Sphagnum Moss vs Peat MossThere is a lot of confusion about the labeling of sphagnum moss and peat moss. The important difference between these two mosses has never been clearly explained to most gardeners. So, this article will try to clear up the confusion and describe how they are both similar, yet two very different soil amendments. Sphagnum moss is pH neutral. Yes, you read that right. Generally, the pH of sphagnum moss is pH neutral. It is soft, pliable, and very water-retentive. It is used to line baskets, a...
Summer Succotash with Peaches & Cream CornSuccotash is a celebration of all the vibrant vegetables coming into season. It is an American dish created where the Three Sisters of corn, beans, and squash are native. Although succotash is mainly composed of vegetables, it is not unusual for bacon to be added for flavor. Succotash knows no limits when it comes to substitutions. The cherry tomatoes have a nice fresh flavor, but when ripe red tomatoes are at their peak, dice and add them for a rich flavor. Early season jalapeños can be us...
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...
Seed Shipping to Canada Resumed!Hey, good news! We're able to ship to Canada once again! 🙂🇨🇦 Lots of our customers are from Canada, and they love growing our New Mexico Chile varieties as well as other peppers of the world! We also have some of the best vegetables to grow in Canada that thrive in cooler weather and shorter growing seasons, making them ideal for the country's climates. These include leafy greens including lettuce or spinach, root vegetables including beets and carrots, plus peas, radishes, cabbages, ...
What do you love about GardeningWhat's not to love about Gardening? Seeing seeds sprout and grow into giant plants loaded with an abundance veggies and fruits like peppers, tomatoes, herbs and seed-filled flowers is like witnessing a miracle every time. And when the birds and pollinators show up, it is pure bliss. Watching a swallowtail butterfly and bumblebees visit the blooms, or a goldfinch enjoying the seeds of coneflowers and sunflowers is... time-stopping. We asked you... What do you love about Gardening? Here ...
Best Peppers for Hot SauceWe've picked out our favorite peppers for hot sauce (and some of your favorites) that you can grow in your garden to make hot sauce! Find our favorite hot sauce recipes and make them your own with any of these hot peppers. You can use any hot pepper or combination of peppers to make hot sauce, so don't feel limited, experiment! The sky's the limit. You'll find that some you love some peppers even more than others, but it's fun to try them all. Hot sauce captures the essenc...
Happy first day of Autumn!Happy first day of Autumn! Wow, where does the time go? May your harvests bring you joy! Did you know? The autumnal equinox marks the moment when day and night are approximately equal in length, signaling the transition from summer to autumn. Harvesting lots of peppers? Try our Chile Recipes to use your harvest »How to make a Ristra to dry your chiles »How to dry peppers without a dehydrator » Can you plant veggies in Autumn? Even if you live in an area with cold winters, You can ...
Heirloom Pepper Seeds: The Fish PepperFascinating heirloom Fish Pepper plants have variegated foliage and bear lots of delicious hot pods with stripes. The peppers start out green with white stripes and eventually turn to orange with brown stripes and then to red. They are hot and tasty with up to 30,000 Scovilles and are great for salsas, curries, chili and sauces. Easy to grow, great for containers, this is a pepper every chilehead will love to have in their garden! Fish Pepper plants often start out green – the mottled f...
Vegetables You Can Plant in SeptemberJust because it's September, gardening season isn't over yet! There are still plenty of veggies you can plant now. Here are some of our top recommendations: Here are some veggies you can still plant in September: Lettuce - Little Gem is a great variety to start in September! It also can tolerate light frosts. Spinach - Bloomsdale Spinach, a cold-hardy beloved heirloom variety known for its thick, crinkly dark green leaves and rich, nutty flavor. Bunching Onions - a hardy, fas...
2026 Seed Catalog - Peppers of the WorldWe are so excited for our new 2026 Seed Catalog, packed with peppers, tomatoes, veggies and lots of recipes, growing tips and pepper growing info. Check out what we have coming in our newest Seed Catalog! Our seed catalog has 36 pages of colorful photos and info that is a great coffee or dinner table companion, and can be used in the kitchen, too! Dream up next season's vegetable garden with over 100 peppers and tons of tomatoes and vegetables to grow to have a variety of delicious harve...
Tomato spotted wilt virus - mottled tomatoesThe above photo of some wild looking mottled tomatoes is damage most likely caused by the Tomato spotted wilt virus. Plants infected with Tomato spotted wilt virus exhibit bronzing of the upper sides of young leaves, which later develop distinct, necrotic mottled spots. It looks wild, but it usually results in a less tasty tomato though it is still safe to eat if it doesn't taste too bad. This viral disease is infectious to many other plants including peppers, so it's best to remove ...
Pesto RecipeSimple Pesto Recipe: 2 Cups of Basil – or more, who measures Basil? We usually just use all that we have on hand, you can make larger or smaller batches depending on how much basil you have. You can use both the leaves and any non-woody stems. 1/2 Cup of Nuts - we like to use hulled pumpkin seeds, pine nuts are traditional, but people also use walnuts, almonds, pistachios or even peanuts for pestos, they all bring their own flavor profile to the table. Vary quantity as desired 1/4 cup of...
How to store fresh Basil from the GardenWhat is the best way to save fresh basil? If you pick some fresh basil for other herbs from your garden, it's always good to use the herbs right away. But, if you pick it in the morning, you may want to keep it fresh until you're ready to make lunch or dinner with it or perhaps use it in the next day or two. Well, first things first – don't put your basil in the fridge! Why shouldn't you refrigerate fresh basil? It can turn the leaves black, and it will lose flavor when it get...
Ten great peppers for pots in small spaces!Peppers are a great vegetable to grow on a patio, deck or sunny balcony. So if you don't have a lot of space, you can still grow some peppers! Some people even grow them under lights indoors, year-round! Above are Fire and Ice peppers growing in a glorious blue ceramic pot – this variety is perfect for patio containers as it really looks like fire at the end of the season with colorful yellow to orange to red peppers growing upwards. Most peppers grow great in pots and containers – and ca...
Powdery Mildew on Squash & PumpkinsDo you have powdery mildew on your squash plants? Do you struggle with powdery mildew on your squash, pumpkins and cucumbers later in the season? Well, don't fret, it is very common. Powdery mildew occurs when the soil is too dry or has inconsistent moisture – however, it is also natural as the plants age towards the end of the season. Powdery mildew is normal, and happens to nearly all cucurbit plants (squash, cucumbers, pumpkins, zucchini) at some point towards the end of the season. T...
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 &...
Growing Spaghetti SquashAre spaghetti squash hard to grow? Growing spaghetti squash seeds are some of the easiest and rewarding squashes to grow! They are easy to start from seed, you can direct sow them in mounds in your garden, no need to start them indoors. In fact, we find that direct sown squash often do better than their indoor-started counterparts, this is in part because they have sensitive root systems that don't like to be disturbed (aka transplanted). Make sure to provide good soil for them, they lik...
Chile FestivalsWe just compiled a list of all the festivals we've heard about, check them out below. Let us know if we missed any! NEW MEXICO CHILE FESTIVALS: Hatch Chile Festival Sept 5–6, 2026 Hatch, New MexicoAnnual harvest celebration of everything Hatch Chile held every Labor Day weekend. This is the quintessential harvest celebration featuring the legendary chile queen pageant, massive roasting, and a parade. We're definitely going to this one! Green Chile Fest - AlbuquerqueSept 18-2...
Best Hot Sauces: Our Top Picks for Heat and FlavorWe are starting this post to talk about our favorite hot sauces! As spice-addicted chileheads, we love both homemade hot sauce recipes and commercial hot sauces – and we have a whole fridge shelf full of them and the selection is ever-changing. What are your favorite hot sauces? Best Hot Sauces: Our Top Picks for Heat and Flavor Marie Sharp's is one of the best hot sauce companies out there, we haven't met one of their hot sauces that we didn't like. Based in Belize, Marie Sharp ...
Best Seed CatalogDiscover the Best Seed Catalog! Grow Peppers of the World with Sandia Seed! Our Sandia Seed catalog is widely considered one of the best seed catalogs for pepper lovers and Southwestern-style gardens, especially if the gardener enjoys chiles, hot peppers, and New Mexico–style vegetables. It stands out for its beautiful design, huge pepper selection, and practical growing info, making it both a useful tool and a fun gift. View our full online seed catalog to see every seed featured in our prin...
Summer Succotash with Peaches & Cream Corn
Succotash is a celebration of all the vibrant vegetables coming into season. It is an American dish created where the Three Sisters of corn, beans, and squash are native. Although succotash is mainly composed of vegetables, it is not unusual for bacon to be added for flavor. Succotash knows no limits when it comes to substitutions. The cherry tomatoes have a nice fresh flavor, but when ripe red tomatoes are at their peak, dice and add them for a rich flavor. Early season jalapeños can be us...
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...
Seed Shipping to Canada Resumed!
Hey, good news! We're able to ship to Canada once again! 🙂🇨🇦 Lots of our customers are from Canada, and they love growing our New Mexico Chile varieties as well as other peppers of the world! We also have some of the best vegetables to grow in Canada that thrive in cooler weather and shorter growing seasons, making them ideal for the country's climates. These include leafy greens including lettuce or spinach, root vegetables including beets and carrots, plus peas, radishes, cabbages, ...
What do you love about Gardening
What's not to love about Gardening? Seeing seeds sprout and grow into giant plants loaded with an abundance veggies and fruits like peppers, tomatoes, herbs and seed-filled flowers is like witnessing a miracle every time. And when the birds and pollinators show up, it is pure bliss. Watching a swallowtail butterfly and bumblebees visit the blooms, or a goldfinch enjoying the seeds of coneflowers and sunflowers is... time-stopping. We asked you... What do you love about Gardening? Here ...
Best Peppers for Hot Sauce
We've picked out our favorite peppers for hot sauce (and some of your favorites) that you can grow in your garden to make hot sauce! Find our favorite hot sauce recipes and make them your own with any of these hot peppers. You can use any hot pepper or combination of peppers to make hot sauce, so don't feel limited, experiment! The sky's the limit. You'll find that some you love some peppers even more than others, but it's fun to try them all. Hot sauce captures the essenc...
Happy first day of Autumn!
Happy first day of Autumn! Wow, where does the time go? May your harvests bring you joy! Did you know? The autumnal equinox marks the moment when day and night are approximately equal in length, signaling the transition from summer to autumn. Harvesting lots of peppers? Try our Chile Recipes to use your harvest »How to make a Ristra to dry your chiles »How to dry peppers without a dehydrator » Can you plant veggies in Autumn? Even if you live in an area with cold winters, You can ...
Heirloom Pepper Seeds: The Fish Pepper
Fascinating heirloom Fish Pepper plants have variegated foliage and bear lots of delicious hot pods with stripes. The peppers start out green with white stripes and eventually turn to orange with brown stripes and then to red. They are hot and tasty with up to 30,000 Scovilles and are great for salsas, curries, chili and sauces. Easy to grow, great for containers, this is a pepper every chilehead will love to have in their garden! Fish Pepper plants often start out green – the mottled f...
Vegetables You Can Plant in September
Just because it's September, gardening season isn't over yet! There are still plenty of veggies you can plant now. Here are some of our top recommendations: Here are some veggies you can still plant in September: Lettuce - Little Gem is a great variety to start in September! It also can tolerate light frosts. Spinach - Bloomsdale Spinach, a cold-hardy beloved heirloom variety known for its thick, crinkly dark green leaves and rich, nutty flavor. Bunching Onions - a hardy, fas...
2026 Seed Catalog - Peppers of the World
We are so excited for our new 2026 Seed Catalog, packed with peppers, tomatoes, veggies and lots of recipes, growing tips and pepper growing info. Check out what we have coming in our newest Seed Catalog! Our seed catalog has 36 pages of colorful photos and info that is a great coffee or dinner table companion, and can be used in the kitchen, too! Dream up next season's vegetable garden with over 100 peppers and tons of tomatoes and vegetables to grow to have a variety of delicious harve...
Tomato spotted wilt virus - mottled tomatoes
The above photo of some wild looking mottled tomatoes is damage most likely caused by the Tomato spotted wilt virus. Plants infected with Tomato spotted wilt virus exhibit bronzing of the upper sides of young leaves, which later develop distinct, necrotic mottled spots. It looks wild, but it usually results in a less tasty tomato though it is still safe to eat if it doesn't taste too bad. This viral disease is infectious to many other plants including peppers, so it's best to remove ...
Pesto Recipe
Simple Pesto Recipe: 2 Cups of Basil – or more, who measures Basil? We usually just use all that we have on hand, you can make larger or smaller batches depending on how much basil you have. You can use both the leaves and any non-woody stems. 1/2 Cup of Nuts - we like to use hulled pumpkin seeds, pine nuts are traditional, but people also use walnuts, almonds, pistachios or even peanuts for pestos, they all bring their own flavor profile to the table. Vary quantity as desired 1/4 cup of...
How to store fresh Basil from the Garden
What is the best way to save fresh basil? If you pick some fresh basil for other herbs from your garden, it's always good to use the herbs right away. But, if you pick it in the morning, you may want to keep it fresh until you're ready to make lunch or dinner with it or perhaps use it in the next day or two. Well, first things first – don't put your basil in the fridge! Why shouldn't you refrigerate fresh basil? It can turn the leaves black, and it will lose flavor when it get...
Ten great peppers for pots in small spaces!
Peppers are a great vegetable to grow on a patio, deck or sunny balcony. So if you don't have a lot of space, you can still grow some peppers! Some people even grow them under lights indoors, year-round! Above are Fire and Ice peppers growing in a glorious blue ceramic pot – this variety is perfect for patio containers as it really looks like fire at the end of the season with colorful yellow to orange to red peppers growing upwards. Most peppers grow great in pots and containers – and ca...
Powdery Mildew on Squash & Pumpkins
Do you have powdery mildew on your squash plants? Do you struggle with powdery mildew on your squash, pumpkins and cucumbers later in the season? Well, don't fret, it is very common. Powdery mildew occurs when the soil is too dry or has inconsistent moisture – however, it is also natural as the plants age towards the end of the season. Powdery mildew is normal, and happens to nearly all cucurbit plants (squash, cucumbers, pumpkins, zucchini) at some point towards the end of the season. T...
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 &...
Growing Spaghetti Squash
Are spaghetti squash hard to grow? Growing spaghetti squash seeds are some of the easiest and rewarding squashes to grow! They are easy to start from seed, you can direct sow them in mounds in your garden, no need to start them indoors. In fact, we find that direct sown squash often do better than their indoor-started counterparts, this is in part because they have sensitive root systems that don't like to be disturbed (aka transplanted). Make sure to provide good soil for them, they lik...
Chile Festivals
We just compiled a list of all the festivals we've heard about, check them out below. Let us know if we missed any! NEW MEXICO CHILE FESTIVALS: Hatch Chile Festival Sept 5–6, 2026 Hatch, New MexicoAnnual harvest celebration of everything Hatch Chile held every Labor Day weekend. This is the quintessential harvest celebration featuring the legendary chile queen pageant, massive roasting, and a parade. We're definitely going to this one! Green Chile Fest - AlbuquerqueSept 18-2...
Best Hot Sauces: Our Top Picks for Heat and Flavor
We are starting this post to talk about our favorite hot sauces! As spice-addicted chileheads, we love both homemade hot sauce recipes and commercial hot sauces – and we have a whole fridge shelf full of them and the selection is ever-changing. What are your favorite hot sauces? Best Hot Sauces: Our Top Picks for Heat and Flavor Marie Sharp's is one of the best hot sauce companies out there, we haven't met one of their hot sauces that we didn't like. Based in Belize, Marie Sharp ...
Best Seed Catalog
Discover the Best Seed Catalog! Grow Peppers of the World with Sandia Seed! Our Sandia Seed catalog is widely considered one of the best seed catalogs for pepper lovers and Southwestern-style gardens, especially if the gardener enjoys chiles, hot peppers, and New Mexico–style vegetables. It stands out for its beautiful design, huge pepper selection, and practical growing info, making it both a useful tool and a fun gift. View our full online seed catalog to see every seed featured in our prin...
