I know what you mean. I put about 1 inch of large grain sand in my garden and have noticed the compacting but my soil here compact harder with out sand. I dont think i would use a large amount of sand for pots but for a garden i have noticed my plants root much better with sand. So i guess the right answer would depend on what you plan on growing your peppers in and also the soil you have to work with. I also till in cow manure and leaves with my sand and soil, with regular veggies i have been getting pretty good yields compared to the other garden around me. My first year growing peppers so ill update what yields i get this year for comparison. I hope my experiences to misguide or mislead any one. "B"

I used them. I wasnt to impressed with my service but mine might have been a 1 time thing. he had some 'stuff' going on at the time. Try peppermania.com. Her seeds are also cheap ($2 i think), has a great selection and Beth is a great person. Peppermania also has the chocolate habs you were talking about for next year. Michael

O yeah, I agree. I use peppers for as long as I have 'em. Just as Tsheets says, as long as they're not freezer burned or taste of freezer, I use 'em up as I cook. You can use any hot pepper to add a dimension of spice to foods you cook but I recommend staying away from soups :) For habs & other super hots, unless you like it really hot, (I do) don't let the pepper burst during cooking. Even though we like it hot, we are still careful to keep the pepper whole. I get tons of peppers from my mom 'cause she doesn't seem to remember that I grow my own :) So I often end up with more than I can cook with in a given year. I don't usually thaw before use. Canning & fermenting is a horse of a different color. Good luck using up your peppers :) Antoinette

you can purchase dried hot pepper powder on the internet. I recommend something mild from New Mexico. then add that to your plate of food. sprinkle it on top. This way you can control the heat. the best flavor and low heat is Chimayo. the oldest true heirloom in america. over 400 years. Phone 505-351-4112 a local in Chimayo who sells chiles. Chimayo from the Casados Farm in Chimayo. 1/3 pound for only $4.50 ( thats over 5 ounces If you want seeds to grow then tell the sales person and get the flakes with seeds. if you are not growing them then get the powder. You will not be sorry. This is very mild and very high flavor. you will love it. They also sell mild not chimayo chile powder for a little less but it will have less flavor. Treat yourself to the best. the cost is very low. If you get the flakes with seeds then just filter out the seeds from the powder in the container. no problem. you only need a few hundred seeds. the germination will be a little low from drying the chiles in the hot sun. but enough will germinate. Then you must save seeds from the plants you grow. these will have close to 100% germination. If you want a similar heirloom pepper from new mexico with more heat then you can try espanola. I picked my first one this week and it might be a little less hot than a Jalapeno. But hard to tell for sure. but definitely hot. the chimayo is very mild and you will love it. good luck Here is a link that might be useful: chimayo