You can germinate seeds at 70 degrees, it's just going to take longer. If you have some place that stays warm (the top of your water heater, around your fridgerator, etc etc. Any of those areas are perfectly fine to sprout some seeds. Some folks put them in paper towels that are damp and in plastic sandwich bags till they sprout then move to the soil as soon as they sprout. But I just prefer to start in soil.

And to answer your second question, you can get a cfl light that fits into a normal light socket if I'm not mistaken but they are costly, and you need to be able to get the seedlings super close to the light. Otherwise have a window or door you can put them in front of that will get sufficient light as soon as they come through the soil.

The other alternative is to head to some place like walmart and get one of their 10-15 dollar shop lights, and pick up some 6500k bulbs. They work just fine for what you'll need it for - just keep them a couple of inches away from the seedlings.

And to answer your third question, it's up in the air, you need heat to get them started, but once they are established they thrive fine at 70-75 degrees but will rely more on lights then. However you can provide them heat with just items around the house. So if I were you - I'd go with a light.

My post is a jumbled up mess, but hope it helps a little. Also don't buy the lights at local stores labeled "grow lights" they are usually done that way to hike the prices up on them, and what I mentioned before works just as well or better.

If your bathroom floor has underfloor heating, stick them there for germination. Once germinated, transfer to a sunny windowsill. I'm no expert, but as long as your windows aren't too cold it should work. When weather is warm enough, you can move them outside.

(facepalm) Holy smokes cjohansen, you are a genius! The bathroom floor in our new house technically does have a heated floor, but I've never used it. I'm not even totally sure it works. But now I will be sure to check that out as an option!!

emcd:

Lights--- if you have to choose just one investment. You can "find" ways to GERMINATE--- On top of a DVR, water heater, or even on the ballast of the light fixture. I'm actually using the top of a toaster oven set at a low temp so my germination "house" is a constant 86F.

But, you really do NEED the lights -- Reasons:

1)Windowsill light just doesn't do it. Winter sun(usually when we start peppers) is weak and, in most cases, just a few hours a day.. Also, Windowsill light causes stretching of seedlings and is usually colder than optimum once nightfall comes.

2) The heat from fluorescents is usually enough after germination since you want to keep the lights about an inch or so above the seedlings anyway.

3)Minimal cost - $20-30 for fixture and bulbs.

Kevin

HEAT: Put them (preferably the seeds in bags, though the whole starter tray will work until you start to get sprouts) in the oven with the pilot light or the appliance light on.

Remove oven knob.

I have germinated seeds on my DVR and next to a heat vent in the house. I would purchase lights. The shop lights work great.

Mark

Gotta have light to get good growth. If you move the plants around to the sunniest windows throughout the day it can work well. Also tilt the tray of plants so the sun shines more directly on them. Move them away from the window when it is dark if there is a warmer area for them to spend the night. It does get tiresome moving them around all the time, though.

Many people have lights that will work fine if they are only growing a few plants. If you have any fluorescent lights or CFLs you can grow under them. Set the tray on boxes, etc so the tops of your plants are within 1-3 inches of the light. Undercounter lights and shop lights with fluorescent tubes work fine as do adjustable arm lamps and clip on lights with CFL bulbs (use 3 or so if you have a regular sized flat to light) Again, adjust so the plants are close to the lights.

You can improvise. When my regular grow lights broke just before I was leaving for a few days, I stacked up several big boxes in the basement under a 4 foot fluorescent ceiling fixture and put a flat of tomatoes up on top near the tubes. They were fine when I came home....but my husband who stayed at home had to work a bit harder to keep them watered in their lofty location :)

To give you some encouragement, I was fairly successful DESPITE my methods.

I didn't even use a seed tray! I usually buy peppers every single year from the farmer's market. I saved some seed, thinking I will give it a shot in the spring 'just for fun'. I totally forgot about the seeds until around March, and then proceeded to start 50 seeds in a single dixie cup sitting on top of my fridge, assuming that 'if I am lucky, I will get 1 or two to sprout up".

Well, I got basically all 50 shooting up. I was busy, and didn't even move them into individual cups until they were already a month old and strangling one another.

I used no lights - just my south facing windowsill - and I stacked my cups on top of one another like a pyramid to try and maximize how many I could fit. They toppled down twice, but I just put them back up.

By the time the last frost hit, most of them were flowering. I moved them outside in what I thought would be a great spot to harden them off (started researching by this time!) and I severely damaged half of them in one day.

Anyways, by the time September came (I get frost in September) I picked 2 grocery bags full of peppers.

I can't imagine doing things more wrong. It was about as 'ghetto' and low-tech as you can get.

I still don't use a heat mat - I don't even use seed starting trays. I just use empty styrofoam egg containers with a bit of soil in each cell, and I set that on top of my fridge (haven't taken a temperature reading) and I got about 90% germination. Anything you have - a computer, DVD player, etc., - that puts out a bit of heat you can use. You CAN get it to sprout even without heat, but the germination rates will be lower, and they will take longer to sprout.

I use lights now, simply because I am growing way more varieties this year, but still have a few that I couldn't fit under the lights sitting on my windowsill. I can definitely see the advantage of lights now, but I am still expecting to be picking some nice peppers at the end of the season even from the ones sitting on the windowsill (after the frost and I get them in-ground, that is).

So, don't worry. Your germination and growth rates may not be optimal, but you will experience some success. Besides, this way is the 'green way', right? :D

Good luck!!

using 2 aluminum roasting pans with a string of christmas lights inbetween works for warmth. Then just place your starts in the top pan. I check the temp with a thermometer first. Too hot, just take out part of the string...too cool, put a few more of the bulbs in. About 50 bulbs work for me but my room might be warmer/colder than others.

As for the lights. If the plants dont get enough sun/light you'll end up with tall spindly plants. Perhaps in some areas a window sill would be enough for strong healthy growth but not where I live.
Also think about a small fan to help them grow stronger...certainly helps.

Good luck growing :)

Azorean made a very important point- that peppers aren't that hard to grow. These things did just fine for millions of years before humans got involved, so surely they can survive without being babysat 24/7. I truly think that more pepper plants are killed by overprotective parenting than by lack of care. Same goes for tropical fish, but that's for another forum.

if I just had to pick one, either lights or a mat, which would be the most important for the chances of ultimate success
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i'd get some lights
1. i'd use the lights for warmth
2. when they sprout, use the light as a grow light

if you happen to have an extra $10, you can make something like this grow light.