Last year I spent the majority of my spring researching companion plants more than best practices. It seems backwards but it's the way my brain works. 

Most things did really well anyways and I was so pleased with a lot of the results. 

The pepper situation, however, was pretty dire.

Part naivete, assuming the seed dates on the packets were the correct sowing times, part not realizing that the dates really mean mature from time transplanted give or take 2 weeks, and part cold weather came early and even covered they just weren’t ripening. 

Maybe if I had a greenhouse? ... Next year.

This year I’m going to do things a little differently. 

For direct sown seeds I’m going to use phenology to try and sow based on my actual property conditions instead of average dates for average places. 

For the peppers I don’t really know when is too early and when is too late… Yet!

I thought of the Pepper Plant Project as a way to quantify best practices for pruning but why not use the same type of method to figure out best sowing dates for my property?

My list of peppers this year is as follows:

• Sweet Peppers - red, orange, yellow (seed swap)

• California Wonder (seed swap)

• Amish Pimento Sweet pepper (Seeds of Imbolc)

• Jalapenos (seed swap)

• Brazilian Starfish (seed swap)

• Black Hungarian (seed swap)

• Lemon Drop Peppers (seed swap)

• Red Manzano Chili Pepper (seed swap)

• Spanish Padron tapas pepper (Seeds of Imbolc)

• Ancho Poblano (Seeds of Imbolc)

The suggestions for when to start are anywhere from the broad 8-10 weeks before last frost date to specific mid February or early March. Before last year that’s what I would have done. Follow the directions, they’re there, they must be right.

That’s why I was so glad that I ended up reading that comment on the Brazilian Starfish peppers from the lady in Toronto. That is information valuable to my approximate location. If she starts hers in January to plant out in May, then I really need to be getting my peppers started to plant by June. Other Zone 5ers start their peppers even earlier, as in November/December earlier. 

But that’s way too early based on the suggested dates isn't it?

I don’t know … Yet.

So in addition to The Pepper Project: Pruning I’m going to do a little experiment based on planting.

The Pepper Project: Planting

The simple scientific method is as follows:

1. Make an observation.

2. Ask a question.

3. Form a hypothesis, or testable explanation.

4. Make a prediction based on the hypothesis.

5. Test the prediction.

6. Iterate: use the results to make new hypotheses or predictions.

   
   
   

My observation from last year is that I started my peppers too late for them to ripen. 

Question: When is the best time for me to sow pepper seeds indoors so that I get peppers as early as possible when I transplant them out to my garden?

Hypothesis: If I sow 2 pepper seeds of the same variety at weekly intervals, starting now, I will be able to see which plants are the right maturity to plant out June 1. 

Prediction:  February seems like a good time to start seeds in order to have plants close to blooming by the time I plant them out June 1. 

Now to test the prediction…

Here’s my Pepper Project: Planting planner if you want to join me on testing my hypothesis.

I’d love to hear your results.