I'm curious as to what plants actually like 'wet feet' when seed starting. But let's move on.

Your choice of starting date was pretty good even though I like to start at least 10 weeks before plant out. Peat pellets work just fine for an experienced gardener. I don't use them.

Nothing wrong with nursery plants. The ones WallyWorld sells are usually topnotch. Bonny Best I think is brand.

Are your seed trays on a heating pad? Or in a room with ambient temps in the mid-80s?

And lastly, what varieties are you trying to start? Days to maturity is something we need to know in order to advise.

jt

Most chili plants need warmth to germinate. What kind of seed starting setup do you have? Lights? Heat mats? humidity domes?

1.peat pellets can work wonderfully if you work with them.
2.year old seed should not matter, I germinated seed atleast 3 years old this year and i know others who have done even older
3.did you have a humidity dome or heat mat to keep them warm enough and to retain moisture without having them "sit" in water?

If nothing else, like jt mentions buy plants at the local nursery and practice raising the plant and producing fruit before tackling seed starting. You will be rewarded with the same great chilis and will have more confidence and time to work with your seed starting method

kendra

hmm...I've had mediocre results with peppers in peat pellets, but not THAT bad. Anyhow, I wouldn't recommend them for peppers. Dirt inna container works best for me.

I'm no expert...I've been growing from seed for just 4 years.

This year I've actually been using cutoff containers from liquid All/Tide/Era, 100 oz or more size...well-rinsed, of course. I space seeds 1.5-2". Germination avg 90%. Transplanting @ 1-2 sets of true leaves. I use a heat pad under shop lites.

Where in NE OH? Here in Cleveland, 3 mi. S of the lake, I plan to plant peppers no earlier than Memorial Day, and probably 1-2 weeks into June...I want to make sure I have warm soil before planting out. Earlier isn't always better.

I have a few extra plants, email me: kj5kb@hotmail.com if you want some. I'm near Cleveland Hopkins Airport.

--Don

I have had no trouble germinating 5-8 yr old seeds that were properly stored. Old chile seed is no problem.

Okay, let's see if I can answer the questions in order.

JT:
1. The room they're in is around 65-70, and I don't own a heating pad. I suppose that should have been a fourth strike in my list.

2. I'm growing two kinds of banana peppers (Sweet Spot and Sweet Banana), as well as Alma Paprika, and a bell pepper (Calwonder).

Ardnek:

1. I have two 40 or 60 watt fluorescent lights on a shop light setup, poised about five or six inches above a Jiffy-style 72-slot peat pellet 'greenhouse' with a clear plastic top you can set on it to keep the humidity up.

2. They're certainly not 80 degrees, but humidity should be pretty good.

Don:

1. I'm just outside of Akron.

2. I tend towards the cool end of the spectrum (0-1500 BTUs), but I may take you up on that if things continue to be this dismal.

I have some Italian Roasters from TGSC, large and medium hot. Also have sweets I started a few weeks ago. Lemme know if you want a few and I'll be glad to save 'em for ya. You might be surprised that peppers & toms from Marc's did quite well for a resonable price...and locally grown!

DON'T be in a hurry to plant your peppers. The soil has to be warm enough first. Planting May 15 in NE OH maybe not advantageous to planting 1st week of June, esp for Peppers (and you don't have to worry about that late frost).

Best of Luck with your crops!!!
--Don kj5kb@hotmail.com

Too cold. Wally World sells heating pads in the Pharmacy section with heat settings. Maybe $20 or so. Or find something warm to set the propagator on. Putting the shop lights right on the dome lid might do the trick. Stick a thermometer inside the dome so you know just exactly what the temp is. Two shop light fixtures side by side make a nice heat source if you put the propagator on top. When the seedlings emerge remove and put under the lights about 2". Run the lights 16 hours on and 8 hours off.

Good luck!

Ditto John's comments about heat...forgot to add that to my previous post. HD / Lowes should be closing out their planting stuff in 4-6 weeks, look for the Jiffy starter kit (with heat mat) cheap. I use one for starting seeds; works great. I use large closed-bottom containers directly on the mat for pepper seed starting....and you can use the peat pots in the kit for tomatos.