How to grow more peppersTo increase your pepper plant harvests, it is important to provide optimal growing conditions, such as in full sun and warm temperatures, plus good, loamy soil with lots of organic matter. Providing a balanced fertilizer, ideally organic, is also good for continued support of growth. Here are more tips on growing more peppers: 1. Choose Productive Pepper Varieties: Pick the fastest growing peppers to ensure a long, productive harvest. While all peppers will eventually produce a ton of pods...
Can you eat squash leaves?Did you know that squash, pumpkin and zucchini leaves and blossoms are edible? With the leaves, the young ones are the best as they are more tender and tasty – a great leafy green to add to all kinds of dishes. Add to soups, curries, quiches, frittatas, stir fry, risotto, you name it! They are also great lightly steamed for a minute or two with garlic, herbs of your choice, and a drizzle of olive oil. We chopped up some young Spaghetti Squash leaves, blossoms, plus Shishito peppers, garlic...
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...
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...
Spicy Pumpkin Seeds RecipeIf you grow pumpkins or squash like spaghetti squash, you should definitely make these toasted spicy pumpkin seeds with them! These are addictive. You'll never want to throw away or compost pumpkin seeds (or any squash seeds) ever again after you try this recipe. This is a great one to make if you're carving pumpkins and you clean out the "guts", save the seeds in a bowl. You can soak them in water immediately to help loosen and remove the pulp, then rinse them and let them dr...
Biggest Sale Ever on Seeds!Be sure to check out our biggest sale ever for HALF OFF our most popular seeds for peppers of the world, plus heirloom tomatoes and easy-to-grow veggie seeds. Shop Seeds on Sale Now » This is a great time to stock up on seeds for next season!
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 ...
Best Tomatoes for Salsa - Grow from seeds!The best tomatoes for salsa include a wide range of tomato varieties. Don't limit yourself to just one kind of tomato for your salsa! Often, fresh chopped tomato salsas like pico-de-gallo are made with firm, fleshy tomatoes such as San Marzanos or Roma Tomatoes. However, this is because those are the types that you can find in the stores. But that doesn't mean they are the only (or best) tomatoes for salsa! Good heirloom tomatoes are not often available at the grocery store. But you ...
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...
How to Prune Tomato PlantsIf you grow tomato seeds, here are our top tips for how to prune tomato plants so they are more productive and healthy all season: First, you can start with pruning your young tomato plants – pruning off some of the first blossoms can help the tomato plant will help it put more energy into growing bigger. Pruning off the first blossoms on your seedlings and plants is especially good to do before transplanting, so they can spend energy getting their roots settled in before going into seed pr...
What are the best pepper seeds for beginners?What are the best pepper seeds for beginners? Beginners should start with some of the fastest growing peppers. These peppers are great for people who are just starting to grow pepper seeds as they germinate quickly and grow into productive pepper plants even in short seasons. Many of these peppers are great for container gardening and for short seasons with late or early frosts in the spring and fall. These easy pepper seeds will give you the confidence to grow more and more each season. Som...
Best Pepper Seeds for PlantingIf you're looking for the best pepper seeds for planting, you've come to the right place! Sandia Seed carries over 101+ pepper seeds from super hot peppers to sweet peppers and everything in between. Check out our List of Peppers by Heat to find a heat level that is just right for you. Our Peppers of the World are easy to grow in any vegetable garden, so you can taste some of the best flavors from all over the planet. Peppers don't all taste the same, they have a wide variety of f...
Books about PeppersIf you love peppers, and love growing peppers, here are some great books about peppers! One of our favorite books about peppers was a book called Hot Peppers: The Story of Cajuns and Capsicum by Richard Schwid that goes into the history of peppers and goes into depth about Tabasco peppers. An interesting read! The whole time while reading I was craving hot sauce. Chasing Chiles: Hot Spots Along the Pepper Trail by Gary Paul Nabhan, Kraig Kraft, and Kurt Michael Friese is also good to read. ...
Fresh Tomato Salsa RecipeFresh Tomato Salsa Recipe Fresh tomatoes make the best salsa! You can make pico-de-gallo or this delicious restaurant-style salsa recipe below: 3-4 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped* 1 cup diced onion (green onions, or use a red or white onion) ¼ cup diced fresh cilantro (you can dice up stems and all!) 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (~1 lime) 1-2 jalapeño peppers* (diced, including seeds) ½ teaspoon ground cumin 1-3 cloves of garlic, minced Salt and pepper to taste *You can use any mixture o...
Short Season Pepper & Tomato Seeds on Sale!25% off Short Season Pepper & Tomato Seeds Sale! This sale is good on any of our seeds in our Short Season Peppers & Tomatoes collection » USE DISCOUNT CODE: FAST2025 You can still start super fast growing peppers and tomatoes for a harvest this summer with these short season varieties! So don't delay, order your seeds today. We have the fastest seed shipping so you can get your seeds planted sooner this season. Happy growing! Offer good from: Thursday, April 17 thru Sunday, Apri...
Growing Peppers in Pots - Extend the harvest!Growing peppers in Pots is a great way to extend the harvest for those growing in short seasons! These habaneros and herbs shown above were picked in mid-November in Denver, Colorado – grown in pots that were moved into a small garden bed hoop house to keep them warm through the fall snows and frosts. Denver had an exceptionally warm fall and so peppers were picked all the way through mid-November! In the Front Range, it was an unusually long season in 2024, but the un-heated hoop house kept ...
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.
How to grow more peppers
To increase your pepper plant harvests, it is important to provide optimal growing conditions, such as in full sun and warm temperatures, plus good, loamy soil with lots of organic matter. Providing a balanced fertilizer, ideally organic, is also good for continued support of growth. Here are more tips on growing more peppers: 1. Choose Productive Pepper Varieties: Pick the fastest growing peppers to ensure a long, productive harvest. While all peppers will eventually produce a ton of pods...
Can you eat squash leaves?
Did you know that squash, pumpkin and zucchini leaves and blossoms are edible? With the leaves, the young ones are the best as they are more tender and tasty – a great leafy green to add to all kinds of dishes. Add to soups, curries, quiches, frittatas, stir fry, risotto, you name it! They are also great lightly steamed for a minute or two with garlic, herbs of your choice, and a drizzle of olive oil. We chopped up some young Spaghetti Squash leaves, blossoms, plus Shishito peppers, garlic...
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...
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...
Spicy Pumpkin Seeds Recipe
If you grow pumpkins or squash like spaghetti squash, you should definitely make these toasted spicy pumpkin seeds with them! These are addictive. You'll never want to throw away or compost pumpkin seeds (or any squash seeds) ever again after you try this recipe. This is a great one to make if you're carving pumpkins and you clean out the "guts", save the seeds in a bowl. You can soak them in water immediately to help loosen and remove the pulp, then rinse them and let them dr...
Biggest Sale Ever on Seeds!
Be sure to check out our biggest sale ever for HALF OFF our most popular seeds for peppers of the world, plus heirloom tomatoes and easy-to-grow veggie seeds. Shop Seeds on Sale Now » This is a great time to stock up on seeds for next season!
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 ...
Best Tomatoes for Salsa - Grow from seeds!
The best tomatoes for salsa include a wide range of tomato varieties. Don't limit yourself to just one kind of tomato for your salsa! Often, fresh chopped tomato salsas like pico-de-gallo are made with firm, fleshy tomatoes such as San Marzanos or Roma Tomatoes. However, this is because those are the types that you can find in the stores. But that doesn't mean they are the only (or best) tomatoes for salsa! Good heirloom tomatoes are not often available at the grocery store. But you ...
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...
How to Prune Tomato Plants
If you grow tomato seeds, here are our top tips for how to prune tomato plants so they are more productive and healthy all season: First, you can start with pruning your young tomato plants – pruning off some of the first blossoms can help the tomato plant will help it put more energy into growing bigger. Pruning off the first blossoms on your seedlings and plants is especially good to do before transplanting, so they can spend energy getting their roots settled in before going into seed pr...
What are the best pepper seeds for beginners?
What are the best pepper seeds for beginners? Beginners should start with some of the fastest growing peppers. These peppers are great for people who are just starting to grow pepper seeds as they germinate quickly and grow into productive pepper plants even in short seasons. Many of these peppers are great for container gardening and for short seasons with late or early frosts in the spring and fall. These easy pepper seeds will give you the confidence to grow more and more each season. Som...
Best Pepper Seeds for Planting
If you're looking for the best pepper seeds for planting, you've come to the right place! Sandia Seed carries over 101+ pepper seeds from super hot peppers to sweet peppers and everything in between. Check out our List of Peppers by Heat to find a heat level that is just right for you. Our Peppers of the World are easy to grow in any vegetable garden, so you can taste some of the best flavors from all over the planet. Peppers don't all taste the same, they have a wide variety of f...
Books about Peppers
If you love peppers, and love growing peppers, here are some great books about peppers! One of our favorite books about peppers was a book called Hot Peppers: The Story of Cajuns and Capsicum by Richard Schwid that goes into the history of peppers and goes into depth about Tabasco peppers. An interesting read! The whole time while reading I was craving hot sauce. Chasing Chiles: Hot Spots Along the Pepper Trail by Gary Paul Nabhan, Kraig Kraft, and Kurt Michael Friese is also good to read. ...
Fresh Tomato Salsa Recipe
Fresh Tomato Salsa Recipe Fresh tomatoes make the best salsa! You can make pico-de-gallo or this delicious restaurant-style salsa recipe below: 3-4 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped* 1 cup diced onion (green onions, or use a red or white onion) ¼ cup diced fresh cilantro (you can dice up stems and all!) 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (~1 lime) 1-2 jalapeño peppers* (diced, including seeds) ½ teaspoon ground cumin 1-3 cloves of garlic, minced Salt and pepper to taste *You can use any mixture o...
Short Season Pepper & Tomato Seeds on Sale!
25% off Short Season Pepper & Tomato Seeds Sale! This sale is good on any of our seeds in our Short Season Peppers & Tomatoes collection » USE DISCOUNT CODE: FAST2025 You can still start super fast growing peppers and tomatoes for a harvest this summer with these short season varieties! So don't delay, order your seeds today. We have the fastest seed shipping so you can get your seeds planted sooner this season. Happy growing! Offer good from: Thursday, April 17 thru Sunday, Apri...
Growing Peppers in Pots - Extend the harvest!
Growing peppers in Pots is a great way to extend the harvest for those growing in short seasons! These habaneros and herbs shown above were picked in mid-November in Denver, Colorado – grown in pots that were moved into a small garden bed hoop house to keep them warm through the fall snows and frosts. Denver had an exceptionally warm fall and so peppers were picked all the way through mid-November! In the Front Range, it was an unusually long season in 2024, but the un-heated hoop house kept ...
