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! ...
Are peppers herbs or spices?We've been asked: Are peppers herbs or spices?Herbs are typically considered the leafy part of the plant, such as basil, rosemary, thyme, parsley, cilantro, and oregano. Spices, on the other hand, are typically come from the root, stem, seed, fruit, flower or bark of a plant or tree. So peppers are usually considered a spice, and they are also a fruit. Although, as with many things, these terms aren't always black and white...Peppers are both considered herbs and spices. In fact, the...
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...
Gardening ChallengesWhat are your biggest garden challenges? Every gardener has challenges, it's part of what makes gardening fun! Learning something new every year, gardeners accumulate lots of knowledge over time via experience. What are some of your top challenges in your garden? WeatherWeather can be harsh sometimes, especially with late spring storms, hurricanes and tropical storms, non-stop rain, freezing cold temperatures, super hot 90˚F+ temperatures, you name it. We like to start many vegetables suc...
How to Transplant Pepper PlantsHow to Transplant Pepper Plants Whether you started your own pepper seeds, or if you're transplanting peppers from the garden center, here are our top tips for best success. Transplanting peppers is a simple process, though there are a few tricks to help your pepper transplants thrive. 1. Make sure to harden off your seedlings first! This simply means to bring indoor-started pepper plants outside and expose them to the sun gradually. This will help avoid transplant shock. 2. Create Labe...
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...
How to grow hot peppers: The best advice from pepper growersWhat is the best hot pepper growing advice you have ever received? Just go for it! Some people just don't try. Grow some of the fastest growing peppers to start, as they are easier to germinate and you get to harvest them much sooner than some other varieties such as many of the super hot peppers. These fast growing peppers are also great for short season gardening – so you can get plenty of peppers before your first frost. Start Seeds Indoors: We recommend starting hot pepper seeds ...
When to Plant Cucumber SeedsWondering when to plant cucumber seeds? Well, it's mid-June and it is the perfect time to plant cucumber seeds! You can plant cucumbers seeds after all chance of frost has past, for many areas in the United States that is from May to June, depending on your growing region. As they are fast growing, you could also plant cucumber seeds in June and early July and still have time for a harvest in late summer and fall. We find that they do best when planted directly in the ground. But, if you ...
What Seeds to Plant in AugustWondering what to plant in August? In the West, we start seeds for the following vegetables in August:Lettuces, spinach, beets, carrots, green onions, cilantro, basil, bok choy, mizuna, kale, peas, green beans, broccoli, sugar snap peas, radishes and cabbage. Now is a great time to fill in bare spots in your garden or to start seeds to plant into places where cucumbers, basil or other summer veggies are at the end of their production. Vegetables to Plant in August-SeptemberSome of the cool w...
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...
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. ...
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...
Hatch Chile Guacamole RecipeHatch Chile Guacamole Recipe 2-3 Avocados 1/2 Cup Roasted Hatch Chile, diced1/2 Lime, juiced Cilantro (to taste), chopped (optional*) 2 Cloves of Garlic, minced1/4 cup Tomatoes, Chopped1 fresh Jalapeno, diced (optional for heat and crunch)Salt & Pepper Mash avocado, add lime juice, cilantro, Hatch chile, jalapeno, garlic, salt and pepper, mix lightly. Serve with chips, on tacos, burritos, sandwiches, tostadas... you name it! *Cilantro is optional for those of you who detest it. We ...
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...
Spicy Zucchini Fritters RecipeSpicy Zucchini Fritters Recipe When you have a giant zucchini or lots of summer squash, make a big batch of these spicy fritters and enjoy them all week! 4-8 Cups of shredded Giant Zucchini or summer squash2 teaspoons salt, pepper to taste1-3 eggs* (add extra egg or 2 if the zuke is a GIANT!)1/2-1 Cup+ chopped Green Onions, or any onion and/or shallots1/2-1 Cup diced red or Green Chiles or Hot Peppers to taste(use any hot peppers you desire, roasted chiles are great in this recipe!) 2-3+ Ga...
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! ...
Are peppers herbs or spices?
We've been asked: Are peppers herbs or spices?Herbs are typically considered the leafy part of the plant, such as basil, rosemary, thyme, parsley, cilantro, and oregano. Spices, on the other hand, are typically come from the root, stem, seed, fruit, flower or bark of a plant or tree. So peppers are usually considered a spice, and they are also a fruit. Although, as with many things, these terms aren't always black and white...Peppers are both considered herbs and spices. In fact, the...
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...
Gardening Challenges
What are your biggest garden challenges? Every gardener has challenges, it's part of what makes gardening fun! Learning something new every year, gardeners accumulate lots of knowledge over time via experience. What are some of your top challenges in your garden? WeatherWeather can be harsh sometimes, especially with late spring storms, hurricanes and tropical storms, non-stop rain, freezing cold temperatures, super hot 90˚F+ temperatures, you name it. We like to start many vegetables suc...
How to Transplant Pepper Plants
How to Transplant Pepper Plants Whether you started your own pepper seeds, or if you're transplanting peppers from the garden center, here are our top tips for best success. Transplanting peppers is a simple process, though there are a few tricks to help your pepper transplants thrive. 1. Make sure to harden off your seedlings first! This simply means to bring indoor-started pepper plants outside and expose them to the sun gradually. This will help avoid transplant shock. 2. Create Labe...
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...
How to grow hot peppers: The best advice from pepper growers
What is the best hot pepper growing advice you have ever received? Just go for it! Some people just don't try. Grow some of the fastest growing peppers to start, as they are easier to germinate and you get to harvest them much sooner than some other varieties such as many of the super hot peppers. These fast growing peppers are also great for short season gardening – so you can get plenty of peppers before your first frost. Start Seeds Indoors: We recommend starting hot pepper seeds ...
When to Plant Cucumber Seeds
Wondering when to plant cucumber seeds? Well, it's mid-June and it is the perfect time to plant cucumber seeds! You can plant cucumbers seeds after all chance of frost has past, for many areas in the United States that is from May to June, depending on your growing region. As they are fast growing, you could also plant cucumber seeds in June and early July and still have time for a harvest in late summer and fall. We find that they do best when planted directly in the ground. But, if you ...
What Seeds to Plant in August
Wondering what to plant in August? In the West, we start seeds for the following vegetables in August:Lettuces, spinach, beets, carrots, green onions, cilantro, basil, bok choy, mizuna, kale, peas, green beans, broccoli, sugar snap peas, radishes and cabbage. Now is a great time to fill in bare spots in your garden or to start seeds to plant into places where cucumbers, basil or other summer veggies are at the end of their production. Vegetables to Plant in August-SeptemberSome of the cool w...
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...
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. ...
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...
Hatch Chile Guacamole Recipe
Hatch Chile Guacamole Recipe 2-3 Avocados 1/2 Cup Roasted Hatch Chile, diced1/2 Lime, juiced Cilantro (to taste), chopped (optional*) 2 Cloves of Garlic, minced1/4 cup Tomatoes, Chopped1 fresh Jalapeno, diced (optional for heat and crunch)Salt & Pepper Mash avocado, add lime juice, cilantro, Hatch chile, jalapeno, garlic, salt and pepper, mix lightly. Serve with chips, on tacos, burritos, sandwiches, tostadas... you name it! *Cilantro is optional for those of you who detest it. We ...
Spicy Zucchini Fritters Recipe
Spicy Zucchini Fritters Recipe When you have a giant zucchini or lots of summer squash, make a big batch of these spicy fritters and enjoy them all week! 4-8 Cups of shredded Giant Zucchini or summer squash2 teaspoons salt, pepper to taste1-3 eggs* (add extra egg or 2 if the zuke is a GIANT!)1/2-1 Cup+ chopped Green Onions, or any onion and/or shallots1/2-1 Cup diced red or Green Chiles or Hot Peppers to taste(use any hot peppers you desire, roasted chiles are great in this recipe!) 2-3+ Ga...
