I am zone 5 and I think I am cold. you are up to zone 3. wow. are you way up in cananda. or up a mountain. Just wondering where zone 3 might be.

I brought all my peppers back indoors a couple of days ago. back under the shop lights. glad I did it. they are warm and growing and it has been nothing but cold rain the last 2 days.

when did you start the seeds indoors.

I'm in NW Wisconsin. Depending on the source of info, I could be zone 3 or zone 4. According to maps,3, and according to the locals,4, due to the varying micro-climates, I guess. It's in the 50's today, so I rolled my maters back out for a while. I crammed my peppers under the light inside. I also have zukes and cukes that I started in 2" pots that are starting to bud up...Arrgghh!! I've never had that happen so soon before.
As for when, I started all my pepper and tomato seeds mid-March, my cucurbits just a few weeks ago. Probably too soon, but even after 3 years, I'm still having trouble adjusting from zone 7 to zone 3-4.

I can not imagine zone 3/4. I am in zone 5 and you can not put tomatoes out until maybe june 1. some years if warm out by May 20th or so. but the peppers need to wait longer usually.

I would say up in north wisconsin the tomatoes june 1. and peppers a week or 10 days later for the soil to get good and warm. but of course you can put them out anytime you want.

now if you put them out today. they will not grow. and you will have to protect from any freeze. I have successfully put tomatoes out on like May 5. but with very little growth until it really warms up.

but this year and last we have had colder May. last year was a record low for may. the coldest may in over 100 years in new england. then the weather suddenly changed to very hot immediately the last 2 days of May and june and july and aug were all hot.

there is a world of difference between zone 7 and 3. where you are the trick is to grow the plants as big as possible before putting them out. you have that part correct.

without a big start the plants might not finish. tomatoes and peppers need lots of grow time and heat to finish properly. so you need the plants big and ready to go as you set them out.

The problem(other than starting too soon)was that we had a stretch of really warm weather prior to the cold front, so I started hardening the plants off. Then the cold and rain came and lasted a long time. Anyway, I'll be planting in a large raised bed so maybe the soil won't take as long to warm up. If the plants go dormant, that's ok...I just don't want to lose them to frost. I'll be hardening them off for the time being. Thanks for support!

I am in Minnesota in the northern zone 4 area. I always push the envelope as far as having my plants out. This year I transplanted most of my tomatoes on April 10, just at the beginning of a unseasonably warm week. I put discarded tires out and transplant the tomato in the center. I cover most of the way with a discarded storm window (also rescued from the landfill). when the plants grow I have to add another tire. I have been a little concerned lately with cool weather we've been having but everything looks good. A lot of the tomatoes have blossoms and are about 18 inches tall now.
The peppers went out on about the 25th of April. I have 55 plants out and so far, so good. I have had to cover them twice so far. It's kind of a hassle covering them, but I like extending the season as much as I can.
I do not like the idea of growing plants too big before transplanting them. For me it seems that the transplant shock on big plants is too severe.
Anyway, this is how I do it and it works for me.
Art

Thanks, Art,
Your info makes me feel a little better about starting so soon. My pepper plants aren't too big, but some are starting to bud up already. The tomatoes I'll have to plant really deep or at an angle. I've cut some of the cherry toms off and re-rooted the tops already. I don't want to do that with the larger varieties. The raised bed is about 18" high and about 15'x 20'. It's supposed to be for all the tenants in the building(10), but no one else has claimed any space this year so far...probably because the weeds haven't magically disappeared ;) I'm hoping to get at least some plants out there by next weekend, although it will still be in the 40's at night.

I used to push the season outdoors and I was always successful in keeping all the plants alive.

however, I used to have a lot of plants. so only some wer outside and some were still going indoors at night.

well I found that when the weather finally warmed up and I put the plants outdoors that the small ones I kept indoors were now much larger than the huge ones I put outdoors the first time. so the indoor plants grew and the outdoor just sat there doing nothing.

in this note by indoor I mean the plants I brought indoors at night and outdoors in the day.

It's been cold (for this time of year) and gloomy for the past month here. Before that it was warm and perfect everyday. I just moved some cayennes out and I don't think they are getting enough sun.

I'm a mile from the beach and we've been getting a marine layer practically everyday. They get enough sun to get by but aren't thriving like they could be. Lows are down to 60 at night and bring out the f--king snails which ate an impressive amount of an orange hab. Grrrr.

I put out a beer trap and seem to have the situation under control.

Anyone ever try copper tape for snails? I heard they won't cross it.

noinwi

Plant out for us Northerners, When you can sit in your garden with a bare bottom at 8 AM comfotably, Other than exposing yourself, get a compost thermometer, when it's 50F at 8 AM for 3 days in a row, Plant your peppers. This assumes no other heat holding methods. I wait till about June 10th

I am worried that I have not been able to transplant and put the Pepper plants outside either. I live in Mitchell, SD and started germination March 10. A few of the plants are peaking at 20 inches tall by now (in 6 in pots. :( )and I have Red Cayenne, Jalapeno and Large Cherry peppers on the plants (and I thought they would drop all of those since they only get flourescent lighting). Lots of peppers indoors in 6 inch pots. I am just waiting (impationately I might add) for the night temperature to stay above 50. I just don't want to risk losing them at this point. Babied for more than 2 months and they require a lot more frequent waterings as well.

I do have some Orange Habanero that I started a week later. Looks like I hit those perfectly. They are at a size now where they have definitely not outgrown the 6in. pots and will probably be right on time. I hope this dang South Dakota wind starts winding down a little as well. I started 9 Giant Thai pepper plants 10 days ago. Those could probably have been planted quite a while ago :)

Thank you all for your input...at least I know I'm not the only one waiting for the big warm-up. I spent a bit more than I planned on pepper and tomato seeds this year, so I ended up with about 25 pepper plants and about 30 tomato plants(and I've already given some away),way too many for just DH and myself, but at least I'll have spares if my first ones out don't make it. I'll be keeping my peppers in under lights as long as I can, but the tomatoes will have to go out a bit sooner(the taller ones anyway)...I'll keep you all posted as I'm also doing a comparison test of two seed companies...pics to come later. Good luck to everyone! :D

I'm in zone 5 and my peppers were planted the evening before last..most in the ground with the exception of Habs in containers :) The Tomatoes and Eggplants have been completely outside for 2 days/nights after about 1 week of hardening off and will be in the ground once the temps drop back down to 70's (end of the week). The weather is 50+ at night and the days 75-80 with the exception of yesterday, today and tomorrow 89-90. All is well here in Eastern WA!!

Vera

Sometimes it doesn't make a difference,

IE ALL Caribean Reds come from Monsanto

right on byron.

many strains are grown by big companies that make the seeds. then they sell a pound to a seed company who puts them into 1000 seed packets and tries to sell them all. if they are successful they make a profit.

some seed companies grow some but not all of their seeds that they sell. it is very difficult to grow all the seeds they sell. the seed sellers usually need a great variety in order to attract customers. a grower might specialize and grow hundreds of pounds of seeds and wholesale them to resellers.