Strengthen Seedlings Before PlantingBefore your seedlings graduate from indoor growing conditions to the planting bed, they need to acclimate to outdoor growing conditions. The process of transitioning seedlings from indoor conditions to the outdoor realities of wind, cold, and direct sun is called hardening off. Tackle the hardening off process slowly, over the course of a week or two, and you will have sturdy seedlings ready to withstand whatever nature throws at them. If you rush the process, and you could scorch, damage, or...
Peppers of the WorldGrow Peppers of the World with Sandia Seed! At Sandia Seed Company we love our green chile and are proud to offer the best selection New Mexican chile seeds in the world. In 2008, we were founded on the idea that seeds for green chile peppers should be available for everyone. So, during the past 15 years, we have grown from our original six green chile seed choices to now over twenty peppers from New Mexico. In 2024, our complete Seed Catalog has a total over 100 specialty peppers of the w...
Seed Starting MistakesStarting seeds indoors is a great way to jump-start your garden. Whether or not you have experience starting seeds, you will improve your success by avoiding these common errors. Seed-Starting Mistake #1: Starting Too Soon In many regions, sowing seeds gives you a chance to get your hands dirty when it is too cold to garden outdoors. Do not start your seeds too soon. Most plants are ready to shift into the great outdoors in 4-6 weeks. Seed-Starting Mistake #2: Planting Too Deep Read seed p...
Tips for early season tomato growingThere are several things you can do to help ensure an early tomato harvest: Choose an early maturing variety: Below is a chart with the earliest tomatoes Sandia Seed Company offers for early season success. The warmer the soil, the better: Consider laying black or red plastic over the planting area. This will warm the soil, and the red plastic reflects UV light up onto the undersides of the tomato leaves, which helps with photosynthesis. Grow your tomatoes in a raised bed garden: The so...
Why are my Pequin pepper plants not producing?Not having luck with Pequins? We had a customer write that they were having no luck with Pequin seeds, that, after two months, their Pequin plants they grew from seed didn't produce any peppers while his other pepper varieties did well. He said that the Pequin plants he bought from the garden nursery did better. Well, don't despair if you have a Pequin plant that hasn't produced after 2 months after starting them from seed – they need a long growing season to produce. Pequins, a...
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...
Freezing Jalapeno PoppersKeep it simple and warm up your winters by freezing jalapeño poppers when you have an abundance of jalapeños from the garden. How to freeze jalapeno poppers: 1. To make freeze poppers, first prepare the jalapeños* by slicing in half, and using a spoon to scoop out the seeds. Then, fill them with cream cheese (you can add other ingredients like shredded cheddar, chopped olives, minced garlic, bacon bits, etc if desired). 2. Put them on a baking sheet and "flash freeze" them in a sing...
November is National Pepper Month!Happy National Pepper Month! All month long we can celebrate peppers! While we love peppers all year long, November is a great time to give these delicious fruits the attention they deserve. Right now, loads of hot sauces, salsas, roasted chile and hot pepper flakes are being enjoyed by people around the world. Sandia Seed loves National Pepper Month because we love peppers! In fact, in 2008, we were the first seed packet company to focus exclusively on pepper seeds from around the world. At ...
Should I harvest peppers before frost?Should I harvest peppers before frost? Absolutely! Don't let the pepper pods freeze outside on the plants, as they will turn to mush. Harvesting peppers before frost: Do you have to harvest your peppers before a frost, but they're not ripe? Here are our suggestions: Pick your Peppers:You can pick the peppers, and if they are close enough to ripe, they may turn color on your counter. Many peppers like jalapeños are often picked green, so enjoy them green – you'll find that super...
Shishito RecipesThere are lots of delicious Shishito Recipes! Shishitos are great sweet peppers to grow in the garden as they are fast growing so they are one of the first peppers to harvest, and then they just keep producing all season long. They are one of the easiest peppers to grow, and are great for beginner gardeners. Shishitos grow happily in pots, too. You can pick them often to eat fresh or make a variety of dishes with them. Here are a few of our favorite Shishito Recipe ideas: Sautéed Shishitos ...
Best way to Preserve Dill - Top TechniquesWe recently received this question from a customer about storing homegrown Dill: It's going to frost so I harvested some volunteer dill from my garden. What is the best way to preserve it for pickles next summer? Can I use the stems also? Should I separate the leaves from the stems? Best Way to Store Dill: We like freezing fresh dill in glass storage dishes to retain the fresh flavor of dill, but you can also dehydrate/dry it easily as well. Yes, you can use the stems if not woody! We...
Jalapenos Turning Black?Don't worry if your jalapenos are turning black! Jalapeños turn black often during their to natural ripening process. Most Jalapeño varieties mature from green to red, and during this time they often turn partially black or deep purple – this is totally normal. You may be worried that there is something wrong with your Jalapeño peppers, but often they will turn partially dark or black as they starting to turn red. Green to black to red is how they ripen!Jalapeños peppers can be harvested ...
How many Hatch chiles per plant?We recently had a customer ask us this in an email: “How many Hatch Chilis per plant? I want to grow enough for a bushel!” Answer: Each Hatch chile plant typically produces between 10 and 20+ pods, depending on variety and growing conditions. So if you want to grow a bushel of large green chile pods like Big Jims – assuming that an average bushel includes about 80-110 pods per bushel, depending on the size of the pods – we'd recommend growing at least 8-10+ Hatch chile plants so they ca...
What zone do Hatch chiles grow in?Hatch Chile can be grown outdoors in zones 5-11. Pretty much anywhere you can grow tomatoes you can grow Hatch chile! Hatch chile varieties are easy to grow! Find all of our green chile seeds including Hatch chile seeds » Learn more about what makes Hatch chiles so special » Find our top tips for How to Grow Hatch Chile »
Cowboy Candy and Cowgirl Candy RecipeCandied jalapeños, are also known as Cowboy Candy, and Cowgirl Candy refers to a variation that includes pineapple for a sweeter, making a more tropical flavor. This recipe makes a balance of sweet and spicy peppers that can be stored for months. There is no canning involved, just refrigerate your jars. This recipe makes half Cowboy Candy and half Cowgirl Candy (4 to 5 pint jars). Ingredients: 1 lb jalapeños (about 20 peppers), washed and sliced into ¼ inch slices. (wear gloves) 1 cup ap...
Biggest Selection of Green Chile Seeds - in all heat levels!If you love green chile, make sure to check out our huge selection at Sandia Seed! In 2008, we were founded on the idea that seeds for green chile peppers should be available for everyone. We were the first seed packet company to focus exclusively on pepper seeds from around the world. At that time large seed packet companies sold only one or two peppers alongside their vegetable seed selection and they were not green chile seeds! We decided something had to change, so Sandia Seed started...
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.
Strengthen Seedlings Before Planting
Before your seedlings graduate from indoor growing conditions to the planting bed, they need to acclimate to outdoor growing conditions. The process of transitioning seedlings from indoor conditions to the outdoor realities of wind, cold, and direct sun is called hardening off. Tackle the hardening off process slowly, over the course of a week or two, and you will have sturdy seedlings ready to withstand whatever nature throws at them. If you rush the process, and you could scorch, damage, or...
Peppers of the World
Grow Peppers of the World with Sandia Seed! At Sandia Seed Company we love our green chile and are proud to offer the best selection New Mexican chile seeds in the world. In 2008, we were founded on the idea that seeds for green chile peppers should be available for everyone. So, during the past 15 years, we have grown from our original six green chile seed choices to now over twenty peppers from New Mexico. In 2024, our complete Seed Catalog has a total over 100 specialty peppers of the w...
Seed Starting Mistakes
Starting seeds indoors is a great way to jump-start your garden. Whether or not you have experience starting seeds, you will improve your success by avoiding these common errors. Seed-Starting Mistake #1: Starting Too Soon In many regions, sowing seeds gives you a chance to get your hands dirty when it is too cold to garden outdoors. Do not start your seeds too soon. Most plants are ready to shift into the great outdoors in 4-6 weeks. Seed-Starting Mistake #2: Planting Too Deep Read seed p...
Tips for early season tomato growing
There are several things you can do to help ensure an early tomato harvest: Choose an early maturing variety: Below is a chart with the earliest tomatoes Sandia Seed Company offers for early season success. The warmer the soil, the better: Consider laying black or red plastic over the planting area. This will warm the soil, and the red plastic reflects UV light up onto the undersides of the tomato leaves, which helps with photosynthesis. Grow your tomatoes in a raised bed garden: The so...
Why are my Pequin pepper plants not producing?
Not having luck with Pequins? We had a customer write that they were having no luck with Pequin seeds, that, after two months, their Pequin plants they grew from seed didn't produce any peppers while his other pepper varieties did well. He said that the Pequin plants he bought from the garden nursery did better. Well, don't despair if you have a Pequin plant that hasn't produced after 2 months after starting them from seed – they need a long growing season to produce. Pequins, a...
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...
Freezing Jalapeno Poppers
Keep it simple and warm up your winters by freezing jalapeño poppers when you have an abundance of jalapeños from the garden. How to freeze jalapeno poppers: 1. To make freeze poppers, first prepare the jalapeños* by slicing in half, and using a spoon to scoop out the seeds. Then, fill them with cream cheese (you can add other ingredients like shredded cheddar, chopped olives, minced garlic, bacon bits, etc if desired). 2. Put them on a baking sheet and "flash freeze" them in a sing...
November is National Pepper Month!
Happy National Pepper Month! All month long we can celebrate peppers! While we love peppers all year long, November is a great time to give these delicious fruits the attention they deserve. Right now, loads of hot sauces, salsas, roasted chile and hot pepper flakes are being enjoyed by people around the world. Sandia Seed loves National Pepper Month because we love peppers! In fact, in 2008, we were the first seed packet company to focus exclusively on pepper seeds from around the world. At ...
Should I harvest peppers before frost?
Should I harvest peppers before frost? Absolutely! Don't let the pepper pods freeze outside on the plants, as they will turn to mush. Harvesting peppers before frost: Do you have to harvest your peppers before a frost, but they're not ripe? Here are our suggestions: Pick your Peppers:You can pick the peppers, and if they are close enough to ripe, they may turn color on your counter. Many peppers like jalapeños are often picked green, so enjoy them green – you'll find that super...
Shishito Recipes
There are lots of delicious Shishito Recipes! Shishitos are great sweet peppers to grow in the garden as they are fast growing so they are one of the first peppers to harvest, and then they just keep producing all season long. They are one of the easiest peppers to grow, and are great for beginner gardeners. Shishitos grow happily in pots, too. You can pick them often to eat fresh or make a variety of dishes with them. Here are a few of our favorite Shishito Recipe ideas: Sautéed Shishitos ...
Best way to Preserve Dill - Top Techniques
We recently received this question from a customer about storing homegrown Dill: It's going to frost so I harvested some volunteer dill from my garden. What is the best way to preserve it for pickles next summer? Can I use the stems also? Should I separate the leaves from the stems? Best Way to Store Dill: We like freezing fresh dill in glass storage dishes to retain the fresh flavor of dill, but you can also dehydrate/dry it easily as well. Yes, you can use the stems if not woody! We...
Jalapenos Turning Black?
Don't worry if your jalapenos are turning black! Jalapeños turn black often during their to natural ripening process. Most Jalapeño varieties mature from green to red, and during this time they often turn partially black or deep purple – this is totally normal. You may be worried that there is something wrong with your Jalapeño peppers, but often they will turn partially dark or black as they starting to turn red. Green to black to red is how they ripen!Jalapeños peppers can be harvested ...
How many Hatch chiles per plant?
We recently had a customer ask us this in an email: “How many Hatch Chilis per plant? I want to grow enough for a bushel!” Answer: Each Hatch chile plant typically produces between 10 and 20+ pods, depending on variety and growing conditions. So if you want to grow a bushel of large green chile pods like Big Jims – assuming that an average bushel includes about 80-110 pods per bushel, depending on the size of the pods – we'd recommend growing at least 8-10+ Hatch chile plants so they ca...
What zone do Hatch chiles grow in?
Hatch Chile can be grown outdoors in zones 5-11. Pretty much anywhere you can grow tomatoes you can grow Hatch chile! Hatch chile varieties are easy to grow! Find all of our green chile seeds including Hatch chile seeds » Learn more about what makes Hatch chiles so special » Find our top tips for How to Grow Hatch Chile »
Cowboy Candy and Cowgirl Candy Recipe
Candied jalapeños, are also known as Cowboy Candy, and Cowgirl Candy refers to a variation that includes pineapple for a sweeter, making a more tropical flavor. This recipe makes a balance of sweet and spicy peppers that can be stored for months. There is no canning involved, just refrigerate your jars. This recipe makes half Cowboy Candy and half Cowgirl Candy (4 to 5 pint jars). Ingredients: 1 lb jalapeños (about 20 peppers), washed and sliced into ¼ inch slices. (wear gloves) 1 cup ap...
Biggest Selection of Green Chile Seeds - in all heat levels!
If you love green chile, make sure to check out our huge selection at Sandia Seed! In 2008, we were founded on the idea that seeds for green chile peppers should be available for everyone. We were the first seed packet company to focus exclusively on pepper seeds from around the world. At that time large seed packet companies sold only one or two peppers alongside their vegetable seed selection and they were not green chile seeds! We decided something had to change, so Sandia Seed started...
