Generally its good to start about 6 weeks prior to the last frost date. Here in Chattanooga last frost is prediced for around April 1st to April 10th, which would put the 6 week mark at February 18th. I was planning on starting seeds on Feb 15th, so it works out about right.

I already started with some store bought jalapenos seeds my wife picked up for me on her own. Since my typical growing season is not as long as others in an eastern zone 8 I figured having nice sized plants going into May will give me a jump start on harvesting come July/August. I am waiting for some of the super hots to come in the mail and when they do I'll start them for the same reason above. I also have a small greenhouse for them to put on some size until summer like weather arrives.

I started a few the day after Christmas. I started a few more a week later.

I am going to layer my seed starting week by week for the next 6 weeks just to cover all the bases.

Even if it's too early, it's still great to see true leaves on healthy seedlings this time of year.

I started 5 hots/supert hots last weekend. Three pots per seed type. I am in zone 8B. I hope to have plants to put in containers/groud by first of April. I started 1 May last year (first time to ever grow) and it was to late for me.

I think the time to start depends on the conditions you have for growing them until you set them out. I used shop lights with 40-watt T12 fluorescents for many years and found that they got leggy if I tried to grow them for more than eight weeks before setting out. Last year I grew them under T5s and they were much more healthy and stocky and could probably have grown under the lights for as long as 12 weeks before setting out without problems. I'm thinking about starting them a month earlier than usual in hopes that days-to-maturity after setting out will be shorter and my chances of getting more of them to ripen before the first frost will improve. I wonder what some of you with more experience think of this plan.

I started seeds Jan 12th. Once they sprout I put them under shop lights T 12 and they do great. They do not get leggy if that's the case the lights may be to high up from the plants I have my lights a few inches above them and adjust as they grow. I have one cool white and one plant light T12.

Mark

Tim, I'm also in Piedmont of NC--you building an ark at this moment as well?--I'll probably start around Jan. 26 on Superhots--esp. Jolokias (have some Peach bhut seed and are considered unstable but maybe one will be stable, for bagging), choc habs and Caribbean reds, next, as my varieties of 7 Pods grow pretty fast once they hook. Fatalii as well. Also the manzanos (pubescens)and frutescens, the Aji types, Limon and Inca Red Drop--all Jan 26 to Feb 1. The annuums I do later in Feb. Annie

Tonight, or last night (sort of)...

I soaked the starter pellets last night and set the box on my heating mat to get it warmed up.

Tonight I'll decide what to put in the pellets and get the party started for real. Definitely going to do some Butch T and Doughlahs, probably a red Savina or two and maybe some Congo and Devil Tongue.

Pretty soon. I'm hoping to get the hoop house up in the next month, which will be a great help when all of the little tiny seedlings turn into robust plants and can't all fit under my lights. I have two plants that are overwintering, though one looks a little rough, but those will give me early peppers, I hope. :)

Hmmmmmmmm. There is a start and a finish :)

Romy6/Jamie, ya just had to go philosophical. *chuckle* But for you, there's not an ending: you overwinter in sunny Fla; it's a cycle, ad infinitum;-)

In any regard, may none of us "finish" with tender, tender seedlings fallen from a flat . . .

Yeah, I simply do not have the light setup for seedlings to not get leggy. Its sufficient for overwintering mature plants, but seedlings would need a lot more light.

Guess I could get a couple more stands and some CFLs though...

Like Edymnion and others, I start seeds based on last-frost-date for my zone. I start Annuums 8 weeks before; Chinense and everything else, 12 weeks before. So, about the time the Chinense et al have sprouted and been promoted out of the germination area and moved under the grow lights, the Annuum seeds move in.

Rick

Zone 5b here. I want to start them as soon as the seeds hit the stores- around the end of feb. This is about my true second season of chili production. I have never started from seed yet as I always purchased starts. I want grow up to 100 plants so seeds are needed this year! I dont grow anything but annums so they dont need as long as super hots. I am doing a garden for "drying". I found drying a great method of preserving. I am going to grow a bunch of Roma tomatoes for the first time to dry as well so we will see how it goes.

This post was edited by TheMasterGardener1 on Tue, Jan 22, 13 at 13:33

Hey annie1957 what part of NC are you in? I'm in Lincolnton. Nice to see a fellow Tar Heel on here. :)
Tim

Started 1 hour ago.. planted only Alma Paprika and Czech Black seeds so far.. (plus overwintering jalapeno & cayenne) It's probably a little early but I will plant more in the coming weeks.. No idea where they will all go once they get bigger.

Tar Heel Annie to Tar Heel Tim: in Morganton. We have about the same grow conditions. (No Morganton/Broughton jokes, please; although they're letting us grow peppers now instead of weaving baskets.) j/k Great to see ya, Tim!

I do the same as rdback...start annuums (and others) 8 weeks before I plan to plant out, and chinese 12 weeks out. I start tomatoes about 8 weeks out as well.

I will be starting my peppers in about 4 weeks. That will put me about 10 weeks before I start getting them out part time and about 12 weeks before they go outside full time. Last year, I started even earlier but I used a bad soil and nearly killed all my plants. Most survived but that put me about 4 weeks or so behind schedule as the seedlings grew to about one inch and just stayed there for a month or so until I finally changed soil. I live in Wisconsin and usually get my plants outside full time near the end of May.
Bruce

I could not wait any longer and started some today, hope we get an early Spring and I can move them into the greenhouse early....I just had to plant...Winter is driving me nutter. Have enough seed to start over if I have to. DH says I am becoming invasive...I have taken over the sunroom.

Heh, thats why I grow other winter crops to keep me busy.

Garlic and Horseradish both grow just fine in winter weather (basically as long as the ground isn't frozen solid, they will grow, and when it is frozen solid they just sit there and wait it out).

Also got some potatoes from last year that I kept sitting on the shelf as long as possible, and have now planted in containers. They'll survive the cold weather just fine too, long as I bring the smaller containers in during any really hard freeze.

I start seeds once a month, even in the winter.