I am not sure what critters were under the pot, there are many harmless ones that would be attracted to the moisture and sun protection. You can place the containers on wood/brick pieces to elevate them an inch or so off the ground to get rid of them. If it was the bottom most leaves that fell off those were almost certainly seed leaves and it's normal for those to be cast off some time after true leaves form so no worries there. Cukes grow a lot faster than peppers so I wouldn't be too concerned about them in this case. It takes a lot more predation to bother them than the slower growing peppers. Probably a good time to head to the store and replace the peppers that are just stems. If they survive then you have bonus plants :) In the case of the disappearing leaves or half gone leaves I would be looking for a pest as the culprit. May have already moved on, if you are lucky.

I was going to suggest Ace or New Ace as well. They produce much earlier than most bell peppers and seem immune to variations in temperature, producing well regardless. Also, when we used to start all our own veggies, we used shop fluorescents set close to the plants in a bright window to start peppers in late February to mid-March, well before tomatoes. As the weather warmed, they would go out during the day (after careful hardening off by introducing them to the outdoors in part shade) since the air is so much warmer than the soil in May. Raised beds with row covers will warm up sooner and your peppers need warm soil to really put on good growth, so putting them in May 10 probably didn't help as your soil was probably too cold for good growth then. They need to be uncovered to be pollinated, so don't keep your beds under cover once you have planted and the plants are blooming. Even with these accommodations, however, we have never gotten peppers before early to mid-August.

It's not necessarily the peat that is the problem, but the pellets are encased in a netting that can inhibit root growth in spite of what the manufacturers say. If you use them to start your plants, cut and carefully peel the netting off when you pot up or transplant to the garden. Don't use 'garden soil' as it will carry bugs and pathogens that can kill your seedlings. Straight peat can compact, dry out and crust up, or hold too much moisture...starting mix has peat with vermiculite and other stuff(perlite?)mixed in. It is also sterile. I use Jiffy starting mix in cell packs, then use potting mix when I pot up to 8oz cups after a few sets of true leaves. As for peppers, you can find a lot of info perusing the Hot Pepper forum(growing info applies to sweet peppers too). There will be as many different methods as there are posters, and no way is THE way. What works for one may not work for another. Don't forget to read the FAQs at the top of the forum page. Peppers seeds need warmth to germinate, about 85 degrees is ideal, but they will eventually sprout at temps a bit lower. Keep the medium moist, but not wet. Some varieties will take longer to germinate than others and I've found it's best to keep different varieties in their own cell packs or pots so you can take sprouted ones off of the heat without disturbing the others. Don't fertilize your seedlings until they have a couple of sets of true leaves, and then do so with a very weak solution. Also, you don't say where your location is, if you're starting your seeds indoors, what kind of light source you have(lights, bright window?)and that info would help with feedback. Hope this gives you a starting point. Here is a link that might be useful: hot pepper forum

Posted by SteelToad Z7 DE on Fri, Mar 14, 03 at 10:34 Well, my seedlings are doing very well, even after I got them a little leggy by having the light too high. I'm getting ready to move them into individual pots (cups) and I was wondering ... Is it a good idea, or a bad idea to plant them a little deeper so that the stem has more support and isn't as topheavy, or would that harm the plant ? Thanx all, as always Posted by: lil_Rhody z6b RI on Fri, Mar 14, 03 at 13:10I did that to all my seedlings when I transplanted them to styro cups and they are doing just fine. PaulB Posted by: john47 Maine z4/5 on Fri, Mar 14, 03 at 14:20 I transplant mine several times and plant them deeper each time just like tomatoes. john Posted by: NorthEast_ChileMan 6a MA on Fri, Mar 14, 03 at 18:59 Ray, Agree with above. I do not believe peppers grow roots from stems as 'maters do, but I've had no "ill effects" from transplanting pepper plants deeper to try to slow legginess before transplanting outdoors. Paul Posted by: John__ShowMe__USA 5 on Fri, Mar 14, 03 at 19:20 I plant mine deep too. Never have had a stem rot. JohnT Posted by: Byron 4a/5b NH on Fri, Mar 14, 03 at 19:52 I tried planting deeper for a couple years, The 3rd year I did a cmparison test, The one that were planted with the root ball just barely below the soil surface appeared to domuch better, Never saw any new roots above the orginal root ball. Just my observations Byron Posted by: peppermania Z9 Texas on Fri, Mar 14, 03 at 20:18 I agree with all of the above. I transplanted just about everybody last weekend. Some of those ganglely 'ol C baccatums that, no matter what, I couldn't get them close enough to the lights, got potted as much as 4", even at a near 90 angle. They are just as happy as can be. A good light potting medium with plenty of organic matter and that does not hold too much moisture is a must (at least in my mind). I have also had a PERFECT week for hardening off down here! YIPPEEE! Beth in Texas Posted by: NorthEast_ChileMan 6a MA on Fri, Mar 14, 03 at 21:00 Yea Beth, been watchin'.... Got another four inches of snow yesterday but temps to reach 50°F by Sunday.....yea.... Paul Posted by: peppermania Z9 Texas on Fri, Mar 14, 03 at 21:14 ChileMan: Johnny Cash "How high is that snow momma?" June Carter "Six feet deep and a rizin'!" Surely it has to end soon...... Beth - Barefooted in Texas Posted by: plants1010 z6 WA on Sat, Mar 15, 03 at 13:52 When I transplant plants deeper many of my peppers do sprout roots above the original root ball (sometimes they even sprout the root buds on the stem BEFORE I transplant, humidity related I think). I never thought it was unusual, so I never kept track, but I know for a fact I have a bell and a dundicut that did that recently. I dont think I ever had that happen with the more woody ones, like tepin. Posted by: John__ShowMe__USA 5 on Sat, Mar 15, 03 at 16:46 > (sometimes they even sprout the root buds on the stem BEFORE I transplant, humidity related I think). Happens all the time to my unplanted spare pepper plants that I keep in an old glass aquarium on my deck in case I need them for replacements. I posted a picture last year. JohnT Posted by: plants1010 z6 WA on Sat, Mar 15, 03 at 22:56 I acutually payed attention to root buds today and I was amazed. I was chopping back a 4.5' x 5' fatalii bush and was surprized I never noticed that root buds went up 2' from the soil! By the time I get it pruned back far enough to fit through the door it will have root buds near the top of the plant! The pot its in is about 8 gallons, I dont know if thats enough for a 4.5' x 5' bush (hence the early pruning) so it could be from being root bound. Humidity is probably still a factor. Now that I think about it, it usually happens when plants are root bound or loosing a fight for root space with another plant. Posted by: Juzen z7 Germany on Sun, Mar 16, 03 at 6:45 Controlled studies at Florida have shown that peppers and tomatoes should be planted deeper. Summary: Best seems to be planting to the first true leaves: "Extra-large fruit volume was increased at first harvest by deeper planting (Figure 2). Extra-large fruit volume was greatest for the deepest planting and was significantly less for the cotyledon and root ball plantings. The extra-large fruit response appeared to be a first harvest phenomenon as the other treatments "caught up" after four harvests. Sunny did not show the same response as Agriset and Colonial, implying different cultivars may respond differently to planting depth. This aspect is undergoing further examination." © and "Is deeper better? Yes! Preliminary statistical analysis reveals that planting to the cotyledon leaf offers the same benefit as planting to the first true leaf where total boxes at first harvest is concerned. However, in two of the five "successful" trials, a significantly greater yield of ex-large fruit at first harvest when planting to the first true leaf was shown." - excerpted from Southwest Florida Research & Education Center, UF/IFAS website Jürgen