I agree. If you want it to grow peppers, there are tried and true methods. If you want to experiment, grow a control batch so you aren't saddened when everything else dampens off, gets over fertilized or burn by your high intensity lighting.
The top 2 I can think of, for someone completely naive about growing seeds would be:
1. Use a soilless seed starting mix, not "top soil" or "potting soil".
2. Use adequate lighting, not a window.
I've been using Miracle Grow and pelletized 10-10-10. You need to age manure before using it. Find a farmer and ask him to dig you out a utility trailer full that he knows is well aged.
I hardened them off for a few weeks, placing them outside whenever possible. What I mean is that the root ball wasn't established enough to support the full sized plant. It seems like they would have done much better if they had been cut back during the winter.
Edit: One of the three plants...
I brought in some Tabascos last year. They bloomed through Christmas (I'm in Pennsylvania) and produced lots of fruit. The problem I had was they did not take when when I put them back outside. So I'm up in the air when I should cut the plants back, when I bring them in, or after they stop...
I bet in warmer climates that those poly tunnels can be handy. I live up north and would probably need to disassemble one before it snows. I don't see any reason why a plant would die naturally at 7 years. If it was potted, it could be cut back and the roots can be thinned. I'm planning on...
Actually, I shouldn't say that it necessarly came from the habanero seeds. I planted some other seeds and it may have been randomly mixed in with any packet. I guess I'll see how hot it is once the first one ripens. They look sick!
After looking at some pictures, I think they look similar to...
Those look cool. Are they spicy? Sorry, I can't be of any help. They are similarly sized to my pepperoncinis though, but those grow downwards and ripen darker and striped.
I saved seeds out of a habanero and one of the plants looks like this. I'll probably figure out pretty quickly what it is, but I'm still not very familiar with all the new super-hots. Is it possible to have one plant come out funky from the same same fruit, when the rest look like normal...
As quickly as you want or have the ability to do. Like spongey600 said, 2 weeks is good. But you might not loose any plants if you don't even do it at all.
meinchoh, are you really in Mentor? Aren't you expecting another hard frost before Memorial Day?