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! ...
Growing seeds in winter: Winter Sowing in FebruaryCan I winter sow in February? Yes, February is a great time for Winter Sowing in many regions like the West. We usually have to wait until mid-May here in Colorado to bring out indoor-started peppers and tomatoes and other warm weather veggies to harden off and get ready to transplant into the garden. But that doesn't mean you can't start some seeds outdoors despite the freezing weather and snow... because you can Winter Sow! Cool weather veggies, herbs and native plants can do very...
Pepper Seed CompaniesSandia Seed is proud to be one of the best Pepper Seed Companies! We offer over 100 peppers of the world – including lots of rare pepper seeds, hot pepper seeds, sweet pepper seeds, the infamous varieties of red and green chile seeds from New Mexico, Ghost pepper seeds, and so many more. If you're looking to grow a big pepper garden from seeds, make sure to check out all of our seeds. We also have organic pepper seeds, yellow pepper seeds, heirloom pepper seeds, and even have seeds for th...
Best Seed Catalog for 2020!If you're looking for the Best Seed Catalogs for 2020, make sure to check out Sandia Seed's new Seed Catalog, packed with over 100 different types of pepper seeds from around the world, as well as 44 tomato seeds. Many of our seeds are Organic, and all of them are non-GMO of course! Support our small, woman-owned seed company and spread the love of peppers in your neck of the woods. We specialize in Hatch Chile seeds, which are green chiles grown in the Hatch region of New Mexico. We...
Growing Tomatoes from SeedIt takes about six to eight weeks to grow tomatoes from a seed to a seedling plant that is ready to transplant outside. Start seeds indoors for best results. In 5 to 12 days your tomato seeds should germinate. Germination is best in warm temperatures (70° to 80° Fahrenheit). A heat mat for seed starting will dramatically hasten tomato seed germination. Sow seeds in cells filled with seedling mix and lightly sprinkle a bit on top to cover. Gently moisten the cells with water and place on a see...
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,...
Powdery Mildew on ZucchiniGot Powdery Mildew on Zucchini, Squash and Pumpkin Plants? This happens to all our pumpkins, squash, zucchini and cucumber plants every summer late in the season, treatments like milk or baking soda sprays don't seem to help. We usually prune off the worst affected leaves to give it more air circulation, but have learned to accept that this is the natural late-season stage here in the West. So don't worry, the squash, zucchini and pumpkins will still ripen! One thing about powder...
Hatch Chile & Basil Pesto RecipeSpicy Hatch Chile & Basil Pesto Recipe: Roasted Hatch Chile (peeled, deseeded)Basil (you could also use Cilantro)1-2 Tablespoons of Olive OilLots of Garlic ClovesWalnutsSalt & Pepper to tasteSqueeze of lemon or limeBlend all ingredients together in a food processor. We use whatever we have on hand, you can make a big batch or a small batch, and vary up the ingredient proportions - every batch is unique to what we have to work with. You can also substitute out the walnuts for pine nuts...
Pepper Plant CarePepper plant care is not all that complicated, you just have to know a few things: Keep the seeds warm when germinating, they like to be between 80-90˚ F for fastest sprouting. Movement: Once germinated, make sure pepper seedlings have good air circulation and movement. Yes, you can pet your pepper seedlings by brushing or "petting" the pepper plants with your hands. This is good for your indoor seedlings as it will stimulate them to grow thicker stems, and be stockier (less l...
Zero Waste GardeningBest Zero-Waste Gardening Ideas: • Store your veggies in glass dishes! We steam our fresh roasted chiles in our favorite pyrex cooking dish, no plastic needed! Works great, and you can reuse it again and again. Don't have one? Go buy one at a thrift store, they have tons of these beautful, long-lasting dishes that you can use to store cooked vegetables without the use of plastic.Fresh-roasted homegrown green chiles are the BEST!! Any glass dish with glass lid will work, we love ...
Growing Hot Peppers in PotsGrowing Hot Peppers in Pots is easy! Here are some of our top tips:Some varieties do better than others, so choose wisely, and make sure to plant them in a well-draining larger pot that is at least 5+ gallons in size. You want to make sure you have well-draining potting soil (not garden soil) with plenty of drainage holes so that the roots don't stay soggy. Here are all of our peppers that grow well in pots » OUR TOP TIPS:Growing Super Hot Peppers like the Carolina Reaper in Containers:...
What to plant in JanuaryAhhh, the middle of winter! It's just about now that we're excited to start planting seeds for spring. January is a good time to start planning what to plant in your garden if you haven't done it already. Deciding what vegetables to grow each year is part of the fun, though sometimes difficult to narrow down which varieties to grow! With over 100 peppers from around the world plus lots of veggies and tomato seeds, too, our Seed Catalog makes it hard to narrow down the choices! But...
How to Grow Chilli PlantsChillies, chiles, peppers, whatever you want to call them, are easy to grow plants in any vegetable garden. They do like warm weather, so it is best to start them indoors 6-8 weeks before hardening them off and transplanting them outdoors. Chile plants do great in 5 gallon+ pots, and they also grow very well in the ground. Make sure they have well-draining soil, and amend it with homemade compost if possible to keep the plants healthy. Here our our Top 14 Tips on How to Grow Chilli Plants: ...
Spicy Pickles RecipeGrow and make your own spicy pickles! Here's a couple recipes: Spicy Refrigerator Dill Pickle Recipe » Jalapeno Pickles Recipe » Spicy pickles are one of the easiest ways to preserve your cucumber harvest for year-round enjoyment. You can make spears or slices so you can use them on sandwiches, burgers, or just as a snack anytime. Of course, we think spicy pickles are the best, and we like to experiment with using different chiles to flavor them. Try adding Hatch Chiles for a Ne...
Happy Earth Day!Happy Earth Day! Grow your own food and shorten your food chain! Just imagine how much plastic, packaging, transportation and energy we are saving by growing more of our own food and supporting local farms. Go gardening! Other ways to help the earth: 1. Grow Food Growing your own food saves a huge amount of resources! And heck, it just tastes better when it's fresh.2. Compost Compost is nature's free fertilizer and it promotes good soil health. Composting is also nature's ultim...
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...
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...
Fermented Hot Sauce: Fermentation CrocksSince we grow so may peppers from seed, including hot peppers and super hot peppers like the Carolina Reaper, we love to make hot sauce. Fermented hot sauce is something we're new to – and we recently added a Fermentation Crock to our kitchen lineup! This large ceramic pot has a lid that sits in a "water seal" channel that can be kept filled with water. This prevents air from entering the crock once the water “seal” is poured, but still allows for the CO2 created during fermentat...
Easiest Peppers to GrowIf you haven't planned a garden yet, now is a great time. We have picked out some of the fastest growing peppers which are also of course the easiest to grow so that you can get your garden growing quickly! Here Is Our Favorites List Of TheEasiest Peppers To Grow: Early Jalapeño Seeds Early Jalapeño - The best pepper for short seasons and cooler climates! These are one of the earliest peppers, and everybody loves jalapeños because they can be prepared in so many different ways. Jalap...
Garden QuotesHere's a collection of some of our favorite Garden Quotes to brighten your day: Love people. Grow them tasty food.Gardening adds years to your life, and life to your years. Life Hack:Allow yourself 8-12 hours of time in your garden every morning to prepare for the day. Garden Harvest Quote: Happy "Let's fit the entire Garden into Jars" season! “Anyone who thinks that gardening season begins in the spring & ends in the fall is missing the best part of the year. ...
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!
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! ...
Growing seeds in winter: Winter Sowing in February
Can I winter sow in February? Yes, February is a great time for Winter Sowing in many regions like the West. We usually have to wait until mid-May here in Colorado to bring out indoor-started peppers and tomatoes and other warm weather veggies to harden off and get ready to transplant into the garden. But that doesn't mean you can't start some seeds outdoors despite the freezing weather and snow... because you can Winter Sow! Cool weather veggies, herbs and native plants can do very...
Best Seed Catalog for 2020!
If you're looking for the Best Seed Catalogs for 2020, make sure to check out Sandia Seed's new Seed Catalog, packed with over 100 different types of pepper seeds from around the world, as well as 44 tomato seeds. Many of our seeds are Organic, and all of them are non-GMO of course! Support our small, woman-owned seed company and spread the love of peppers in your neck of the woods. We specialize in Hatch Chile seeds, which are green chiles grown in the Hatch region of New Mexico. We...
Growing Tomatoes from Seed
It takes about six to eight weeks to grow tomatoes from a seed to a seedling plant that is ready to transplant outside. Start seeds indoors for best results. In 5 to 12 days your tomato seeds should germinate. Germination is best in warm temperatures (70° to 80° Fahrenheit). A heat mat for seed starting will dramatically hasten tomato seed germination. Sow seeds in cells filled with seedling mix and lightly sprinkle a bit on top to cover. Gently moisten the cells with water and place on a see...
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,...
Powdery Mildew on Zucchini
Got Powdery Mildew on Zucchini, Squash and Pumpkin Plants? This happens to all our pumpkins, squash, zucchini and cucumber plants every summer late in the season, treatments like milk or baking soda sprays don't seem to help. We usually prune off the worst affected leaves to give it more air circulation, but have learned to accept that this is the natural late-season stage here in the West. So don't worry, the squash, zucchini and pumpkins will still ripen! One thing about powder...
Hatch Chile & Basil Pesto Recipe
Spicy Hatch Chile & Basil Pesto Recipe: Roasted Hatch Chile (peeled, deseeded)Basil (you could also use Cilantro)1-2 Tablespoons of Olive OilLots of Garlic ClovesWalnutsSalt & Pepper to tasteSqueeze of lemon or limeBlend all ingredients together in a food processor. We use whatever we have on hand, you can make a big batch or a small batch, and vary up the ingredient proportions - every batch is unique to what we have to work with. You can also substitute out the walnuts for pine nuts...
Pepper Plant Care
Pepper plant care is not all that complicated, you just have to know a few things: Keep the seeds warm when germinating, they like to be between 80-90˚ F for fastest sprouting. Movement: Once germinated, make sure pepper seedlings have good air circulation and movement. Yes, you can pet your pepper seedlings by brushing or "petting" the pepper plants with your hands. This is good for your indoor seedlings as it will stimulate them to grow thicker stems, and be stockier (less l...
Zero Waste Gardening
Best Zero-Waste Gardening Ideas: • Store your veggies in glass dishes! We steam our fresh roasted chiles in our favorite pyrex cooking dish, no plastic needed! Works great, and you can reuse it again and again. Don't have one? Go buy one at a thrift store, they have tons of these beautful, long-lasting dishes that you can use to store cooked vegetables without the use of plastic.Fresh-roasted homegrown green chiles are the BEST!! Any glass dish with glass lid will work, we love ...
Growing Hot Peppers in Pots
Growing Hot Peppers in Pots is easy! Here are some of our top tips:Some varieties do better than others, so choose wisely, and make sure to plant them in a well-draining larger pot that is at least 5+ gallons in size. You want to make sure you have well-draining potting soil (not garden soil) with plenty of drainage holes so that the roots don't stay soggy. Here are all of our peppers that grow well in pots » OUR TOP TIPS:Growing Super Hot Peppers like the Carolina Reaper in Containers:...
What to plant in January
Ahhh, the middle of winter! It's just about now that we're excited to start planting seeds for spring. January is a good time to start planning what to plant in your garden if you haven't done it already. Deciding what vegetables to grow each year is part of the fun, though sometimes difficult to narrow down which varieties to grow! With over 100 peppers from around the world plus lots of veggies and tomato seeds, too, our Seed Catalog makes it hard to narrow down the choices! But...
How to Grow Chilli Plants
Chillies, chiles, peppers, whatever you want to call them, are easy to grow plants in any vegetable garden. They do like warm weather, so it is best to start them indoors 6-8 weeks before hardening them off and transplanting them outdoors. Chile plants do great in 5 gallon+ pots, and they also grow very well in the ground. Make sure they have well-draining soil, and amend it with homemade compost if possible to keep the plants healthy. Here our our Top 14 Tips on How to Grow Chilli Plants: ...
Spicy Pickles Recipe
Grow and make your own spicy pickles! Here's a couple recipes: Spicy Refrigerator Dill Pickle Recipe » Jalapeno Pickles Recipe » Spicy pickles are one of the easiest ways to preserve your cucumber harvest for year-round enjoyment. You can make spears or slices so you can use them on sandwiches, burgers, or just as a snack anytime. Of course, we think spicy pickles are the best, and we like to experiment with using different chiles to flavor them. Try adding Hatch Chiles for a Ne...
Happy Earth Day!
Happy Earth Day! Grow your own food and shorten your food chain! Just imagine how much plastic, packaging, transportation and energy we are saving by growing more of our own food and supporting local farms. Go gardening! Other ways to help the earth: 1. Grow Food Growing your own food saves a huge amount of resources! And heck, it just tastes better when it's fresh.2. Compost Compost is nature's free fertilizer and it promotes good soil health. Composting is also nature's ultim...
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...
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...
Fermented Hot Sauce: Fermentation Crocks
Since we grow so may peppers from seed, including hot peppers and super hot peppers like the Carolina Reaper, we love to make hot sauce. Fermented hot sauce is something we're new to – and we recently added a Fermentation Crock to our kitchen lineup! This large ceramic pot has a lid that sits in a "water seal" channel that can be kept filled with water. This prevents air from entering the crock once the water “seal” is poured, but still allows for the CO2 created during fermentat...
Easiest Peppers to Grow
If you haven't planned a garden yet, now is a great time. We have picked out some of the fastest growing peppers which are also of course the easiest to grow so that you can get your garden growing quickly! Here Is Our Favorites List Of TheEasiest Peppers To Grow: Early Jalapeño Seeds Early Jalapeño - The best pepper for short seasons and cooler climates! These are one of the earliest peppers, and everybody loves jalapeños because they can be prepared in so many different ways. Jalap...
Garden Quotes
Here's a collection of some of our favorite Garden Quotes to brighten your day: Love people. Grow them tasty food.Gardening adds years to your life, and life to your years. Life Hack:Allow yourself 8-12 hours of time in your garden every morning to prepare for the day. Garden Harvest Quote: Happy "Let's fit the entire Garden into Jars" season! “Anyone who thinks that gardening season begins in the spring & ends in the fall is missing the best part of the year. ...
