Starting Peppers from Seed

Here are some tips if you're starting peppers from seed:

Soak the seeds in a mixture of 1 tablespoon of salt in a quart of water for two days before planting (though check the label for instructions, too).
Plant in fine soil, recommends Aaron Dew of The Flower Bin in Longmont, Colo. He suggests something even finer than seed-mix soil.
Use 2-1/2-inch peat pots that can simply be planted in the ground when the time is right, Dew suggests.
Warm soil is required for germination, so either use a heating cable, cover seed trays with plastic bags or set in a sunny window. Dew puts his in a sunny window and rotates the plants one-third to a half turn every day or two, so the leaves don't build up on one side.
A couple of weeks before planting outside, harden the seedlings by setting them outside on nice days and bringing them inside at night.
Plant in a sunny location that is sheltered from the wind when soil temperatures are at least 65 degrees. Soil that is sandy or tends to clay should be supplemented with organic material.
Fertilize with organic materials from the compost bin.

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