Our friends at Botanical Interests seeds shared this information about peppers:
It’s time to think about starting pepper seeds indoors!
When to start peppers
Start peppers indoors 8 to 10 weeks before average last spring frost (which is April 15), and transplant them out when daytime temperatures are at least 70°F, and nighttime temperatures are at least 55°F. (Don’t panic if you’re not ready to start gardening: you can start them indoors as late as march, or sow seeds directly into garden soil 2 to 4 weeks after any danger of frost.)
Sowing temperature
Temperature is crucial for starting peppers. Pepper seeds germinate much faster if the soil is 70°-90°F. At cooler temperatures, they can take a month to sprout or fail altogether. The longer seeds take to emerge, the more susceptible they are to rotting or being attacked by fungus. Seedling heat mats are especially helpful in maintaining warm soil for peppers. Once germinated, peppers can be grown at air temperatures of 60°F at night and 70°F during the day.
What makes them hot?
Capsaicin and related compounds give chili peppers their spiciness. Capsaicin occurs mostly in the light-colored ribs (also called pith) inside the pepper. The seeds contain very little or no capsaicin, but are often hot because they come in contact with the capsaicin from the ribs. Potential benefits of capsaicin are still being studied: increased metabolism, appetite suppression, decreased heart disease, reduced pain perception, and heartburn (believe it or not!).
Like your peppers hot? The more mature the pepper fruit, the hotter the pepper will be. Stress, such as drought, will also make peppers hotter. You can cause stress to the plant by cutting back on watering after fruits have started to develop so the soil stays dry, but be careful not to let the plant wilt! Drought stress may also reduce yields.
In addition to pepper seeds, we have seeds for broccoli, greens, and other cool-weather plants. Check out the seed rack in the store. Instructions are on each package.