Pepper Starts & Saved Seed with Snow on the Ground

[alongshore]

Not that anyone here really needs to be told about the value of saving seed, but I am reminded every year when I go to start my pepper seeds and the first plants to germinate by far are my saved seeds from older generations.

Each year I like to grow out a good amount of new hot peppers generally from www.whitehotpeppers.com and some other websites to be planted out in a full bed and see what I like and if anything will make it to be grown on in the future.

Something I do keep notes on is how long the germination takes in the setup below. I'm not a fan of using grow lights and have a decent south facing sliding glass door that looks out to the garden. That is snow in the background and its 28 degrees today. I put a seedling mat below it, and a little compost with peat, but that all the care I give. I grow them out in bulk and transfer once they get a bit larger. If they don't germinate by the time I'm ready to move into the hoophouse, they don't make it into the trial bed

I would like to see more seed co's select for easy germination and growing on, IMO more gardeners might get excited about starting plants from seed if they don't have to purchase a whole slew of grow lights to do starts. Maybe that equals more seed savers?  

What's your process for starting peppers?

BTW The 'Canoncito' New Mexico Landrace Chilies from Wild Garden Seed (I've saved for 2 years) was the first to germinate in 5 days

Here is the image:

[reed]

My set up for indoor germination is very similar. A south facing window with a cheap heat mat but about the only thing I sprout there is sweet potatoes. Most everything else goes in a cold frame made from old aluminum storm doors and plastic which I drag up on to the south patio each spring. I strongly believe in selecting for easy sprouting, and I don't buy or use sterile mixes, just plain old compost and dirt for most things. Pampered things might get the stuff I scrape up from under the wood piles and sift.

[diane]

Well, sun is a rarity over here on the wet coast, so an LED light set-up is what I use.