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...
When to Plant Sugar Snap Peas for Fall HarvestIf you're looking for good fall crops to grow from seed, we have you covered! We have a new lineup of our favorite easiest-to-grow vegetable seeds to complement our chile pepper and tomato seed collections. One of the top growers are our Easy-to-Grow Pea Seeds. When to Plant Sugar Snap Peas for Fall Harvest In the fall, plant sugar snap peas in the last 8 to 10 weeks before the first expected frost to guarantee a plentiful harvest. Or, you can also provide cover such as a hoop house o...
Growing seeds in winter: Winter Sowing in FebruaryCan I winter sow in February? Yes, February is a great time for Winter Sowing in many regions like the West. We usually have to wait until mid-May here in Colorado to bring out indoor-started peppers and tomatoes and other warm weather veggies to harden off and get ready to transplant into the garden. But that doesn't mean you can't start some seeds outdoors despite the freezing weather and snow... because you can Winter Sow! Cool weather veggies, herbs and native plants can do very...
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...
What Veggies to Plant in MayMay is a great time to direct sow vegetable seeds for summer. While you may have 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. But did you know that there are still lots of vegetable seeds you can still plant now in May and June? Cucumbers, Zucchini, Squash and PumpkinsCucumbers, zucchini, squash, pumpkins, cantaloupe and watermelons grow very quickly and you can sow...
Can peppers withstand a light frost?Can peppers withstand a light frost? Not usually. Peppers are very tender plants and a light frost will likely kill the plant or at least heavily damage the leaves. Even if the cold doesn't kill the plant outright, it will be damaged and stunted going forward. If a frost is expected, or any temperatures below 45˚ F, we'd recommend covering your pepper plants with a frost blanket, overturned bucket, mini hoop house, water wall or other protection. Or bring them inside if possible. Many...
2024 Seed CatalogWe're excited to announce our new 2024 Seed Catalog is available! This full color seed catalog is packed with peppers of the world, plus tomato and veggie seeds, too. The seed catalog also has lots of growing tips, recipes, and even a garden plan to help you get growing in 2024! Our 36 page seed catalog is packed with beautiful photos of peppers, recipes, growing tips and of course, tons of pepper and vegetable seeds for your garden!Flip through our 2024 Seed Catalog below featuring all ...
What Seeds to Plant in AugustWondering what to plant in August? In the West, we start seeds for the following vegetables in August:Lettuces, spinach, beets, carrots, green onions, cilantro, basil, bok choy, mizuna, kale, peas, green beans, broccoli, sugar snap peas, radishes and cabbage. Now is a great time to fill in bare spots in your garden or to start seeds to plant into places where cucumbers, basil or other summer veggies are at the end of their production. Vegetables to Plant in August-SeptemberSome of the cool w...
White Spots on Peppers: SunscaldAre you finding peppers with white spots on the pods, where it looks like the skin is sunken in, bleached and papery? Some would say they look rotten. But, fear not! This is most likely just sunscald and the rest of the pepper is still edible. Yes, you can still eat peppers with sunscald!We typically just cut off the bad spots and eat the rest of the pepper! Sunscald is just cosmetic, and does not make the pepper un-edible. How to prevent sunscaldand white spots on Peppers: The reason peppe...
I have flowers on my pepper but no peppers!Do your pepper plants have flowers but no peppers? This could be for a variety of reasons: Hot or Cold Weather: Temperatures – Peppers can be fussy when it comes to temperatures, they don't like it too cold or too hot! Peppers fruit best during daily temperatures between 70-80 °F. (Peppers don't like temperatures below 60˚ F and won't likely produce much if too cold – except for these special cool-weather loving peppers). If it's getting into the 90˚ F temperatures, your pep...
Winter SowingWinter Sowing We just learned about Winter Sowing a couple years ago, it's a wonderful way to start seeds using recycled containers outside! With winter sowing, you don't need room inside to start seeds, you can start them outdoors in the winter/spring months with recycled jugs and other containers. These containers serve as miniature greenhouses that do an incredible job of germinating all sorts of seeds including vegetables, herbs, and native plants. Winter Sowing Seeds in...
What to plant in JanuaryAhhh, the middle of winter! It's just about now that we're excited to start planting seeds for spring. January is a good time to start planning what to plant in your garden if you haven't done it already. Deciding what vegetables to grow each year is part of the fun, though sometimes difficult to narrow down which varieties to grow! With over 100 peppers from around the world plus lots of veggies and tomato seeds, too, our Seed Catalog makes it hard to narrow down the choices! But...
Fall Vegetable Garden Tips2019 Fall Vegetable Garden Tips Now that fall is here for many of us, and you've harvested the last of your chiles, tomatoes, and other summer veggies, it's time to put your gardens to bed for the winter. Here are a couple of tips to build your garden soil for next season: 1. Mulch your garden beds with compost, grass clippings or leaves to help conserve moisture over the winter, as well as feed/build the soil. Did you know you can add your roasted green chile skins and seeds to y...
Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce RecipeHere is the BEST smoky Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce recipe you'll ever make! We like to add lots of ingredients in this recipe to create a deep, rich, ghostly hot sauce that is so amazing you'll want to make lots of batches to share with friends! INGREDIENTS3 cups ketchup1.5 cups bourbon (optional)9 tablespoons brown sugar9 tablespoons molasses (makes it thick!)9 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (or any vinegar)6 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce3 tablespoons soy sauce3 tablespoons mustard3 ...
Green Chile Enchiladas RecipeHere's a simple recipe for Green Chile Enchilada Casserole: Ingredients: Green Chile Sauce or Green Chile Stew - or - Green Tomato Salsa / Sauce Optional if available: Fresh roasted, peeled and diced green chile 1 Diced Onion (purple, white or green onions or all three!) Shredded cheddar cheese (or use mozzarella, or omit cheese to make vegan) Black Olives, sliced Filling: Choose from any of the following: black beans, pinto beans, diced zucchini, squash, potatoes, mushrooms, or grou...
I've found that when you combine roasted carrots, habaneros, lime juice and garlic, it will make the best hot sauce of your life. I think it's the sweetness and depth of the carrots that make the sauce even better, and pairs perfectly with the habanero heat. I got the inspiration from one of my favorite store-bought hot sauces, Marie Sharp's Habanero hot sauce. Sometimes I add some of your Chef's orange tomatoes too to make more of it, and they also give more flavor to the hot sauce and help tame the heat a bit. I grow these in my garden every year along with your orange habaneros, orange tomatoes and other hot peppers and veggies. Very reliable.
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!
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...
When to Plant Sugar Snap Peas for Fall Harvest
If you're looking for good fall crops to grow from seed, we have you covered! We have a new lineup of our favorite easiest-to-grow vegetable seeds to complement our chile pepper and tomato seed collections. One of the top growers are our Easy-to-Grow Pea Seeds. When to Plant Sugar Snap Peas for Fall Harvest In the fall, plant sugar snap peas in the last 8 to 10 weeks before the first expected frost to guarantee a plentiful harvest. Or, you can also provide cover such as a hoop house o...
Growing seeds in winter: Winter Sowing in February
Can I winter sow in February? Yes, February is a great time for Winter Sowing in many regions like the West. We usually have to wait until mid-May here in Colorado to bring out indoor-started peppers and tomatoes and other warm weather veggies to harden off and get ready to transplant into the garden. But that doesn't mean you can't start some seeds outdoors despite the freezing weather and snow... because you can Winter Sow! Cool weather veggies, herbs and native plants can do very...
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...
What Veggies to Plant in May
May is a great time to direct sow vegetable seeds for summer. While you may have 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. But did you know that there are still lots of vegetable seeds you can still plant now in May and June? Cucumbers, Zucchini, Squash and PumpkinsCucumbers, zucchini, squash, pumpkins, cantaloupe and watermelons grow very quickly and you can sow...
Can peppers withstand a light frost?
Can peppers withstand a light frost? Not usually. Peppers are very tender plants and a light frost will likely kill the plant or at least heavily damage the leaves. Even if the cold doesn't kill the plant outright, it will be damaged and stunted going forward. If a frost is expected, or any temperatures below 45˚ F, we'd recommend covering your pepper plants with a frost blanket, overturned bucket, mini hoop house, water wall or other protection. Or bring them inside if possible. Many...
2024 Seed Catalog
We're excited to announce our new 2024 Seed Catalog is available! This full color seed catalog is packed with peppers of the world, plus tomato and veggie seeds, too. The seed catalog also has lots of growing tips, recipes, and even a garden plan to help you get growing in 2024! Our 36 page seed catalog is packed with beautiful photos of peppers, recipes, growing tips and of course, tons of pepper and vegetable seeds for your garden!Flip through our 2024 Seed Catalog below featuring all ...
What Seeds to Plant in August
Wondering what to plant in August? In the West, we start seeds for the following vegetables in August:Lettuces, spinach, beets, carrots, green onions, cilantro, basil, bok choy, mizuna, kale, peas, green beans, broccoli, sugar snap peas, radishes and cabbage. Now is a great time to fill in bare spots in your garden or to start seeds to plant into places where cucumbers, basil or other summer veggies are at the end of their production. Vegetables to Plant in August-SeptemberSome of the cool w...
White Spots on Peppers: Sunscald
Are you finding peppers with white spots on the pods, where it looks like the skin is sunken in, bleached and papery? Some would say they look rotten. But, fear not! This is most likely just sunscald and the rest of the pepper is still edible. Yes, you can still eat peppers with sunscald!We typically just cut off the bad spots and eat the rest of the pepper! Sunscald is just cosmetic, and does not make the pepper un-edible. How to prevent sunscaldand white spots on Peppers: The reason peppe...
I have flowers on my pepper but no peppers!
Do your pepper plants have flowers but no peppers? This could be for a variety of reasons: Hot or Cold Weather: Temperatures – Peppers can be fussy when it comes to temperatures, they don't like it too cold or too hot! Peppers fruit best during daily temperatures between 70-80 °F. (Peppers don't like temperatures below 60˚ F and won't likely produce much if too cold – except for these special cool-weather loving peppers). If it's getting into the 90˚ F temperatures, your pep...
Winter Sowing
Winter Sowing We just learned about Winter Sowing a couple years ago, it's a wonderful way to start seeds using recycled containers outside! With winter sowing, you don't need room inside to start seeds, you can start them outdoors in the winter/spring months with recycled jugs and other containers. These containers serve as miniature greenhouses that do an incredible job of germinating all sorts of seeds including vegetables, herbs, and native plants. Winter Sowing Seeds in...
What to plant in January
Ahhh, the middle of winter! It's just about now that we're excited to start planting seeds for spring. January is a good time to start planning what to plant in your garden if you haven't done it already. Deciding what vegetables to grow each year is part of the fun, though sometimes difficult to narrow down which varieties to grow! With over 100 peppers from around the world plus lots of veggies and tomato seeds, too, our Seed Catalog makes it hard to narrow down the choices! But...
Fall Vegetable Garden Tips
2019 Fall Vegetable Garden Tips Now that fall is here for many of us, and you've harvested the last of your chiles, tomatoes, and other summer veggies, it's time to put your gardens to bed for the winter. Here are a couple of tips to build your garden soil for next season: 1. Mulch your garden beds with compost, grass clippings or leaves to help conserve moisture over the winter, as well as feed/build the soil. Did you know you can add your roasted green chile skins and seeds to y...
Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce Recipe
Here is the BEST smoky Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce recipe you'll ever make! We like to add lots of ingredients in this recipe to create a deep, rich, ghostly hot sauce that is so amazing you'll want to make lots of batches to share with friends! INGREDIENTS3 cups ketchup1.5 cups bourbon (optional)9 tablespoons brown sugar9 tablespoons molasses (makes it thick!)9 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (or any vinegar)6 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce3 tablespoons soy sauce3 tablespoons mustard3 ...
Green Chile Enchiladas Recipe
Here's a simple recipe for Green Chile Enchilada Casserole: Ingredients: Green Chile Sauce or Green Chile Stew - or - Green Tomato Salsa / Sauce Optional if available: Fresh roasted, peeled and diced green chile 1 Diced Onion (purple, white or green onions or all three!) Shredded cheddar cheese (or use mozzarella, or omit cheese to make vegan) Black Olives, sliced Filling: Choose from any of the following: black beans, pinto beans, diced zucchini, squash, potatoes, mushrooms, or grou...
