Organic Control for Tomato Hornworms on PeppersTomato Hornworms are really big green caterpillars that can devastate your pepper garden. Giant brown moths lay pearl-like eggs on your pepper leaves, from which the monsters will hatch and start to eat voraciously. They can decimate all the leaves on a plant overnight. The best organic control might be picking the caterpillars off the plants, but by then it could be too late to save your plants. Also, touching and pulling them off is gross, but depending on how mad you are, you won’t mind! ...
Is it ok to reuse potting soil? Here are our Tips for reusing potting soil in pots for growing peppers.Recent customer question:“HELP! I garden in containers and have a nice amount of soil left from growing peppers this past year. I would like to revitalize the soil to use next year for my peppers and tomatoes. I plan on adding new soil too, but what nutrients would you suggest adding?” Answer: Yes, you can reuse potting soil for growing peppers, but it must be amended to replenish nutrients and structure. To replenish the soil, it's good to mix in some slow-release organic fertilizers, wo...
What seed company is not owned by Monsanto?Sandia Seed company is NOT owned by Monsanto (now owned by Bayer.) We are a small woman-owned seed company based in Castle Rock, Colorado. We only sell non-gmo, untreated seeds. We have signed and support the Seed Integrity Pledge. As signers, we pledge that we do not knowingly buy or sell genetically engineered seeds or plants. We wish to support agricultural progress that leads to healthier soils, genetically diverse agricultural ecosystems and ultimately healthier people and communities. ...
What Seeds to Plant in June - Companion Plants!Wondering what seeds you should plant in June? 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 Coriander) Cherry Belle Radish are super fast gro...
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...
Hatch Chile Seeds: From Planting to HarvestIntroduction to growing Hatch Chile Seeds Growing your own delicious Hatch chile peppers from seeds is a rewarding experience, whether you're a seasoned gardener or a beginner. These flavorful peppers, originating from New Mexico's Hatch Valley, are beloved for their versatility in dishes like stews, salsas, and chile rellenos. With the right care, you can cultivate a thriving crop of Hatch chiles in your garden, ranging from mild to fiery hot. You don't have to be in Hatch, NM to...
Grow the Biggest PeppersWondering how to grow the biggest peppers? What is the trick to growing larger peppers? First, start off with the largest pepper varieties, such as the Legacy Big Jim chile – this giant is the Guinness Book of World Record holder for being the largest chile pepper in the world! These New Mexican chiles have great flavor, thick flesh, and mild to medium heat with 2,000 - 4,000 Scovilles. These chile giants can grow up to 14" in length, but typically range from 8-10". While pod size...
Why grow your own vegetables?Why do some people prefer growing food themselves?Why grow vegetables vs just buying them at the store?Why is it better to grow your own produce?There are many reasons that people love growing their own vegetables! For one, they just taste better. And, it's just so rewarding to pick food from your garden that you grew from seed! But there are many benefits, here are a few more reasons that people love growing their own vegetables: Homegrown vegetables taste better! Fresh Nutrition &...
How to grow more peppersTo increase your pepper plant harvests, it is important to provide optimal growing conditions, such as in full sun and warm temperatures, plus good, loamy soil with lots of organic matter. Providing a balanced fertilizer, ideally organic, is also good for continued support of growth. Here are more tips on growing more peppers: 1. Choose Productive Pepper Varieties: Pick the fastest growing peppers to ensure a long, productive harvest. While all peppers will eventually produce a ton of pods...
Start Your Own Garden from SeedSpring fever stirs garden dreams. As you ponder the projects you will tackle this year in your yard, consider trading garden center transplants for homegrown seedlings. There are endless good reasons to start your own seeds. Here are just a few: Seeds guarantee the best selection – Garden centers sell a specific product line. If the plant you want is not on the roster, you cannot get it. Sow your own seeds, and you will pick from a broad selection of herbs, vegetables, and flowers. You can sa...
Container Salsa GardenGrow your own Container Salsa Garden! Salsa garden plants generally include Tomatoes, Hot Peppers, Cilantro, and Onions. These are your basics – but you can really vary it up with different types of tomatoes and hot peppers. Best Tomatoes to grow for Salsa Our wide variety of Heirloom and Hybrid Tomato seeds can be grown in your potted container garden to create a wide range of colorful salsas. Classic salsa is often make with Roma Tomatoes, such as San Marzano Tomatoes. The flesh is much th...
Chiltepin PepperHave you grown “mother of all peppers,” the Chiltepin? These ancient tiny hot Chiltepin peppers do love heat, but they thrive best in the partial shade of a tree or bush. Their environment in the wild is often under other plants, where they get some shade. When growing in the wild, these peppers are most often found growing under plants like mesquite or hackberry, preferring a shaded area in the low desert. The Chiltepin, also known as Tepin peppers, grow abundantly on 36” tall plants. ...
Fast Growing SeedsLooking for vegetable seeds that grow fast? It's never too late to start seeds! Whether it's because you're late in planting seeds, or if you are sowing seeds throughout the season and want to tuck more vegetables into your garden, here are our top fast growing seeds: Fastest growing Vegetables: Cherry Belle Radish is one of the earliest radishes to mature in spring - you can harvest these beauties in just 22-30 days from sowing! We direct sow them in the garden and they germ...
What Vegetables to Plant in May & JuneWhat to plant in May & June It's May, have you not planted your vegetable garden yet? Or are you looking to plant more seeds? Here are our top vegetable seeds that grow fast, some of them can be succession sown over the summer for a continual harvest. It's never too late to start seeds! Cherry Belle Radish are super fast growing, ready for harvest in about 22-30 days from sowing, so they are great seeds to plant in May. You can keep sowing these every two weeks in May, June,...
Fertilizing PeppersFertilizing Peppers: What do you feed your peppers? We don't go crazy with fertilizing peppers, in fact, we don't fertilize pepper seedlings until after they get their first set of leaves. Even then, we like to use organic liquid fertilizer at 1/2 strength – don't overdo it! Peppers don't like to be over fertilized.Once you transplant them outdoors, we find that peppers do best when you feed the soil! How do you feed the soil? We like to add homemade compost or earthworm casti...
Best Tomato CagesWhat are the Best Tomato Cages?Sturdy ones. We like using the sturdier thick cages, but they're a little harder to find. If you grow tomatoes, they're probably one of your favorite crops, like ours, and you want to ensure that the plants are healthy and supported so you get a great harvest. What kind of Tomato supports do you use?Those darned flimsy wire "tomato cages" that are sold at hardware stores are useless once a tomato plant gets large, as you can see in these photo...
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!
I got these to make Chipotle chilis. These fruit early and are mild-ish when green, but when they ripen, they are perfect for smoking and drying with great flavor and nice heat. Don't plant too many as they are quite prolific.
Organic Control for Tomato Hornworms on Peppers
Tomato Hornworms are really big green caterpillars that can devastate your pepper garden. Giant brown moths lay pearl-like eggs on your pepper leaves, from which the monsters will hatch and start to eat voraciously. They can decimate all the leaves on a plant overnight. The best organic control might be picking the caterpillars off the plants, but by then it could be too late to save your plants. Also, touching and pulling them off is gross, but depending on how mad you are, you won’t mind! ...
Is it ok to reuse potting soil? Here are our Tips for reusing potting soil in pots for growing peppers.
Recent customer question:“HELP! I garden in containers and have a nice amount of soil left from growing peppers this past year. I would like to revitalize the soil to use next year for my peppers and tomatoes. I plan on adding new soil too, but what nutrients would you suggest adding?” Answer: Yes, you can reuse potting soil for growing peppers, but it must be amended to replenish nutrients and structure. To replenish the soil, it's good to mix in some slow-release organic fertilizers, wo...
What seed company is not owned by Monsanto?
Sandia Seed company is NOT owned by Monsanto (now owned by Bayer.) We are a small woman-owned seed company based in Castle Rock, Colorado. We only sell non-gmo, untreated seeds. We have signed and support the Seed Integrity Pledge. As signers, we pledge that we do not knowingly buy or sell genetically engineered seeds or plants. We wish to support agricultural progress that leads to healthier soils, genetically diverse agricultural ecosystems and ultimately healthier people and communities. ...
What Seeds to Plant in June - Companion Plants!
Wondering what seeds you should plant in June? 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 Coriander) Cherry Belle Radish are super fast gro...
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...
Hatch Chile Seeds: From Planting to Harvest
Introduction to growing Hatch Chile Seeds Growing your own delicious Hatch chile peppers from seeds is a rewarding experience, whether you're a seasoned gardener or a beginner. These flavorful peppers, originating from New Mexico's Hatch Valley, are beloved for their versatility in dishes like stews, salsas, and chile rellenos. With the right care, you can cultivate a thriving crop of Hatch chiles in your garden, ranging from mild to fiery hot. You don't have to be in Hatch, NM to...
Grow the Biggest Peppers
Wondering how to grow the biggest peppers? What is the trick to growing larger peppers? First, start off with the largest pepper varieties, such as the Legacy Big Jim chile – this giant is the Guinness Book of World Record holder for being the largest chile pepper in the world! These New Mexican chiles have great flavor, thick flesh, and mild to medium heat with 2,000 - 4,000 Scovilles. These chile giants can grow up to 14" in length, but typically range from 8-10". While pod size...
Why grow your own vegetables?
Why do some people prefer growing food themselves?Why grow vegetables vs just buying them at the store?Why is it better to grow your own produce?There are many reasons that people love growing their own vegetables! For one, they just taste better. And, it's just so rewarding to pick food from your garden that you grew from seed! But there are many benefits, here are a few more reasons that people love growing their own vegetables: Homegrown vegetables taste better! Fresh Nutrition &...
How to grow more peppers
To increase your pepper plant harvests, it is important to provide optimal growing conditions, such as in full sun and warm temperatures, plus good, loamy soil with lots of organic matter. Providing a balanced fertilizer, ideally organic, is also good for continued support of growth. Here are more tips on growing more peppers: 1. Choose Productive Pepper Varieties: Pick the fastest growing peppers to ensure a long, productive harvest. While all peppers will eventually produce a ton of pods...
Start Your Own Garden from Seed
Spring fever stirs garden dreams. As you ponder the projects you will tackle this year in your yard, consider trading garden center transplants for homegrown seedlings. There are endless good reasons to start your own seeds. Here are just a few: Seeds guarantee the best selection – Garden centers sell a specific product line. If the plant you want is not on the roster, you cannot get it. Sow your own seeds, and you will pick from a broad selection of herbs, vegetables, and flowers. You can sa...
Container Salsa Garden
Grow your own Container Salsa Garden! Salsa garden plants generally include Tomatoes, Hot Peppers, Cilantro, and Onions. These are your basics – but you can really vary it up with different types of tomatoes and hot peppers. Best Tomatoes to grow for Salsa Our wide variety of Heirloom and Hybrid Tomato seeds can be grown in your potted container garden to create a wide range of colorful salsas. Classic salsa is often make with Roma Tomatoes, such as San Marzano Tomatoes. The flesh is much th...
Chiltepin Pepper
Have you grown “mother of all peppers,” the Chiltepin? These ancient tiny hot Chiltepin peppers do love heat, but they thrive best in the partial shade of a tree or bush. Their environment in the wild is often under other plants, where they get some shade. When growing in the wild, these peppers are most often found growing under plants like mesquite or hackberry, preferring a shaded area in the low desert. The Chiltepin, also known as Tepin peppers, grow abundantly on 36” tall plants. ...
Fast Growing Seeds
Looking for vegetable seeds that grow fast? It's never too late to start seeds! Whether it's because you're late in planting seeds, or if you are sowing seeds throughout the season and want to tuck more vegetables into your garden, here are our top fast growing seeds: Fastest growing Vegetables: Cherry Belle Radish is one of the earliest radishes to mature in spring - you can harvest these beauties in just 22-30 days from sowing! We direct sow them in the garden and they germ...
What Vegetables to Plant in May & June
What to plant in May & June It's May, have you not planted your vegetable garden yet? Or are you looking to plant more seeds? Here are our top vegetable seeds that grow fast, some of them can be succession sown over the summer for a continual harvest. It's never too late to start seeds! Cherry Belle Radish are super fast growing, ready for harvest in about 22-30 days from sowing, so they are great seeds to plant in May. You can keep sowing these every two weeks in May, June,...
Fertilizing Peppers
Fertilizing Peppers: What do you feed your peppers? We don't go crazy with fertilizing peppers, in fact, we don't fertilize pepper seedlings until after they get their first set of leaves. Even then, we like to use organic liquid fertilizer at 1/2 strength – don't overdo it! Peppers don't like to be over fertilized.Once you transplant them outdoors, we find that peppers do best when you feed the soil! How do you feed the soil? We like to add homemade compost or earthworm casti...
Best Tomato Cages
What are the Best Tomato Cages?Sturdy ones. We like using the sturdier thick cages, but they're a little harder to find. If you grow tomatoes, they're probably one of your favorite crops, like ours, and you want to ensure that the plants are healthy and supported so you get a great harvest. What kind of Tomato supports do you use?Those darned flimsy wire "tomato cages" that are sold at hardware stores are useless once a tomato plant gets large, as you can see in these photo...
