Ahh, thanks so much everyone! The seedlings always seem so fragile that I've never tried to bare root them. I will wait until they have 5-7 true leaves before trying I think... I have space under grow lights so I could grow the peppers as indoor/outdoor perennials... I just start one of these tiny tiny flat seeds in the gritty mix and then water from below so that it doesn't move around too much? If I start them in the gritty mix in little cell flats then will the medium all fall out of the root structure when I move them to larger pots? I understand I can start them in larger pots to begin with but I prefer to try to start more than I have room for and assume I will lose some or that some won't germinate. I guess you've just said to bare root them out of peat so even if it does fall out then it's just the same thing hmm... That thread looks great Josh I will read it carefully - is there a reason you switch from one to the other and then back again and don't just stick with the gritty? hmm hmm this new mix makes everything exciting aha

I've done quite a few 'experiments' with saved pepper seed, one of which gave me a pepper that I've got in my kitchen @about 2.5-3ft it give me a regular chilli supply for my cooking, another is more of a novelty tree with tiny little chillies and leaves, it looks like a thai variant. Another however although very very prolific (and bare in mind I only use small containers 7inch max if that) wasn't hot at all and although I do have 2nd gen seed I haven't pursued that lineage at all (yet). You will get a mixed bag, but most will germinate, some will stumble through and then die, and you may get some good ones you like, or you could get a load of weak, poor fruiting, loosers :) As to wether the green ones will germinate, they probably will if the seed itself is properly formed. My advice with the random seed is grow as many as you can, be patient and label them all (even if its just a letter) so if you get an unusual one you know which one it is. And if you get any someone else will be interested in, then share them with your friends :) Regards Nick

I must be the exception to all of you. I grow two to three sweet bells ea season and they do very well for me. I get nice plants with about five peppers on ea plant at any given time. I live in Thousand Oaks, which is about 20 miles (as the crow flies) inland from the coast and so the temps here are quite moderate (today the high was around 77*f) with the nighttime temps still getting cool. My garden is a reaised bed. I have spent a lot of time filling it with compost I make it from leaves, grass clippings, and horse manuer I get from a local horse ranch. I French double dig the bed every 2 to 3 years. Since my garden is only 10'x15' double digging it is not such a big deal. This year, until the latter half of June, I seemed to have more "June Gloom" kind of weather than the typical nice clear days we usually have. I got a very late start this year, not getting my nursery bought plants into the ground until the end of May. Usually I put my seedlings in the ground late March/early April. This is the first time in years that I did not start my own plants from seed. I like to plant my pepper plants quite close together (six inches apart) as I find they tend to shade each other when the weather turns hot. Daytime temps will get into the high 90's during the day and perhaps as low as 75sh at night in late August and early September. Even thought it may seem like they are close togeher they get plenty of sun. Because So Cal has such low humidity I made a 1'x 3' frame out of 1/2" pvc and covered it with an old white sheet to shade the peppers. Without the humidity the temp in the shade is easily 15* lower than in the direct sun. I find this really helps during the really hot afternoons (say from noon to 3). Even though I have composted nearly everything that goes into the garden I still put a small handfull of fertilizer in the bottom of each hole (mixed with a little soil) when I am putting the plants into the garden. After about six weeks I will side dress each plant with one T of 5-10-10 fertilizer (the same stuff I use for my tomato plants). I need to check this out and make sure this is a good choice for the peppers. I water every day (I am guessing about galon per plant). I find that consistent watering is best. I deep water one day ea week. I heavily mulch the entire garden bed with about 3" of grass clippings to help moderate the soil temp and retain moisture. My soil is such that the water drains into the soil moderately fast. It pools but within a couple of minutes it is gone. But like Justaguy2 said consistency is the name of the game. Out of the last 10 years I have had three that would be classified as "so so". But I continued plant them again the next year. I would try the following: Plant the plants closer together (unless you live in a very humind local that has little to no air movement (ie no breeze). I think the mutual shading helps. Keep the soil consistently moist, but not wet. Try mulching with compost. As you occasionally wet the mulch the water will leach nutrients into the soil. I will not mulch with anything that will not break down fairly quckly. I say that because when the mulch breaks down it releases all kinds of good suff into the soil. I do not use bark, plastic, or news paper, etc. I want my mulch to be gone by the end of winter. That is why I like grass clippings and compost. Try making a raised bed for just the peppers. This really helps maintaining a consistent soil dampness. If it gets really hot where you live, build a shade covering of some kind that you can move easily. I use a white sheet because it seems to reflect heat while still letting some light penetreate to the groud. Darker colored materials will absorbe heat and then radiate it to the plants, just what you do not want when it is really hot. Make the raised bed small (say 2'x3') and use it just for the peppers. If you plant them close together you can easily get three rows deep that are 3' long. And you will have easy access to all sides of the plants without having to acutally walk in the garden. This way you will not compact the soil as you maintain the peppers. Finally,not evey local is right for every kind of vegetable you might want to grow. Pick and choose what grows best in your area. Perhaps the best thing you can do is try to find someone who has had success growing their bells and pick their brain as to why they are successful. I hope I was not too wordy or long winded. Tom

My husband loves stuffed peppers so I make them frequently. I usually make them Greek style, with a filling similar to dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves). As with the grape leaves, I usually serve them with unsweetend, plain yogurt. Depending on my mood, I'll stuff them whole or cut them in half. Yemiste (Greek Stuffed Peppers) 4 large bell peppers (green, yellow, red, etc.) Stuffing: 1 pound lean ground beef or lamb â cup raw, long grain rice â cup water 1 large onion, finely chopped 2 - 4 cloves garlic, crushed or finely minced ¼ cup olive oil 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce 1 teaspoon dried mint 1 teaspoon dried dill 1 teaspoon oregano 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup hot water or broth Pepper to taste Pepper Preparation: Slice off the top of the peppers. Remove white membrane and all seeds. If desired, remove stem from top piece and use to "cap" the stuffed pepper or chop and add to filling mixture. For softer peppers, lightly steam before stuffing. Stuffed Pepper Preparation: Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent. If using, add reserved chopped pepper. Add rice and â cup water. Parboil rice until almost all liquid is absorbed; set aside. In bowl, combine ground beef or lamb, parboiled rice, onion, garlic, tomato sauce, mint, oregano, dill, salt, and pepper. Mix thoroughly. Place peppers into lightly oiled baking pan. Salt cavities lightly. Stuff the meat/rice mixture into peppers. Add half the hot water or broth. Cover pan. Bake at 350° for 60 minutes, until rice is tender and vegetables are cooked. Check at 45 minutes and add more water or broth if needed. Let stand covered 15-20 minutes. Serve with plain, unsweetened yogurt, Tsatziki, or Avgolemeno Sauce.