If you truly want to have success, I'd invest in a heat mat and digital thermostat. I purchased mine on Amazon around 4 years ago. It was made by Hydrofarm. It'll cost you around $60 to $70, but you can use it for years. It was probably the best investment I've made. You just set your thermostat to the desired temperature and you're done. That will help you with germination. Once they're up, you need some form of light. You can try the desk lamp, but that will only do for one or two plants. It all depends on how much you want to grow. Maybe you could use 3 lamps in 3 different locations. That might suffice for 6 plants. Try to get bulbs rated at 6500K. That's as close as you can get to true daylight. Good Luck!

Tim

You know, sometimes I think we over-think this stuff. My friend was leaving on vacation during the holidays. She had some pots in which the seeds didn't sprout, so she put the pots in the garage before she left. A couple of weeks later, many days of freezing temps, no light, no heat at all, she went out to get the pots to use, she had 15 little plants. Makes me wonder why I bother with mats and all the fussing I do. So far this year I have burned up at least 50% of my seeds, my mats have gotten a bit crazy. I did have a thermostat last year, but I had some of my worst germination using it and figured I'd go back to just plain mats. Now I've got towels set over my mats to keep them from cooking seeds. Interestingly I have 2 plug trays that rest on top of the tray (the rest sit down inside the trays) those two have had almost 90% germination. So, it seems that sitting up a ways off the heat works best, I guess I'll build some lifts for the plug trays. I give up... maybe I'll just put all my plug trays in the garage and leave them for a couple of weeks. ;-)

Pam

That is very interesting, Pam.
Given time most seeds will eventually germinate. There is in "optimum" temperature with shortest germination time. In my experience with peppers it is 6 days. But if I wanted not to use a warmer temperature (85F +) and just left them at 65F probably it would've taken 3 weeks. But we are in hurry and want to get instant satisfaction.

Seysonn

See Table Bellow

Yeah Seysonn, but honestly, her seeds were in her garage and that was the period that the water in my garage froze (I overwinter tropical pond plants in my garage and have never had a problem, this is the first year the water I was keeping them in froze), and they germinated... But like her and I were saying, we wouldn't be bombarded with tons of volunteers every spring. ;-) Next year (and I say this every year ;-)) I am going to keep better records on germination times.
Pam

Thanks for the input. I really only want 2 or 3 plants from these seeds. I can only handle about 12 on the balcony during the season.
I bought a Millard seedling heat mat. and MG seedling mix. I work for a catering company so have many plastic containers and lids at my disposal. I'm sure I can come up with something.
As for lighting, I will wait for now. We'll see, the days are getting longer.

Alynne, you probably don't need the heating pad... the warm top of a fridge makes an okay replacement, at no charge. But the heating pad will help, and as someone pointed out it lasts a lifetime.

If it were me, I would just try growing them in your window with available sunlight, maybe shining the desk light on them from behind so the light isn't so one-directional. If it works, great, you've got some plants for little more than the cost of a pot and soil (and your heat mat). If it doesn't work, no problem, you weren't planning on these for your summer crop anyway.

Ok, I have a plan. Warming mat, MG seed starting soil, styrofoam tray, plastic tray with lid, solo cups for potting up and Jason's seeds.

Now what?

And would it be foolish to plug the heat mat into an extension cord and leave all day? I have a limited number of outlets.

I place my seeds on a paper towel and put the paper towel inside a sandwich bag. I then put the bag on top of my Direct-TV cablebox, ( you can use a dvd player/blueray player, or computer.) I have pretty much sprouted 95 % of the seeds ive tried within 2 weeks using this method. Once they are sprouted, I slip off the seed shell and place them in a 4 inch pot.

I live in florida so even in january I can usually take them outside at least twice a week for a full day's sun. When its too cold, below 55, i just take them inside on my kitchen table and I have one single lamp (5-10$ at lowes) that I rotate through about 6 pots. When I get up in the morning, if its too cold to leave them outside, I just put the lamp on the next plant. When I get home after work, I put it on the next plant, and when I go to bed I put it on the next plant. Its not ideal, but it costs me pretty much nothing.

when they sprout, you will need a light to put them under.

you might consider getting a 20 gal tote with a lid (not a see through tote), lining the insides with foil, and installing a clamp light in the lid with a nice LED lite. not a lot of space needed.

Here is a link that might be useful: here's how

Alynne - Everyone has their own method that they have developed over the years. It's trial an error and you will find yours as you progress.

Personally I use trays a/ heating mats. For lighting I bought this 2yrs ago a/ it works like a champ. Virtual Sun 4-Ft 8 Lamp Bloom Flower T5 High Output Fluorescent Grow Light Kit includes 8 t5 HO Bulbs sitting about 4 inches above plants.

http://www.virtualsunhydroponics.com/virtual-sun-4-ft-8-lamp-bloom-flower-t5-ho-fluorescent-grow-light-kit

Here is what I came up with:{{gwi:2143916}}{{gwi:2143917}}{{gwi:2143918}}

Heat mat, dishtowels and floatie from Amazon packaging to keep from getting too hot. 2 seeds in each cup - Jason's mini Tobasco, Jason's Red Brain, Cobra and Chupetino, the last two from last year's harvest. We'll see what happens.

Suggestions?

Yeah... NOT THAT HOT or you'll be making pepper popcorn. Seeds need ~80 degrees to germinate at a moderate pace. Anything ahove that a/ you risk burning them up.

Johnny

Thinking the 91 temp is of the tray, not the soil. Yes?

I've got one!!!

I thought I had cooked my first batch, but have a tiny plant from one of my chuletopino's from last year. Nothing from Jason's seeds yet. Now what? It's VERY cold here in dc. Keep in the warmth for now or take out of the tray???