Biggest Selection of Green Chile Seeds - in all heat levels!If you love green chile, make sure to check out our huge selection at Sandia Seed! In 2008, we were founded on the idea that seeds for green chile peppers should be available for everyone. We were the first seed packet company to focus exclusively on pepper seeds from around the world. At that time large seed packet companies sold only one or two peppers alongside their vegetable seed selection and they were not green chile seeds! We decided something had to change, so Sandia Seed started...
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 chile that have thin flesh and are suited to d...
New Mexico Chile SubstituteSome good New Mexico Chile substitutes include Anaheim Chile or Guajillo Chile, Chile de Arbol, which are related to New Mexico Chiles (in the same Capsicum annuum species) and can provide great flavor to your chile dishes. The Anaheim Chile – also known as California chile or Magdalena, is a medium-sized mild chile used in Southwestern cuisines – is actually the granddaddy of all the current New Mexico green chile pod types! It was originally known as New Mexico No. 9, developed by Dr. Fabi...
Colorado PeppersMany peppers grow well in Colorado, but a few have been developed specifically for Colorado's wild climate! Check out these specific peppers that grow well in Colorado: Pueblo Chile Pueblo chile is a source of pride for chile-lovers in Colorado! Farmers in Pueblo, Colorado, have been growing regionally-adapted chile peppers for decades. However, in the early 2000s Dr. Michael Bartolo, an agriculture professor at CSU, developed the Mosco chile variety which was selected from a crop of pep...
Dried Pepper NamesDo you dry out your chile pods for year-round use?Did you know chile have different names depending on if they are fresh or dried? Dried Jalapeños = ChipotleDried Poblanos = AnchoDried Anaheim Chile = Colorado or CaliforniaDried Mirasol = GuajilloDried Serrano = Chile Seco*(or more specifically: balin, chico, tipico and largo)Dried Chilaca = PasillaDried Chile de Arbol = Chile Seco* The names above can vary depending on the region you are from. Some terms are more general: "Chile Seco&...
2021 Seed Catalog is at the Printer!Sandia Seed's brand new 2021 Seed Catalog is at the Printer and should be arriving to be ready to ship out in a couple weeks in early January. So, if you are looking for something exciting to grow, you have found the right place. Enjoy our new 2021 Seed Catalog and we hope you find a new variety to grow along with your favorites. Sandia Seed expands our seed catalog every year to meet demand for different and unique peppers. This year is no different with 8 new seed varieties. Here at Sa...
List of Peppers by HeatHere is our 2026 list of all of our peppers from around the world based on their heat level, from sweet to super hot! Find the perfect pepper with the just the right amount of heat (or lack thereof) from our list of over 100+ peppers of the world! The very hottest chile you can grow from seed* is the Carolina Reaper but there are lots of other super hot peppers to choose from that also pack a lot of heat like the Bhut Jolokia Ghost Pepper. Make sure to grow some specialty sweet peppers near t...
Fastest Growing Hot PeppersLooking for the Fastest Growing Super Hot Peppers? First tip: Grow the fastest growing hot peppers – there are many very hot peppers that are better for short seasons or impatient chilehead beyond the classic super hots, which need longer growing seasons. The Orange Spice Jalapeno, for example, has 80,000 Scovilles and can be grown in just 65 days, and the Lemon Spice Yellow Jalapeno shown above has 30,000 Scovilles with great flavor and burning heat.The challenge of growing super hot pepper...
Best Vegetables to Grow in ColoradoWe think that some of the best vegetables to grow in Colorado are Chile peppers and Tomatoes. We of course love growing all other vegetables as well including zucchini, squash, pumpkins, herbs, eggplant, and cucumbers of course, for making spicy pickles with the hot peppers! But tomatoes and peppers are hard to top. Any Colorado vegetable garden is likely to include several varieties of peppers and tomatoes, they bring such a wide variety of flavors and colors to the garden.Just think about...
Cascabel ChileWe noticed a lot of people search for Cascabel Chiles on our website recently, so we're working to get some Cascabel seeds for you soon! Cascabel peppers are members of the Capsicum annuum species and are also known as Guajones, Coras, Chile Bola, and rattle chile because of the shape of the chile and the sound the seeds make when a dried chile is shaken. Typically, Cascabel is the name given to the dried version of Chile Bolas. In the meantime, we wanted to give you some alternatives to...
Is Colorado really famous for green chile?Is Colorado really famous for green chile? Many people love Pueblo Chile – it is the the famous chile of the state, attracting chileheads from around the world. Pueblo chile pods' heat level ranges from 5,000 and 20,000 Scoville Heat Units and they're packed with flavor. Many Coloradans love the flavor of Pueblo Chiles. Learn more about our Pueblo Chile Seeds » Both of our Pueblo Chiles have a slightly different flavor from the New Mexican Hatch chile varieties - many Coloradans...
Spicy Salt RecipeSpicy Salt Recipe: Ingredients: Sea Salt or any salt will do! Dried Peppers (any hot peppers or super hot peppers are great in this recipe, you can also make Red Hatch Chile Salt with dried red Hatch chiles!) Herbs (optional, you can add dried oregano, rosemary, parsley, green onions, thyme, basil, dill, chives, curry, turmeric... the options are endless!) Directions: Put salt and dried peppers into a spice grinder, coffee grinder or food processor and pulse until well mixed. Or if you ...
Hatch Green Chile Seeds in Denver, ColoradoAttention Denver Gardeners!Looking for Hatch Green Chile Seeds in Denver, Colorado? Make sure to stop by City Floral off of Colfax and Kearney near downtown Denver or Nick's Garden Center in Aurora to pick up your favorite Hatch chile varieties. Our Sandia Seed display features lots of green chiles, plus super hot peppers like the infamous Carolina Reaper plus lots of other hot and sweet peppers that are sure to bring joy and spice to your Denver vegetable garden! Learn more about how to...
Fresh vs Dried Pepper NamesFresh vs Dried Pepper Names:Did you know peppers have different names depending on whether they are fresh or dried/smoked? Welcome to the world of peppers! Read on... Here are some common dried pepper names: Dried (Smoked) Jalapeños = ChipotleDried Poblanos = AnchoDried Anaheim Chile = Colorado or CaliforniaDried Mirasol** = GuajilloDried Serrano = Chile Seco*(or more specifically: balin, chico, tipico and largo)Dried Chilaca = PasillaDried Chile de Arbol = Chile Seco* Of course, the n...
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. ...
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...
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...
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...
What are peppers called when dried?
Peppers often have different names in their dried form, depending on the region. For example, here are some common dried pepper names: Dried (Smoked) Jalapeños = ChipotleDried Poblanos = AnchoDried Anaheim Chile = Colorado or CaliforniaDried Mirasol** = GuajilloDried Serrano = Chile Seco*(or more specifically: balin, chico, tipico and largo)Dried Chilaca = PasillaDried Chile de Arbol = Chile Seco* *Read more about fresh vs. dried pepper names »
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...
Biggest Selection of Green Chile Seeds - in all heat levels!
If you love green chile, make sure to check out our huge selection at Sandia Seed! In 2008, we were founded on the idea that seeds for green chile peppers should be available for everyone. We were the first seed packet company to focus exclusively on pepper seeds from around the world. At that time large seed packet companies sold only one or two peppers alongside their vegetable seed selection and they were not green chile seeds! We decided something had to change, so Sandia Seed started...
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 chile that have thin flesh and are suited to d...
New Mexico Chile Substitute
Some good New Mexico Chile substitutes include Anaheim Chile or Guajillo Chile, Chile de Arbol, which are related to New Mexico Chiles (in the same Capsicum annuum species) and can provide great flavor to your chile dishes. The Anaheim Chile – also known as California chile or Magdalena, is a medium-sized mild chile used in Southwestern cuisines – is actually the granddaddy of all the current New Mexico green chile pod types! It was originally known as New Mexico No. 9, developed by Dr. Fabi...
Colorado Peppers
Many peppers grow well in Colorado, but a few have been developed specifically for Colorado's wild climate! Check out these specific peppers that grow well in Colorado: Pueblo Chile Pueblo chile is a source of pride for chile-lovers in Colorado! Farmers in Pueblo, Colorado, have been growing regionally-adapted chile peppers for decades. However, in the early 2000s Dr. Michael Bartolo, an agriculture professor at CSU, developed the Mosco chile variety which was selected from a crop of pep...
Dried Pepper Names
Do you dry out your chile pods for year-round use?Did you know chile have different names depending on if they are fresh or dried? Dried Jalapeños = ChipotleDried Poblanos = AnchoDried Anaheim Chile = Colorado or CaliforniaDried Mirasol = GuajilloDried Serrano = Chile Seco*(or more specifically: balin, chico, tipico and largo)Dried Chilaca = PasillaDried Chile de Arbol = Chile Seco* The names above can vary depending on the region you are from. Some terms are more general: "Chile Seco&...
2021 Seed Catalog is at the Printer!
Sandia Seed's brand new 2021 Seed Catalog is at the Printer and should be arriving to be ready to ship out in a couple weeks in early January. So, if you are looking for something exciting to grow, you have found the right place. Enjoy our new 2021 Seed Catalog and we hope you find a new variety to grow along with your favorites. Sandia Seed expands our seed catalog every year to meet demand for different and unique peppers. This year is no different with 8 new seed varieties. Here at Sa...
List of Peppers by Heat
Here is our 2026 list of all of our peppers from around the world based on their heat level, from sweet to super hot! Find the perfect pepper with the just the right amount of heat (or lack thereof) from our list of over 100+ peppers of the world! The very hottest chile you can grow from seed* is the Carolina Reaper but there are lots of other super hot peppers to choose from that also pack a lot of heat like the Bhut Jolokia Ghost Pepper. Make sure to grow some specialty sweet peppers near t...
Fastest Growing Hot Peppers
Looking for the Fastest Growing Super Hot Peppers? First tip: Grow the fastest growing hot peppers – there are many very hot peppers that are better for short seasons or impatient chilehead beyond the classic super hots, which need longer growing seasons. The Orange Spice Jalapeno, for example, has 80,000 Scovilles and can be grown in just 65 days, and the Lemon Spice Yellow Jalapeno shown above has 30,000 Scovilles with great flavor and burning heat.The challenge of growing super hot pepper...
Best Vegetables to Grow in Colorado
We think that some of the best vegetables to grow in Colorado are Chile peppers and Tomatoes. We of course love growing all other vegetables as well including zucchini, squash, pumpkins, herbs, eggplant, and cucumbers of course, for making spicy pickles with the hot peppers! But tomatoes and peppers are hard to top. Any Colorado vegetable garden is likely to include several varieties of peppers and tomatoes, they bring such a wide variety of flavors and colors to the garden.Just think about...
Cascabel Chile
We noticed a lot of people search for Cascabel Chiles on our website recently, so we're working to get some Cascabel seeds for you soon! Cascabel peppers are members of the Capsicum annuum species and are also known as Guajones, Coras, Chile Bola, and rattle chile because of the shape of the chile and the sound the seeds make when a dried chile is shaken. Typically, Cascabel is the name given to the dried version of Chile Bolas. In the meantime, we wanted to give you some alternatives to...
Is Colorado really famous for green chile?
Is Colorado really famous for green chile? Many people love Pueblo Chile – it is the the famous chile of the state, attracting chileheads from around the world. Pueblo chile pods' heat level ranges from 5,000 and 20,000 Scoville Heat Units and they're packed with flavor. Many Coloradans love the flavor of Pueblo Chiles. Learn more about our Pueblo Chile Seeds » Both of our Pueblo Chiles have a slightly different flavor from the New Mexican Hatch chile varieties - many Coloradans...
Spicy Salt Recipe
Spicy Salt Recipe: Ingredients: Sea Salt or any salt will do! Dried Peppers (any hot peppers or super hot peppers are great in this recipe, you can also make Red Hatch Chile Salt with dried red Hatch chiles!) Herbs (optional, you can add dried oregano, rosemary, parsley, green onions, thyme, basil, dill, chives, curry, turmeric... the options are endless!) Directions: Put salt and dried peppers into a spice grinder, coffee grinder or food processor and pulse until well mixed. Or if you ...
Hatch Green Chile Seeds in Denver, Colorado
Attention Denver Gardeners!Looking for Hatch Green Chile Seeds in Denver, Colorado? Make sure to stop by City Floral off of Colfax and Kearney near downtown Denver or Nick's Garden Center in Aurora to pick up your favorite Hatch chile varieties. Our Sandia Seed display features lots of green chiles, plus super hot peppers like the infamous Carolina Reaper plus lots of other hot and sweet peppers that are sure to bring joy and spice to your Denver vegetable garden! Learn more about how to...
Fresh vs Dried Pepper Names
Fresh vs Dried Pepper Names:Did you know peppers have different names depending on whether they are fresh or dried/smoked? Welcome to the world of peppers! Read on... Here are some common dried pepper names: Dried (Smoked) Jalapeños = ChipotleDried Poblanos = AnchoDried Anaheim Chile = Colorado or CaliforniaDried Mirasol** = GuajilloDried Serrano = Chile Seco*(or more specifically: balin, chico, tipico and largo)Dried Chilaca = PasillaDried Chile de Arbol = Chile Seco* Of course, the n...
