plant seed, water, and fertilize
Kind of a vague question.
Do you have any growing experience?
Use a quality potting mix
give them at least 5-6 hours direct sun
don't over water.

I usually start the seeds in January so they are ready for planting at this point, but I start them in a South facing window sill in empty yogurt cups filled with miracle grow potting soil. Water them every other day or so - you don't want to over water them but never let them dry out completely. Plant 3-4 seeds per cup and clip off the weaker looking sprouts - let the best one survive. Once they are a few inches high, transplant them into the ground or into a large pot. Don't let them stay in too small of a pot or they will get root bound. Be patient, peppers can take up to five or six weeks to germinate. You might want to start with plants this late in the year, but good luck either way.
www.pepperjoe.com

In MASS, nd you are trying to grow habs from seeds now, sounds like a tough proposition.
First, habs are very slow growing and love heat. I started som from seeds last year,in May, and got some green fruitss in the fall.
BTW, I am in southern zone 8 with hot and long summer.
So my suggestion to you is, ifyou want habs badly, get some good size plants from a nursery and plant them.
I started mine this year in FEB, inside and they are now about 3 inches tall, w/no flowers yet.

cyrus

I agree with cyrus, at this point you should look for some transplants at your local nurseries and farmer's markets. I would wait until next year to start from seed. Good luck!

I would go ahead and start the seeds now in a seed starting or "promix". Even if you don't get ripe peppers by the end of summer you can bring them in and put them in a bright window to ripen existing peppers and even get more pods. I started orange habs last year in late June and I managed to harvest more than a dozen ripe habs throughout the winter just in my windowsill plants in 4" pots!

I started seeds on march 10th this year and I have flowers open as of today.

You could find some transplants to go with your seedlings just to be sure you have some habs to enjoy before fall/winter. I'm not a big fan of the place, but I found habanero transplants at walmart last July and they were still in good shape.

i started some in february this year, from seeds saved from last fall.

i used one of those re-cycled paper egg cartons, and regular miracle-gro potting soil (i know, gasp!). the best tip i found is that they need a warm place to germinate, in addition to moisture. the top of the water heater is a real good place to start them out if you can fit them on there and keep them covered.

they've been outside for most of May, but it was cold here, so they aren't very tall yet. I expect them to pick up the pace now that we are regularly in the 80s and 90s during the day.

jesse aji,
I am a first time grower. I got some starter heirlooms at the farmers' market but I also got some seeds from imported Jamaican scotch bonnets [apparently... yellow / green] and some Dominican hot peppers [chinenses] I bought at west indian markets. They germinated in about a week.

I want to grow them in containers as I do not have a yard.

How do you keep Habaneros in 4" pots? do you trim the roots?

Ideally I would like to grow peppers in 4 t 8 inch pots. I could use the tall soup to go containers after I poke holes in the bottom.
I saw this website about bonchi bonsai chiles. I do not need necessarily woody stems.

I have shop lights and CFL to grow some orchids. I would like to have a little yield of Habaneros,, Scotch Bonnets, and frutescens...
any advice how to grow them indoors [I can keep them on the fire escape in the sun now though]

stefano

The 4" pots weren't their permanent homes. I had started them from seed late last June and we had a cooler than average summer/fall so they were pretty small by the time cool (for habs) weather officially set in (mid Oct.)

I brought them in not expecting much, I put them in a West facing window and they grew like crazy. Late January they started flowering and they were still in their little pots. I expected the flowers to drop but surprisingly they grew into tasty fruits! The size of the pods was smaller than normal but not too small. They have continued to produce small quantities up until recently when I have since moved them to bigger pots and put them outside.

From my experience the smaller the pot the smaller the plant and the less peppers/more watering. I also have limited space so I try to keep them in 3 gallon pots in the summer and hope for the best.

What is the ideal pot/container size for habanero pepper? SOS planting this month seedlings 3 inches high. got from Home Depot

IMO the best size container is the biggest one you can get for free. A big plant like a hab will take all the space you can give it.

However, at this late stage with 3" plants you might want to stick to 3 gal or thereabouts - pots that are about 10" diameter and as deep as you can get. Check the pot recycling rack at Lowes (some HDs have them too) for free ones. Be sure you use a good potting mix (not potting soil).

Oh, and remove the peat pot each came in. Don't worry about pulling away some fine roots with it - the roots will do much better with it gone.

Dennis

I don't have a South facing window in my house nor do I use heat mats or grow lights.
I do have sky lights in my game room so I start them there with 100% success each time.
Solo cup or equivalent, seed starting mix, seed 1/4 inch down, water, saran wrap with rubber band until germination.
Remove saran wrap, keep soil moist and make sure you have a drain hole at the bottom of your cup.
4 sets of true leaves (I like 6) before hardening and transplant.

Good luck!

Stoney

I have started habaneros this late and gotten a harvest. It did not happen until October though, and I am in zone 7 Maryland where it is considerably warmer.

I doubt it would be doable in Massachusetts due to a cooler climate and shorter growing season. You might be able to do it if you keep the plants inside once it starts getting cool. Maybe.

But buying some that are already started seems like the best plan at this point.

Angie