Started mine mid-January

Usual rule of thumb is 8-10 weeks before your last spring frost date. Unless you have lots of room, starting them too early can cause space and lighting problems when the plants get large. Starting too late can mean you run out of time in the fall and they don't ripen before frost. I grow all of mine in pots which allows me to bring them into the garage on frosty nights and eventually bring them inside to finish ripening.

John

If you start too early, your plants might become pot bound.

After about 8 weeks you need 1/2 to 1 gal pots.

Unless you have a reason to start them early i would start them 8-10 weeks before last frost. I know you probably have the fever and want to plant them but if you wait its going to be better. I have one type of plant this year that im planting early but i have a reason. Tabasaco peppers are 120 days. In my area i just start getting tabasco peppers a couple of weeks before the first frost which really sucks cause i ahve to hurry up and get out there and process them really fast. Im hoping starting them early this year will get the plant a big head start. If your not wanting to do something like this then i would leave all alone since you run the risk of getting leggy plants.

I'm in the same zone as you nenewbie. I started some inside right now. Seedlings emerged on the peppers. I'll keep them indoors as long as I can. Looks like about 2 months right now. What I'll do is plant the seeds again every 2 weeks. At least I ensure a good time to plant one way or another.

I know I'm early but its fun.

naturalstuff

Interesting approach. I hope you will let us know which time turns out to be the best relative to your last frost.

John

Yeap. Keeping a journal. I'll put money on it that the ones I planted last week and this month dont make it.

nenewbie, March 1st or the first week in March should work fine for you.

Rhody,

That's when I started last year and it worked out fine. I may start a week earlier this year just due to lack of patience.

On another note I couldn't get any Jalapenos (JalapenoM) to mature to red last year. They were all green. This could also be lack of patience. Just wondering if anyone else in this area has grown Jalepnos and had them mature all the way to red.

NENewbie

I planted out last weekend, I'd been raising plants from seed since 12/3/05 and last year planted out on 2/10. I moved the date up and this week we got the cold blast we hadn't had yet, I covered 42 different plants and am hoping for the best. This living in z9, on a peninsula, can make a man edgy for spring. I hate cold weather.

nenewbie

A different thought, called phenology

Start your seeds when the leaves on maple trees are about the size of a squirrels ear.

PLant out peppers when peonies are in full bloom

Much depends on what types of peppers you are growing. Ornamental types don't ever have to leave your house so you can start them whenever you want.And peppers, unlike tomatoes, do well in the house comfort temperatures, day and night. I like to have colored ornamental peppers on those by early June (for selling)so Mine are started now. Habanero types are so long seasoned and tend to be shorter so they should be started 2-3 weeks before other hot types. I usually start sweet peppers last because of plant size. Even in larger cells they will start crowding eachother for room after 8 weeks.

You'll find that none of them like to be planted until the temperatures warm up ( 1-2 weeks after last frost free date). If you plant them when its cold they take longer to start growing than if you wait a few weeks.

The seeds will usually take a week longer to germinate than most other transplant crops so plan that into your equasion too. Keep them isolated from houseplants to avoid aphids and thrips. Both pests love peppers and are hard to control once they infest your plants.