I already started them a couple weeks ago, Winter Sowing style. My first attempt at winter sowing. We'll see how it goes. Was planning to sow a lot more tonight, but got distracted by the GW. LOL. Will have to do the sowing tomorrow night.

Check out the Winter Sowing forum. People have been sowing since Christmas & putting their containers outside, snow and all. It's fun. Give it a try. :-)

I just started mine last Sunday - I'm in the central part of the state. I'm doing all the sweet bells this year, though - Early Sunsation, Ariane, Lafayette, Brigadier, Chinese Giant, Blushing Beauty, Fat 'n Sassy. :-)

Hey CindyB, you close to C-U at all?

I started my peppers a few weeks ago since they're usually slow to germinate for me. Just now have a couple of pablanos and habaneros coming up (out of 10 hot varieties). Tomatoes were week before last week and a few more last weekend. Getting great germination rates there (and I ALWAYS plant way too many seeds even though 90% usually make it).

Bought a portable 6x8 greenhouse last Fall though so will hopefully be able to get the tomatoes out there beginning-mid April rather than trying to find light/window space for them in the house.

Cheryl

I am going to plant my peppers this week. I'm up in South Central WI. This year is my first for sowing seeds, so I have no idea what to expect.

Not until early/ mid April.
I used to start earlier but theres nothing gained
by putting the plants in cold ground & I don't
have a greenhouse to hold them in. Last frost here is mid May, warm season plants go in the ground a week or 2 after depending on the year. Mid April gives about a 6 week head start. It seems to work for me.

I'm more or less in Chicago and I just started my peppers and tomatoes under lights (or, rather, on top of the radiator). I started various flowers weeks ago. I don't always grow peppers, but this is about the time I usually sow tomatoes. The way things are going, planting weather feels a long way away, but I like having good-sized plants to put out when the time comes. I think it makes a difference, especially if you're close enough to the lake for your crops to deal with "cooler by the lake" effect.

Just put in the seeds for tomatoes yesterday. It's my first time starting tomatoes so I wanted to start with enough time in case "I screwed up" and nothing came up. Paranoid ChicagoMike put in 72 seeds hoping that 1 in 3 would come up. Plan to grow 15 plants and give away 8 or so. If they all come up, then it looks like interested gardeners will get some free heirloom tomato plants. They're on a heat mat now. I can still hear the "ZZZZ's" so I don't think they've awoken quite yet. (Is "awoken" even a word?:))

Wow. Fifteen tomato plants. I admire your restraint! I can barely keep myself down to 15 varieties! All shoehorned in next to the garage, no less. Now you've got me thinking...and counting. I just realized I planted something like 100 cells with tomatoe seed yesterday, and I'm not done yet. I know I will give many away, but I am obviously deluded about my space and appetite!

"ChicagoMike put in 72 seeds hoping that 1 in 3 would come up"
I suspect ChicagoMike will have many xtra plants to share. Good luck with the garden this year.

Yes, I too suspect that ChicagoMike may have a LOT of newfound friends come planting time. Even though some of my mater seeds are several years old, I'm probably at about 95% germination so far this year with 'em. My peppers, OTOH, are still slow to break.

Cheryl

I started California Green Bells about a week and a half ago, using a germination heat mat, and they grew like MAD. The package said up to 2 weeks to germination but they all sprouted in something like 72 hours... crazy. And from seed packaged from last year!

So we Chicagoans should keep in touch about seedling trading come May 15... I bet we'll all have some good things to share!

Yes, Mike - you will have LOTS of extra's! So far, I have 21 varieties of Heirloom toms started, with 6 seeds per variety.

Peppers just getting started this weekend. As others pointed out, there is nothing to be gained from starting too early. Mostly, you'll end up with leggy plants before getting them in ground or buckets.

Then when they do hit the dirt outside, it's only as good as the soil gets warmth. We know that one right DirtDevil? : )

Even in June of last year, my toms needed protection from the cold weather in the city. The past 3 Springs here have sucked big time. Somewhere, we have lost "Spring", and summer doesn't hit until mid July. Remember, last year? Memorial Day - Rain & Cold, 4th of July - rain and cool - Labor Day - mostly rain, some sun, cool temps. Then it got warm again! One thing about Chicago, if you don't like the weather - stick around for 15 minutes and it will change!

Happy planting!
Mickey

My son has shown interest the last couple of years with planting tomatoes and different kinds of peppers, and the local old fashioned hardware store in our little town, where he used to get his plants (and they were big) closed because the owner died. So just last night I bought him some seed packets and just today he planted them in the small divided container thingies. I'm afraid it might be awfully late, what do you all think? He and I decided that we'd go ahead and try it anyway, just to see what happens. He's got the trays with lids and once they germinate, he will take the lids off. And he has lights on the plants, which are in his basement.