Starting hot peppers help

[socalgardengal]

I want to start my peppers this weekend and have a few questions. I want to start Jamacian Chocolate, Peter, Habanero, Devils Tongue and Peach Bhut. The problem that I have is my hubby won't let me set up shop lights and heat mats. He says it costs too much $$ to have on all the time and he wants nothing to do with it!
Soooooo, what can I do??? Anyone else try without heat or light set up?? I dont have a sunny window

[Patihum]

I start mine without a heat mat but they sit in front of a wood stove. You can try the top of the frig - it will just take longer. I don't know what to tell you about the lights. If you're not starting a lot of them something smaller than a shop light would probably do. You could do a little investigation and find out just how much it actually costs to run them.

[KarenO]

Tell your hubby it's cheaper than a divorce and do what you want!
(that's my Canadian advice)

for just a few plants you can use a goose neck desk lamp with a 100 watt fluorescent daylight bulb and peppers have been germinated for millennia without the recently invented heat mats so for a small number of seedlings you can do it without a fancy set up. . This will get you by for the small seedling stage and then once transplanted up to bigger pots you will need to bring them outside for real sunlight and back in at night until they can stay outside for good.

Karen

[socalgardengal]

Hahaha, I like your thinking Karen!

[brokenbar]

You can use a heating pad or electric blanket covered with GOOD NEW plastic. And don't harangue me...I use a "bottom heating blanket" on a big table covered with good plastic and set on low and I can start about 20 of the small black flats. You need to use a thermometer so you can get right temps. You just cannot get water on the blanket or pad (duh...)

You live in San Diego...no where you can put your seedlings out during the day and then bring them in at night? (after hardening off..) Somewhere with wind and hot temp protection?

[socalgardengal]

I have tons of room on the back deck. That's not a problem. I'm just worried about them germinating first I seriously need a little greenhouse.

[Salsacharley]

I used an electric blanket last year for my peppers (as Brokenbar) and that worked fine.
A couple of T12 shop lights would probably cost about 10 - 20 cents per hour to run.

[luigiwu]

Have you tried to germinate using the baggie method? I haven't tried it with peppers but with everything else, I wet a coffee filter, put the seeds in that. After sealing them in a ziplock, I simply throw it in the oven - the oven is not on. Only the pilot light. Seems to work so far. But afterwards yeah, you'll need the shop lights but it really should be very little $$ if you are using fluorescents.

[brokenbar]

Originally Posted by Salsacharley

I used an electric blanket last year for my peppers (as Brokenbar) and that worked fine.
A couple of T12 shop lights would probably cost about 10 - 20 cents per hour to run.

Charley, I am growing all the NuMex-Big Jim-Hatch varieties this year so I can do a side-by-side comparison. I have the space and the time... Not growing any tomatoes this year for the first time in my life...have plenty of sauce, dried and salsa so will be doing about 85 kinds of peppers. About 20 kinds of Cayenne (from all over the world) and 15 different peppers from Spain. I am interested in best for ristras and best for chili powder...have to do something with myself!

[peebee]

Before I bought a heat mat, I put my pots on top of the water heater (when it used to be in the house, now its outside like it should be). I also used the top of the fridge but that took longer. Other methods I've used were just putting them directly on the warm concrete patio, on the hood of a car, etc. We both live where its very warm now, so look around and be creative. Touch different surfaces with your hands and you'd be surprised.
But really, a small heat mat would not use much energy, I would think. And if you do dense sowing, you might be over with the mat in a very short time. How about if you & hubby compromised and agree you can use the mat say, after sundown till maybe 10AM, at which time you can take the tray outside? As for grow lights, I haven't bothered using them in years. A farmer's market grower near me told me he only uses an electric blanket till seeds sprout, then uses our abundant So. CA sunlight as his grow lights. Just be sure to keep them under a canopy while they are very small to prevent burn.
I'm with KarenO too; when my hubby complained once about my 100+ small pots taking over our yard, I asked him did he want tomatoes that summer or not? He got the message and has been an active helper ever since, making space for expected onslaught of containers.

[akgardengirl]

I start mine in wet paper towels placed in plastic zip bags in the oven with just the light on. Hey, it works for sourdough too.
Sue B.

[socalgardengal]

I've been thinking about it since dinner and I found a heating pad with 3 settings. Lo/med/high. I'm just going to use that at night and put it outside in the daytime. This is my first time starting peppers besides jalapenos which sprouted easy. All of my tomatoes last spring were started in baggies, potted up in cups and put outside. I had no problems. But I've heard and read that hot peppers are harder to germinate and need heat and grow lights. I'm just gonna go for it

[Worth1]

Do these peppers have an electric starter or hand crank.
If they have a hand crank retard the timing about 5 degrees pump the gas 2 times and pull out on the choke.
When they fire push in on the choke and let them warm up.

Then bring back the timing to 1 degree advanced and you should be good to go.

Happy pepper starting.

Worth

[jack03111969]

A heat pad will shut off after a period of time not good for trying to start super hots. I tried that last year and had horrible germination. I use 2 twelve foot rope lights attached to plywood with a peace of sheetrock on top then i lay my domes on the Sheetrock. The rope lights were cheap and the Sheetrock daspences the heat perfect stays right at 85 degrees. My rope lights have been on scene November 10th and my electric bill is only a few bucks higher and my t8 lights are on 15 to 17 hours a day.......

[newatthiskat]

I borrowed hubbies heating mat for about 1 cycle a day and have even sprouted Ghost peppers. I have not done anything facny just threw them in Coir. I set them out in the day in a somewhat shaded area. The wind did get my little babies and they look a little worse for wear. I have tomatoes coming up with no heat at all. I just have been opening the blind and letting them get a little light when they can not go outside for the day. Way i always do it. I am always cheap. Luckily I do not live in perpetual winter