Yes, there are variations in germination time for various pepper varieties. Some will come up in a week or less, others take an average of two or three weeks or longer. Many of the super hots take longer than the others. I would suggest planting two to three times the number of seeds of each variety that you want to grow. If only a few come up, you have enough to continue your summer grow of that variety. If most come up, just cull the weaker looking ones and keep what you want for the summer. If you want to end up with 5 plants but only plant 5 seeds, you are unlikely to have what you want and will have to replant and have plants several weeks behind. Seeds are cheap.
If seeds have gone 30 days, I would give up on most varieties. But instead of throwing them out, replant with fresh seeds but keep the old plantings too just in case they are late. If you wait longer than 30 days, you risk falling behind. I live about 50 miles north of Madison Wisconsin and plan on planting my seeds in about a month. I can't get my plants permanently outside until late May. Planting now for your area should be about right fog a good head start.
Bruce

thanks Bruce...interesting that hotness seems to indicate a longer germination time. Seems to fit my situation as the mild jalapeno came up first....I'll continue to see if there's a patern with the rest.

One year I did the 3 seeds to each cell - and they all came up and then I'm too soft hearted to cull and ended up with a mess trying to save everyone....and then the cost of seeds is an issue too, and I hate to waste. Would rather give them away than sprout and kill....

I'll replant those not sprouted by jan 15, then I'll have feb to plant a 3rd wave. After the final results of the 1st and 2nd waves, I'll know if I need to be a little more aggressive with overseeding.....and still have time to get everything up for the summer...really glad I'm starting so early this year! gives a lot of time and room for errors!

Thanks again!

I would measure the temperature of your heat source......don't guess, measure.

I have had chiles take 60 days to germinate.

Sixty days?!?! WOW!

I would have to buy some new implement to measure the temp....not that I haven't been wanting something, but so far have not taken the plunge.....will give it some more thought.

t-bird, I'm far from an expert but I've read tons of info on this forum. I took the advice of some very knowledgable and experienced pepper growers and as a result I had quite a successful first year. It seems that there are a number of methods one can follow...heres what I had success with:

I started germination on my first batch of seeds on 3-3-11. There were 15 varieties (most were superhots). 106 total seeds.
by 3-6 there were 12 germinated
by 3-8 there were 25 more germ
by 3-14 the overall germ of this batch was 90%
(when a seed germinated I placed it directly in potting soil. I'd read that starter plugs werent a good idea for superhots. Also that the more you transplant, the more you'll cause delays in growth ...so plant in the largest container you can. Most of mine were in 20 oz. or 1 liter water or soda bottles with the tops cut off.

First I purchased a cheap thermometer ($2 at walmart).
I searched for a place that was 85 degrees constant. I tried a few places and for me it was the back left corner of the cable dvr box.

Using knowledge from the expert I started my seeds between moist (not wet) paper toweling. I cut a small piece of toweling that would fit into a small zip bag. One variety per bag. Then placed them in their 'warm' spot.
I also tried germinating in small covered condiment cups as suggested by another poster but germination wasnt as high. I'm sure others had good luck with this method.

While indoors I didnt loose a plant.
In the garden I planted 72 plants. Also, 40 were given away.
During the hottest part of the summer I lost one plant in the garden.
I brought in 30 plants to overwinter.

I've heard so many unsuccessful stories by those that direct sow. I think I'll stick with the tried and true :)

I truely appreciate everyone that shares their knowledge and experience on this forum. Without the methods I learned here, my pepper garden wouldnt have been nearly as successful :)

Good luck with your pepper garden t-bird, I hope its a wonderful success!

Get a zip-lock bag and a piece of paper towel

Spread seeds on paper towel and fold it in half

Wet the paper towel, wet, not soppy, insert it in the bag and seal. Put in a place where it is 80-85F (measure the temp) and wait

Last year, I tried bleaching my pepper seeds prior to germinating in the paper towel/baggie with heat (seed starting mat and dome). I did maybe 50 varieties this way.

I had better luck then the previous year (no bleach) but it was such a time consuming process, that I did not bleach the next 50 varieties. Many of these second 50 did not germinate, but it may have been me, since I lost the initial over-excitement of the process PLUS I ended up with a fungus in some of the baggies. This year, bleaching all!

Here's the process from a friend (in case you want to try):
First, boil a pot of water for at least 10 minutes to sterilize the water, then cool it and keep it covered to keep it as sterile as possible. Place your seeds in cheesecloth bags (I used Reemay brand agricultural row covers cut up in small squares and tied with string). Submerge the bag in a solution of 1 cup sterile water (that has been cooled to room temperature) mixed with 1/4 cup liquid chlorine bleach. Leave the seeds in this solution for 10 minutes, swirling the bag around frequently to make sure all the seeds are exposed to the bleach. Then, dunk the bag into a fresh cup of sterile water for one minute, swirling constantly. Repeat this rinsing procedure for 6 more rinses in sterile water. Bleach treated seeds germinate so much faster plus the bacteria and fungal spores that may have contaminated the seeds are killed.
Now you can plant the seeds in your sterile soil in pots.

Thanks for the info.

So far on the germination radar:

2/2 jalapeno
1/2 hungarian wax
1/3 large sante fe
1/2 slim cheyenne
0/3 habanero
0/2 hot ancho

On the sweets:

0/2 sweet pimento
1/2 red marconi

Also - got a "bonus" in the mild jalapenos - a third seed popped up. Not sure if I dropped an extra, or it washed over from the sante fe or hungarian area....so 1 "mystery" pepper....also - not 100% sure which is the hungarian and the marconi red.....think I got it but may have switched them.

every year it's a mystery garden. One year - 20 types of tomatoes, and all the tags washed off while they were hardening off....was suppose to be the year we compare and decide which were keepers!

Also - never got another eggplant up but that one.... will give these all another week or two, then trying the paper towel method.......need to find those super small ziplock baggies....

they sell them at Walmart
100 for $1
slightly larger versions are 100 for $2. Those are the ones I use.
in the craft/beading area

Good luck with the sprouts :)

Thanks for the pics willard. Like they say, a picture is worth a thousand words :)

Heres a cheap grow rig I did. $30 for the "greenhouse" about $20 for the lights and bulbs and about $30 for the heater/fan with thermostat to keep it 80-85 degrees. As they grow I can adjust the racks and keep 100 4" pots till they are ready for the outside. It's 3'x 20"x 5'. Doesnt' take up a lot of space and keeps things consistent.

Pretty slick outfit there.

Thanks Nancy! crafting! that makes sense.....

Schism - That's great - thanks for the pic ! Did the plastic casing come with the shelving? I have some shelving, but wondered about getting a covering for it...
I currently have my shelves set up in the parlor, and frankly, it's ruining the decor- what little decor I have.....although I feel the natural sunlight from the window is an invaluable component, Even I am getting tired of those ugly messy shelves over there. I should set up in the basement.

So far - yesterdays transplants looking ok. 2 have drying/withering on their sprout leaves, but have baby true leaves coming in that seem ok - so I hope they all make it through....

austinnhanasmom-

That bleaching sounds effective, thanks for the detailed step by step. I don't actually use bleach much and don't own any right now....I have some allergic reactions to it, and I do try to avoid it for environmental reasons also, although I will buy it occasionally if I have some garment that needs a bit to "save" it. And when I have it on hand, I'll put some down a clogged toilet, and such.

But I'll keep that recipe in mind in case I ever have concerns about seeds carrying disease (I'm just getting into seed saving myself), or perhaps for older seeds that may be giving germination troubles....

Yeah..the plastic cover came with it.

Just to update you on the progress...

After all this time, only one more pepper has joined in from the original planting...a hot ancho. Almost lost him at transplanting, by letting him dry out - forgot as the others were much more advanced, but I nursed him back and he was looking good today!

All the other peppers are doing great, about 8-10 inches tall, and time to repot them again! Finally - I have a good understanding of what it takes with these peppers (mostly just a lot of time!).

Thank you for all your help and support with this pepper newbie. I can't wait to try more varieties next year!

and - I'm so impressed with what people are growing and producing indoors! I'm going to try to emulate that over next winter too!

The Ghost pepper seeds in this image germinated in 3 days. I had to keep it above 77 F. and not to much water. To much water and the seeds turn to mush. These plants came from the ghost pepper plants in a can. Do you think there is an easier way to grow the Ghost Pepper Plant? The link were I bought this plant is www.ghostpepperplants.net. Fast delivery! I think there is a better way though.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ghost Pepper :: Magic Plant

rmpservices i have seen them cans listed for sale in a few places one being on ebay but personally have never herd any results those seedlings there look a tad bit older then just 3 days if they are only 3 days i first would second guess are they true bhuts ... i have grown thousands of bhuts from seed with near perfect conditions heat mats lights digital soil temp readings with alarms and much more and have yet seen any super hot nor bhut seedlings that size in only 3 days maybe 5-7 but not 3 .... also there is always a better way you just need to dig a little deeper & then grow it...(smile)