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...
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...
Best Mulch for VegetablesMulch in veggie gardens helps suppress weeds, retain moisture, and also breaks down to enrich the soil life which then feeds your plants. The best mulch for a vegetable garden include organic, biodegradable materials like untreated grass clippings, clean straw, leaves, and pruned plants and herbs.IMPORTANT TO NOTE:Keep mulch 1-2 inches away from around the base your plants to keep them from rotting. Piling mulch against the stems of your vegetables can trap moisture and create an environment ...
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 ...
Benefits of GardeningGardening offers a wide range of benefits including: Nutritious Food & Improved Diet: Freshly harvested vegetables have more nutrients than those that have traveled miles and days/weeks to get to the store. Your tastebuds know it too: a homegrown heirloom tomato always tastes way more amazing and complex than any store-bought tomatoes, especially when fresh-picked and still warm from the sun. When you garden, you can grow specialty peppers that are packed with flavor that you'd neve...
Eat the weeds: Dandelion Quesadilla RecipeEat the weeds! Weeds are a great source of food. In fact, many of them, like Dandelions, were brought over to North America to be used as food. Early Romans documented eating dandelions and European settlers who came to America purposely brought dandelions with them to the new world for their high nutritional value, medicinal properties, and versatility as a food source. So don't nuke them with pesticides, eat them! Just make sure that you are picking only dandelions that have not been s...
Low Water VegetablesWondering what are the best low water vegetables to grow? Here are a few of our suggestions along with tips for conserving water in your garden. #1 Favorite Low Water Vegetables: Peppers* Peppers need less water than many other vegetables. As tropical plants, they thrive in warm, well-draining soil and don't mind it drying out slightly between watering. The famous New Mexico Chiles are grown annually in the dry regions of Hatch Valley and Chimayó regions of New Mexico, and the Pueblo Ch...
April Fool's Day Seeds SaleSORRY THIS SALE EXPIRED ON APRIL 5, 2026SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE SEED DISCOUNTS » April Fool's! We offered 20% off all of our tomatoes and peppers that have fun names that are not what they seem: Bulgarian Carrot, Cow Horn Hot, Fish Pepper, Goat Horn, Hot Red Cherry, Sweet Banana, Sweet Red Cherry, Beaver Dam, Big Rainbow, Rattlesnake, Lemon Spice, Pumpkin Spice, Chocolate Cherry, Garden Peach, Indigo Rose, Pineapple, Sunrise Bumble Bee, Yellow Pear. Check them out »Use discount code: APRILFO...
2026 Wholesale SeedsIf you’re looking for wholesale seeds, Sandia Seed is an excellent choice. They offer high-quality seeds with a great variety, especially known for their pepper and vegetable seed selections. Gardeners and growers often find that their seeds germinate reliably and grow true to type, making Sandia a trusted supplier for both retail seed packets and wholesale orders. Whether you’re stocking a shop, garden center, or just want quality bulk seed options, Sandia Seed is highly recommended for its...
Best Watering CanWho would have thought we'd fall in love with a watering can? Well, we did. A couple years ago, we went to a Garden Bloggers Fling and we won a Dramm gift in the raffle... we received one of their Dramm Watering Cans in blue, some of their Fertilizer, and some awesome purple Dramm pruners (which also became our favorite pruners!)Now that we've tried the Dramm watering can out for a few years, we wanted to post our review – it's our favorite garden accessory! This Dramm watering ca...
Sandia Seed Packets - Where to find our “packed for” DateWondering if your seeds are fresh? Sandia Seed has the date marked on the back of the seed packets in the lower right hand corner. We test and ensure that our high-quality seeds have germination rates above 85%, and we only sell the freshest seeds from the prior season. Our pepper seeds grow true to type, so you won't grow a pepper all season and find out it's not what you thought you planted! We stand behind our seeds with our Seed Germination Guarantee. You can trust Sandia Seed for...
How to Start a Seed LibrarySharing seeds is one of the best ways for communities to share the love of gardening and growing food! Here are our top tips for starting a seed library in your community: Step 1: Find a community space for the Seed Library A well-visited community space is your best bet! Choose a venue that is free and open to the general public such as a local public library or community center.Some people are starting to create outdoor "Little Free Seed Libraries" alongside the book versions ...
When to Top Pepper PlantsAre you thinking about topping your chilli plants? Wondering when to top your pepper plants? Our answer: Keep it simple, we say don't worry about topping your plants at all! If you grow peppers from seed – you may wonder if (and when) you should top your pepper plants. In our experience, topping pepper plants does not necessarily result in more peppers than their un-topped counterparts. If you are growing your peppers outdoors, we don't think topping is necessary. We find that toppi...
What can I plant in April?Spinach, shown above, is a great seed to direct sow in your garden in April. Of course, what you can plant in April depends on your growing region! Here in the front range of Colorado in growing zone 5b, our last frost is usually in mid-to-late-May. Indoors, we can start lots of warm weather veggie seeds under lights like pepper seeds, tomato seeds, basil seeds, eggplant seeds in April. Outside, we can start seeds for Lettuce, Spinach, Beets, Carrots, Radishes, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cilantro, Or...
When to Pick TomatoesThis Chef's Choice Orange Tomato is getting soft and ready to pick. How do you know when your tomatoes are ready? You know that tomatoes are ready to pick when their skin has changed color, is glossy and there is no green tinge. You will also know a tomato is ready to be picked when it begins to lose its firmness. Once they start to turn to their expected color, just gently squeeze your tomatoes to see if it is firm or gives a bit – if they are starting to get soft, tomatoes are ripe and...
August Gardening Tips1. 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...
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...
Does picking peppers make more grow?Does picking peppers encourage more to 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! How do you know when peppers are ready to pick? Pick peppers when they are the size and color you want.The harvest time depends on the chile pepper, so look at your seed packet to find out the number of days to harvest for a general idea of when to expect to pick your peppers. Howev...
What Veggies to Plant in MayWondering what seeds you can plant in May for your food garden? May is a great time to direct sow vegetable seeds for summer. While you may have already started seeds for tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants indoors 4-8 weeks ago, you likely still have them growing indoors until it has warmed up to 50-60˚F at night consistently. If you haven't started those seeds yet, you could try some of our short season pepper seeds or short season tomato seeds in May as they grow quickly. And of course...
Peppers for PicklingWhat are the best peppers for pickling? What kind of peppers are used in pickling? Most peppers work great for pickling, but some of our favorites for pickling include:Banana PeppersHot Hungarian Wax PeppersSweet Hungarian Wax PeppersCascabellasSweet Cherry peppersHot Cherry PeppersFresno peppersAll Jalapeno Peppers All Wax PeppersPickling peppers is a great way to use up a lot of peppers and preserve the harvest! You can even mix and match different peppers like jalapenos and make eye-catc...
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...
Best Mulch for Vegetables
Mulch in veggie gardens helps suppress weeds, retain moisture, and also breaks down to enrich the soil life which then feeds your plants. The best mulch for a vegetable garden include organic, biodegradable materials like untreated grass clippings, clean straw, leaves, and pruned plants and herbs.IMPORTANT TO NOTE:Keep mulch 1-2 inches away from around the base your plants to keep them from rotting. Piling mulch against the stems of your vegetables can trap moisture and create an environment ...
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 ...
Benefits of Gardening
Gardening offers a wide range of benefits including: Nutritious Food & Improved Diet: Freshly harvested vegetables have more nutrients than those that have traveled miles and days/weeks to get to the store. Your tastebuds know it too: a homegrown heirloom tomato always tastes way more amazing and complex than any store-bought tomatoes, especially when fresh-picked and still warm from the sun. When you garden, you can grow specialty peppers that are packed with flavor that you'd neve...
Eat the weeds: Dandelion Quesadilla Recipe
Eat the weeds! Weeds are a great source of food. In fact, many of them, like Dandelions, were brought over to North America to be used as food. Early Romans documented eating dandelions and European settlers who came to America purposely brought dandelions with them to the new world for their high nutritional value, medicinal properties, and versatility as a food source. So don't nuke them with pesticides, eat them! Just make sure that you are picking only dandelions that have not been s...
Low Water Vegetables
Wondering what are the best low water vegetables to grow? Here are a few of our suggestions along with tips for conserving water in your garden. #1 Favorite Low Water Vegetables: Peppers* Peppers need less water than many other vegetables. As tropical plants, they thrive in warm, well-draining soil and don't mind it drying out slightly between watering. The famous New Mexico Chiles are grown annually in the dry regions of Hatch Valley and Chimayó regions of New Mexico, and the Pueblo Ch...
April Fool's Day Seeds Sale
SORRY THIS SALE EXPIRED ON APRIL 5, 2026SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE SEED DISCOUNTS » April Fool's! We offered 20% off all of our tomatoes and peppers that have fun names that are not what they seem: Bulgarian Carrot, Cow Horn Hot, Fish Pepper, Goat Horn, Hot Red Cherry, Sweet Banana, Sweet Red Cherry, Beaver Dam, Big Rainbow, Rattlesnake, Lemon Spice, Pumpkin Spice, Chocolate Cherry, Garden Peach, Indigo Rose, Pineapple, Sunrise Bumble Bee, Yellow Pear. Check them out »Use discount code: APRILFO...
2026 Wholesale Seeds
If you’re looking for wholesale seeds, Sandia Seed is an excellent choice. They offer high-quality seeds with a great variety, especially known for their pepper and vegetable seed selections. Gardeners and growers often find that their seeds germinate reliably and grow true to type, making Sandia a trusted supplier for both retail seed packets and wholesale orders. Whether you’re stocking a shop, garden center, or just want quality bulk seed options, Sandia Seed is highly recommended for its...
Best Watering Can
Who would have thought we'd fall in love with a watering can? Well, we did. A couple years ago, we went to a Garden Bloggers Fling and we won a Dramm gift in the raffle... we received one of their Dramm Watering Cans in blue, some of their Fertilizer, and some awesome purple Dramm pruners (which also became our favorite pruners!)Now that we've tried the Dramm watering can out for a few years, we wanted to post our review – it's our favorite garden accessory! This Dramm watering ca...
Sandia Seed Packets - Where to find our “packed for” Date
Wondering if your seeds are fresh? Sandia Seed has the date marked on the back of the seed packets in the lower right hand corner. We test and ensure that our high-quality seeds have germination rates above 85%, and we only sell the freshest seeds from the prior season. Our pepper seeds grow true to type, so you won't grow a pepper all season and find out it's not what you thought you planted! We stand behind our seeds with our Seed Germination Guarantee. You can trust Sandia Seed for...
How to Start a Seed Library
Sharing seeds is one of the best ways for communities to share the love of gardening and growing food! Here are our top tips for starting a seed library in your community: Step 1: Find a community space for the Seed Library A well-visited community space is your best bet! Choose a venue that is free and open to the general public such as a local public library or community center.Some people are starting to create outdoor "Little Free Seed Libraries" alongside the book versions ...
When to Top Pepper Plants
Are you thinking about topping your chilli plants? Wondering when to top your pepper plants? Our answer: Keep it simple, we say don't worry about topping your plants at all! If you grow peppers from seed – you may wonder if (and when) you should top your pepper plants. In our experience, topping pepper plants does not necessarily result in more peppers than their un-topped counterparts. If you are growing your peppers outdoors, we don't think topping is necessary. We find that toppi...
What can I plant in April?
Spinach, shown above, is a great seed to direct sow in your garden in April. Of course, what you can plant in April depends on your growing region! Here in the front range of Colorado in growing zone 5b, our last frost is usually in mid-to-late-May. Indoors, we can start lots of warm weather veggie seeds under lights like pepper seeds, tomato seeds, basil seeds, eggplant seeds in April. Outside, we can start seeds for Lettuce, Spinach, Beets, Carrots, Radishes, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cilantro, Or...
When to Pick Tomatoes
This Chef's Choice Orange Tomato is getting soft and ready to pick. How do you know when your tomatoes are ready? You know that tomatoes are ready to pick when their skin has changed color, is glossy and there is no green tinge. You will also know a tomato is ready to be picked when it begins to lose its firmness. Once they start to turn to their expected color, just gently squeeze your tomatoes to see if it is firm or gives a bit – if they are starting to get soft, tomatoes are ripe and...
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...
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...
Does picking peppers make more grow?
Does picking peppers encourage more to 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! How do you know when peppers are ready to pick? Pick peppers when they are the size and color you want.The harvest time depends on the chile pepper, so look at your seed packet to find out the number of days to harvest for a general idea of when to expect to pick your peppers. Howev...
What Veggies to Plant in May
Wondering what seeds you can plant in May for your food garden? May is a great time to direct sow vegetable seeds for summer. While you may have already started seeds for tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants indoors 4-8 weeks ago, you likely still have them growing indoors until it has warmed up to 50-60˚F at night consistently. If you haven't started those seeds yet, you could try some of our short season pepper seeds or short season tomato seeds in May as they grow quickly. And of course...
Peppers for Pickling
What are the best peppers for pickling? What kind of peppers are used in pickling? Most peppers work great for pickling, but some of our favorites for pickling include:Banana PeppersHot Hungarian Wax PeppersSweet Hungarian Wax PeppersCascabellasSweet Cherry peppersHot Cherry PeppersFresno peppersAll Jalapeno Peppers All Wax PeppersPickling peppers is a great way to use up a lot of peppers and preserve the harvest! You can even mix and match different peppers like jalapenos and make eye-catc...
