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  1. 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! ...
  2. August Gardening Tips 1. Harvest your Peppers (and other veggies)!Simply harvesting your peppers and other summer vegetables like tomatoes, squash, zucchini, and eggplant can help them continue to produce more fruits over time. Harvesting will encourage the plant to produce more blooms. Does picking peppers make more grow? Yes, the more peppers you pick, the more peppers will continue growing on your plant! Keep harvesting peppers as soon as they are ripe and firm so you can grow more! Read more »2. How to know wh...
  3. 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...
  4. Why are mushrooms growing in my vegetable garden? Why are there mushrooms growing in my pepper plant's soil? Do you have mushrooms growing in your pepper plant container or in the vegetable garden? If mushrooms are growing in your pots or in your garden, don't worry! They are actually a sign of good soil health, and it is perfectly normal. Mushrooms growing in your vegetable garden is even considered a sign of good luck in some areas of the world! Fungi are masters of the soil, and they can benefit your vegetable plants, it is a sign...
  5. 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: ...
  6. Sustainable Gardening - Our Top 12 Tips! Happy Earth Day Everyday! Gardening is a great way to be more sustainable. Growing your own food, herbs, and flowers for pollinators and wildlife is a great way to make a difference! Here are our top 12 Tips for Sustainable Gardening: 1. Compost: Recycling your food scraps, paper and yard debris is a great way to reuse and recycle all of that good stuff to turn it into what we call "Gardener's Gold." Compost helps feed your plants with natural nutrients all season long, and i...
  7. How do you care for Jimmy Nardello peppers? Jimmy Nardello pepper plants are easy to grow and care for, and can be started from seed. The sweet pods are delicious and these are relatively fast-growing peppers so you can enjoy them for a long harvest. It is best to start your Jimmy Nardello seeds indoors in temperatures between 80-90˚ F for best germination, we like to use a heat mat to keep them warm until germination. The seeds should be sown indoors 6 to 8 weeks prior to planting outdoors. Use well-draining seed starting mix, and use...
  8. Compost Pumpkins! Did you grow pumpkins this year for Halloween jack-o-lanterns? Get some extra life out of your pumpkins and compost them! Your garden soil will thank you next spring when you reap the compost harvest. Are pumpkins good to compost?Yes, they are! Pumpkins are compostable, seeds and all. Used jack-o-lanterns make the best compost and break down quickly into nutrient-rich fertilizer for your garden.How long does it take for a pumpkin to compost?Not long! Whole pumpkins can take 8-12 weeks to sta...
  9. What is so special about Aleppo pepper? What is so special about Aleppo pepper?The Aleppo pepper was named the Herb of the Month by the Herb Society of America in September 2023 because of it's outstanding qualities. The Aleppo pepper is delicious as it's mildly spicy and wonderfully sweet – reminiscent of sun-dried tomatoes or raisins combined with cumin and fruity citrus. Their rich flavor and color add depth to any dish – so make sure to grow Aleppo peppers in your garden to store in your spice cabinet! They dry easily a...
  10. 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...
  11. Purple Peppers Sandia Seed has a wide variety of purple peppers that you can grow easily from seed! Purple in the garden is always a welcome sight! And, when you use purple peppers in your salads and recipes, they really add some great flavor and color! Our favorite purple peppers include both sweet and hot peppers. To start, we'll introduce you to our purple hot peppers. Our Purple Bhut Jolokia Ghost Peppers start out in beautiful purple then ripen to white/pale green and eventually turn to a deep pur...
  12. Free Shipping on Seeds Signup for Free Shipping! We'll email free shipping coupon codes tomorrow (Friday, March 6, 2020) to our newsletter subscribers. If you're already signed up, stay tuned tomorrow, or signup above to get on our list. Newsletter Signup »Don't worry, we only send out occasional emails, we won't bombard your inbox! We carry over 100 pepper seeds from around the world plus 44 of our favorite tomatoes including lots of heirloom and organic varieties! View our full online seed ca...
  13. Best Seed Catalogs Check out the best seed catalog for 2025! We just got these in and are excited to be mailing them out – make sure to order one today for fall and winter reading and dreaming of the season to come! While there are lots of beautiful seed catalogs out there, we think the best seed catalog is our own! We'll admit, we're a little biased, but we love peppers! Our Sandia Seed Catalog is packed with over 101 of our favorite chile peppers from around the world, plus 59 varieties of tomato ...
  14. Growing Peppers from Seed: Our Top 12 Tips Growing Peppers from SeedOur Top 12 Tips 1. Use Fresh Pepper Seeds When stored in perfect conditions, pepper seeds can be viable for up to 25 years, but generally 2-5 years is more realistic for good germination rates. Keep in mind that the older the seeds get, the less likely they will sprout. Store seeds in a cool, dark, dry environment. Remember, seeds are meant to be grown, so plant them! Of course you can still plant old seeds (a few years old), because they can still germinate. Jus...
  15. Best Presents for Gardeners Looking for the best Presents for Gardeners? Here's our list of our seven favorite present ideas for gardeners. #1 Best Presents for Gardeners:SEEDS!You can never go wrong with seeds! Gardeners always are collecting seeds, and new varieties are always a treat to grow! Sandia Seed offers over 100 chile peppers from around the world, plus over 44 Tomato seeds including lots of heirloom and organic varieties. View our full seed catalog » Our Organic Food Garden Seed Collection is the per...
  16. 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:...