If you're waiting for second leaf set it's really too early to tell about vigor. Let them grow as long as you can and the top plants will tell you who they are. Sometimes it's the tallest and earliest, sometimes not.

Dennis

Well they're currently in the Jiffy pellets so I'm not sure when I need to transplant...I thought early. Like I said, I'm new to this:)

Well, if I had to pick one now, I'd pick the one with the most leaves. Maybe the tallest would be a better choice, but, never really tested that theory.

Serranos are kind of leggy seedlings by nature. I would choose leaves over height.

Cait: Unless you're in South Florida or Texas, it's kind of late in the season to be trying to get something so young going and still have a productive season. Your best bet would be to ditch those this year and go get a couple or a pony pack from Home Depot et al. Next year, you may want to start a lot earlier(Jan or Feb) under shoplights like most of us here do. JMO

Kevin

i pick the seedling in photo #1 .......NM scrap that there is no photos :P

Thank you everyone for the advice! @woohooman I am actually in Texas!! I knew it was late to start and I thought I had already planted everything we were going to grow this year but my husband sprung this one on me late (the peppers are for him). I figured that since we are in TX (dallas) and don't get our first frost until November (or sometimes Dec) I still had time. I'm thinking of just having them be in containers too so I can move them to the garage when the nights are too cold.

cait: I actually meant SOUTH Texas. :)

I'm not saying you still can't get a harvest. I was just suggesting that a garden center would probably have some that are a tad older and ready RIGHT NOW-- leaving time for a couple of good harvests. Not only that, but with the heat of Summer coming, you'll be hard pressed for blossom development. Then, with cooler temps in the late fall/winter, peppers tend to lose a lot of their heat.

Don't get me wrong-- I'm not trying to talk you out of it. I was just trying to point out what you're up against.

Either way, I hope it works out for you.

Kevin

Kevin-I definitely see what you're saying! I'm giving it a go for the hubby but I know it's an extremely late start. And watch....this will be the year that Dallas has record cold temps in the fall :)

No shame in going with a little Bonnie plant from Lowe's. I grabbed two Serranos last month and started growing my peppers overnight. 1 month and the only watering it got was my first couple of days then the South Carolina rain took over. I was worried it it had too much water, but I made a little salsa tonight with three 3" peppers fried in oil with tomatillos and wow was it hot. The acid from the tomatillos along with some garlic, salt, lemon and lime really complimented my cheap investment.

On the other end, I started some jalapeños in February with the jiffy kit and even though I have some pretty plants, that is all I have. I know I cannot compare the two, but go to Lowe's and grab you a couple if there are still some left and plant them now.

@Augdogs-I would have definitely preffered bonnie plants with this late start but the problem is they're all gone!! I'm not sure if it's because we have a great location for growing peppers (TX) so they go fast or what but we can't find any jalepenos or Serrano's to transplant. We've even been to a neighboring town and they were out. Next year I'll be looking in February instead of May!

cait: maybe a local nursery or check again? Anyhow, regarding next year, I would think where you're at to start seeds in Jan/Feb and look for transplants in Late March/April.

Good luck this year though.

Kevin

i've had four serrano failures this year. all four seeds germinated. one died of helmet head complications (lesson learned re: planting the seed deep enough for soil-seed friction). another was planted a bit too deeply and its stem never gained height; for almost two months, the true leaves are stunted and sitting atop the soil.

two others grew to four inches and then got dry-looking; even the baby leaves at the nodes dried up, and i don't think it was due to insufficient watering. was the failure due to worm castings that upped the nitrogen level beyond healthy levels? next time i try to start serranos from seed, i'll follow sjetski's advice re: using low-nutrient potting mix.

in the meantime, i'm growing a serrano obtained from a large garden retailer. no shame in getting professional help :)

Seedlings need little nutrients at the beginning. Most potting mixes have more than enough already built in and should be good for a couple months.

For the common varieties of peppers, I see no shame in using the garden centers. It leaves room for the varieties you cannot find grown commercially. Or, in your case, it is a great way to save a season.

Those garden centers use a good quality potting mix and likely never add any nutrients before they are put out for sale to the public. They do great and no reason yours won't thrive as well without adding extras.

Once the plants are planted outside and the weather is optimal and the plants start to really take off is the time to give them the little extra they need.

Fotos of plants will help

here are three of my serrano failures. (the fourth suffered helmet head and was inadvertently decapitated during the attempted remedy; its picture will not be shown here, due to the graphic nature of the outcome.)

they're all about the same age, yet the one in the middle has lived a stunted life. the internodal distance on its stem is about. . . zero.

the flanking seedlings looked great until they didn't. now they're hunched over. the baby leaves at the nodes should be green and tender, but they're dark, small, and brittle.

my store-bought serrano, though, looks great.

i'm still going to try raising serranos from seed this year, just to prove to myself that i can. when i'm done, i'll have plants i can give away to family and friends.