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 ...
Fastest Growing VegetablesDo you want to grow the Fastest Growing Vegetables? Here are our top suggestions for the fastest growing crops that you can start from seed: Radish – Harvest in 22+ Days!The classic Cherry Bell Radish is super easy to grow and it is one of the fastest growing vegetables you can plant!. Simply direct sow the seeds in fluffy soil, keep them moist and watch them sprout in just 5-7 days depending on soil and weather conditions. They grow quickly into pretty 1" cherry red globes that a...
When should I plant my seeds?When should I plant my seeds? This is a great question! The first thing to do is to determine your last average frost date, which you may determine here: almanac.com/gardening/frostdates. Afterward, count back six to eight weeks to start your seeds. Also, consider the first frost date in the fall because the period between your last frost date in the spring and the first frost date in the fall is your growing window. So, note each seed variety's maturity date to ensure you have enough t...
September VegetablesIn the West, September means that tomatoes are FINALLY ripening, including all the fat juicy heirlooms you've been waiting all summer for. It also is a great season for harvesting chiles, which are usually loaded with chile peppers in September. And of course, you probably have lots of other vegetables in abundance such as zucchini, tomatillos squash, cucumbers, eggplants, kale, collard greens, herbs and more. What should you do with your harvest? Make fresh meals every night! Here are a...
Jalapeño Pickles RecipeThese simple pickles are spicy and delicious! We always love adding lots of fresh sliced Jalapeños from the garden to transform cucumbers into spicy pickles! Jalapeño Pickles Recipe 10-20 Cucumbers (about 6 pounds) 6+ Jalapenos, sliced (or any hot peppers!) 6 cups (500 mL) white vinegar 6 cups (500 mL) water 5 tablespoons (25 mL) pickling salt 6 heads fresh dill or 8 teaspoons dill seeds (20 mL) 6+ small cloves garlic Several fresh leaves from Grape, Raspberry, Blackberry or Horseradish lea...
Easy Refrigerator Pickled PeppersThe photo above is of a jar that we filled also with some white cucumbers as the pepper harvest is just now coming in, so we didn't have quiet enough banana peppers to fill the jar. Easy Refrigerator Pickled Peppers • Mason Jars (One 24 oz jar or a couple 12 oz Jars)• 2-3 cups sliced Banana Peppers, Jalapeños, Hot Hungarian Wax Peppers, Sweet Hungarian Wax peppers or any pepper!• 3/4 cup white vinegar• 3/4 cup water• 1/2 tablespoon sea salt• 2-4+ cloves of garlic, peeled, chopped or who...
Gazpacho Recipe with PeppersThis is a great Gazpacho recipe for using up some of your fresh peppers and tomatoes! Gazpacho Recipe 2 cucumbers, halved & seeded, unpeeled4-8 peppers, cored and seeded (mix sweet pepper varieties such as Purple Bell Peppers, Giant Marconis, or even some roasted green chiles are delicious!)1 Jalapeño, seeded, finely diced (if spice is desired)8 tomatoes (plum, or any tomatoes you have)1 red or white onion4+ garlic cloves, minced23 ounces tomato juice (3 cups)Fresh Juice of 1 Lemon + ...
Companion Plants for Chile PeppersThe reason companion planting is so beneficial is not fully understood, but has been noted by farmers and gardeners for many generations. There are some basic concepts that do make good sense. The physical structure of companion plants with tall strong stems may protect your chile plants from wind damage. The root growth of companion plants with deeper root systems can improve the overall health of the compacted soil by opening up channels for better drainage and air exchange. Herbs produce c...
Best Vegetables to Grow in ColoradoWe think that some of the best vegetables to grow in Colorado are Chile peppers and Tomatoes. We of course love growing all other vegetables as well including zucchini, squash, pumpkins, herbs, eggplant, and cucumbers of course, for making spicy pickles with the hot peppers! But tomatoes and peppers are hard to top. Any Colorado vegetable garden is likely to include several varieties of peppers and tomatoes, they bring such a wide variety of flavors and colors to the garden.Just think about...
Discount SeedsSandia Seed offers lots of Discount Seeds so you can grow more peppers in your garden! Check out our 50% OFF SEEDS:A rotating selection of our seeds that change regularly so check back often for great deals on lots of our varieties. Shown above are our December 2022 deals! Check out our Discount Seeds including our Food Garden Seeds Gift Set, plus 3-Packs with three popular pepper seeds – with a thrifty 15% seed discount. No promo codes or coupon codes needed! We put together t...
Pepper Plant CompanionsWondering what to plant with your chile peppers to help them thrive? Flowers, chives, carrots, radishes, squash, basil, parsley, dill, marjoram, Oregano, Rosemary, cucumbers, eggplant, and onions all do well when grown in close proximity to peppers. But don't plant them too close that they will shade your pepper plants: Squash and cucumbers, for example, need ample space so we plant them at least 3-4' away from our pepper patch. You can also use trellises for your cucumbers to grow th...
How Tomatoes Should Really Taste!'Good News' #3 April 2017 from Sandia Seed Company Signup for our Good News emails » There is nothing quite like a Real Tomato... a tomato as it was meant to be grown and eaten. What is a Real Tomato? A ripe tomato should have a fragile skin that is under pressure to contain the juice and seeds within, splitting open easily and explosively. It should almost dissolve as you eat it, filling your mouth with intensely refreshing flavor. Unfortunately, there is the abundant fake t...
Is it Too Late to Start Seeds? No, it’s not too late to plant seeds! You can start seeds year-round. It depends on what you would like to accomplish after planting your seeds. There is short-season gardening, hydroponic growing, indoor gardening, jump-start growing to have huge plants to transplant in spring, etc. Short-Season GardeningBesides peppers and tomatoes, you can start lots of vegetable seeds year-round, depending on your climate, and if you have any winter protection such as cold frames or hoop houses. You ...
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 Wax Peppers such as Banana Peppers, Hot Hungarian Wax Peppers, Sweet Hungarian Wax Peppers, Cascabellas, Sweet Cherry peppers, Hot Cherry Peppers, Fresno peppers, and of course any Jalapeno makes a great pickled pepper. Pickling peppers is a great way to use up a lot of peppers and preserve the harvest! Here are some of our f...
Squash Wilting?Why does my squash wilt? If your zucchini, pumpkin or squash 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 may wilt ...
Garden MistakesOne mistake you can make as a gardener is believing you are in charge.Learn to go with the flow in gardening, you'll be a lot happier! Even expert gardeners lose plants or crops, so don't give up! Weather, insects, and diseases are often going to present problems in your garden, so plant a wide variety of veggies for the best success. Every year will be different, and it's important to remember you can't control everything! :)Some tips for success:• Plant several varieties of ...
These fabulous peppers added lots of color to our patio pots. So pretty in multiple colors, plus you can pick them and add to salsa for a nice spicy kick. These are fun in any ornamental edible garden.
We let these hang dry, then ground them up – they made the tastiest pepper flakes. They have a nice kick, but good flavor too. Easy to grow plants, pretty peppers.
Great seeds, good germination, plants grow quickly and produce lots of pods for roasting. Great flavor and just the right amount of spice. We grow these every year in our garden in Utah.
I tried these purple Cherokee seeds on 2024. This is the first time growing these purple Cherokees and were amazed at the ease of germination and taste
These germinated in two days. I started them in midsummer and they fruited by late fall in my zone 10b garden and are overwintering just fine. I’ll have more to harvest by late spring. I made my red sauce for pozole for Christmas with my harvest!
Big Chiles with just enough heat to add to green enchilada's. The flavor after roasting is fantastic. Since green chile roasting is not a local thing in Eastern Washington we us a weed burner. The smell of roasting peppers is heavenly.
My favorite green chili to grow. Plenty of heat and after roasting sit perfectly on a hamburger. Also my wonderful wife makes Puelo Chili jam that is a real crowd pleaser
Plants were quite bushy and full of peppers. Great flavor. Made a wonderful little Ristra with some of the later harvested peppers. Will continue to grow these yearly.
These plants were super healthy all season long and produced a LOT of fruit. They'll add heat and color to any dish. They made my cowboy candy and pickled jalapeños extra special!
Very good germination rate and super abundant and delicious peppers!. I had them in 10g and 5g fabric pots and they very well the last two years. Amazing to smoke and dry / freeze to have throughout the year! I just made a spicy brown porter mustard with scotch bonnets! Also made an amazing roasted scotch bonnet hot sauce! yum!
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 ...
Fastest Growing Vegetables
Do you want to grow the Fastest Growing Vegetables? Here are our top suggestions for the fastest growing crops that you can start from seed: Radish – Harvest in 22+ Days!The classic Cherry Bell Radish is super easy to grow and it is one of the fastest growing vegetables you can plant!. Simply direct sow the seeds in fluffy soil, keep them moist and watch them sprout in just 5-7 days depending on soil and weather conditions. They grow quickly into pretty 1" cherry red globes that a...
When should I plant my seeds?
When should I plant my seeds? This is a great question! The first thing to do is to determine your last average frost date, which you may determine here: almanac.com/gardening/frostdates. Afterward, count back six to eight weeks to start your seeds. Also, consider the first frost date in the fall because the period between your last frost date in the spring and the first frost date in the fall is your growing window. So, note each seed variety's maturity date to ensure you have enough t...
September Vegetables
In the West, September means that tomatoes are FINALLY ripening, including all the fat juicy heirlooms you've been waiting all summer for. It also is a great season for harvesting chiles, which are usually loaded with chile peppers in September. And of course, you probably have lots of other vegetables in abundance such as zucchini, tomatillos squash, cucumbers, eggplants, kale, collard greens, herbs and more. What should you do with your harvest? Make fresh meals every night! Here are a...
Jalapeño Pickles Recipe
These simple pickles are spicy and delicious! We always love adding lots of fresh sliced Jalapeños from the garden to transform cucumbers into spicy pickles! Jalapeño Pickles Recipe 10-20 Cucumbers (about 6 pounds) 6+ Jalapenos, sliced (or any hot peppers!) 6 cups (500 mL) white vinegar 6 cups (500 mL) water 5 tablespoons (25 mL) pickling salt 6 heads fresh dill or 8 teaspoons dill seeds (20 mL) 6+ small cloves garlic Several fresh leaves from Grape, Raspberry, Blackberry or Horseradish lea...
Easy Refrigerator Pickled Peppers
The photo above is of a jar that we filled also with some white cucumbers as the pepper harvest is just now coming in, so we didn't have quiet enough banana peppers to fill the jar. Easy Refrigerator Pickled Peppers • Mason Jars (One 24 oz jar or a couple 12 oz Jars)• 2-3 cups sliced Banana Peppers, Jalapeños, Hot Hungarian Wax Peppers, Sweet Hungarian Wax peppers or any pepper!• 3/4 cup white vinegar• 3/4 cup water• 1/2 tablespoon sea salt• 2-4+ cloves of garlic, peeled, chopped or who...
Gazpacho Recipe with Peppers
This is a great Gazpacho recipe for using up some of your fresh peppers and tomatoes! Gazpacho Recipe 2 cucumbers, halved & seeded, unpeeled4-8 peppers, cored and seeded (mix sweet pepper varieties such as Purple Bell Peppers, Giant Marconis, or even some roasted green chiles are delicious!)1 Jalapeño, seeded, finely diced (if spice is desired)8 tomatoes (plum, or any tomatoes you have)1 red or white onion4+ garlic cloves, minced23 ounces tomato juice (3 cups)Fresh Juice of 1 Lemon + ...
Companion Plants for Chile Peppers
The reason companion planting is so beneficial is not fully understood, but has been noted by farmers and gardeners for many generations. There are some basic concepts that do make good sense. The physical structure of companion plants with tall strong stems may protect your chile plants from wind damage. The root growth of companion plants with deeper root systems can improve the overall health of the compacted soil by opening up channels for better drainage and air exchange. Herbs produce c...
Best Vegetables to Grow in Colorado
We think that some of the best vegetables to grow in Colorado are Chile peppers and Tomatoes. We of course love growing all other vegetables as well including zucchini, squash, pumpkins, herbs, eggplant, and cucumbers of course, for making spicy pickles with the hot peppers! But tomatoes and peppers are hard to top. Any Colorado vegetable garden is likely to include several varieties of peppers and tomatoes, they bring such a wide variety of flavors and colors to the garden.Just think about...
Discount Seeds
Sandia Seed offers lots of Discount Seeds so you can grow more peppers in your garden! Check out our 50% OFF SEEDS:A rotating selection of our seeds that change regularly so check back often for great deals on lots of our varieties. Shown above are our December 2022 deals! Check out our Discount Seeds including our Food Garden Seeds Gift Set, plus 3-Packs with three popular pepper seeds – with a thrifty 15% seed discount. No promo codes or coupon codes needed! We put together t...
Pepper Plant Companions
Wondering what to plant with your chile peppers to help them thrive? Flowers, chives, carrots, radishes, squash, basil, parsley, dill, marjoram, Oregano, Rosemary, cucumbers, eggplant, and onions all do well when grown in close proximity to peppers. But don't plant them too close that they will shade your pepper plants: Squash and cucumbers, for example, need ample space so we plant them at least 3-4' away from our pepper patch. You can also use trellises for your cucumbers to grow th...
Is it Too Late to Start Seeds?
No, it’s not too late to plant seeds! You can start seeds year-round. It depends on what you would like to accomplish after planting your seeds. There is short-season gardening, hydroponic growing, indoor gardening, jump-start growing to have huge plants to transplant in spring, etc. Short-Season GardeningBesides peppers and tomatoes, you can start lots of vegetable seeds year-round, depending on your climate, and if you have any winter protection such as cold frames or hoop houses. You ...
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 Wax Peppers such as Banana Peppers, Hot Hungarian Wax Peppers, Sweet Hungarian Wax Peppers, Cascabellas, Sweet Cherry peppers, Hot Cherry Peppers, Fresno peppers, and of course any Jalapeno makes a great pickled pepper. Pickling peppers is a great way to use up a lot of peppers and preserve the harvest! Here are some of our f...
Squash Wilting?
Why does my squash wilt? If your zucchini, pumpkin or squash 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 may wilt ...
Garden Mistakes
One mistake you can make as a gardener is believing you are in charge.Learn to go with the flow in gardening, you'll be a lot happier! Even expert gardeners lose plants or crops, so don't give up! Weather, insects, and diseases are often going to present problems in your garden, so plant a wide variety of veggies for the best success. Every year will be different, and it's important to remember you can't control everything! :)Some tips for success:• Plant several varieties of ...
