I planted my pepper seeds in very damp potting medium, then covered them with plastic and let them sit at room temperature (70F) for a few days (until I got my backside in gear to set up the heating mat). Then I transferred them to a heating mat (it doesn't have a thermostat...it just stays on very slightly warm. Supposed to raise the temp of the soil by 5-10 degrees over room temp). After about another 5-7 days, the peppers started germinating. HOWEVER: Now that I study the starter pak cells, I think the Cal Wonder seeds (BURPEE FROM LOWE's last year) don't seem to be sprouting. All the others are up and growing. I think Bottom HEAT is the key to getting pepper seeds going; I read that they actually germinate best in soil temps of 85-90 F! I think I'll buy fresh Cal Wonder seeds from another source and try again. The sweet peppers that did germinate are a yellow Italian horn type.
