Visions of Chiles, Dancing in Our Heads

We're relatively new chile fanatics with our first decent home garden crop just this past summer.   I think it's safe to say we too have officially been bitten by the chile bug.  I think we grew around 50 plants to maturity this past summer.   For 2020, our plans are to up the number to 132 and grow 1 plant each of 96 + 6 plants/each of 6 for a total of 132.  The last of the seeds are ordered and the final stragglers should arrive by New Year's Eve. 
 
We're now trying to decide how best to establish the chile plants going into the garden for 2020.   Not quite sure how soon to start them indoors here in Maine.  Last year we started everything around 4/1 but want to build in a buffer of a couple weeks this year to allow us to pinch the plants back for good branching and stockiness and allow them to catch-up on lost growth before going into their final homes outdoors.  Just not sure when exactly we should trip the trigger with planting.   Any suggestions much appreciated.  We're Zone 5B on the southern coast of Maine.   We'll be using an LED growlight system to start everything and eventually move the plants into our little green house in early May before putting everything outdoors for good by early June.
 
http://www.cluckamok.com/102PeppersChiles2020.jpg
 
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
 
 
John
 

 

[The_NorthEast_ChileMan]

We're relatively new chile fanatics with our first decent home garden crop just this past summer.   I think it's safe to say we too have officially been bitten by the chile bug.  I think we grew around 50 plants to maturity this past summer.   For 2020, our plans are to up the number to 132 and grow 1 plant each of 96 + 6 plants/each of 6 for a total of 132.  The last of the seeds are ordered and the final stragglers should arrive by New Year's Eve. 
 
We're now trying to decide how best to establish the chile plants going into the garden for 2020.   Not quite sure how soon to start them indoors here in Maine.  Last year we started everything around 4/1 but want to build in a buffer of a couple weeks this year to allow us to pinch the plants back for good branching and stockiness and allow them to catch-up on lost growth before going into their final homes outdoors.  Just not sure when exactly we should trip the trigger with planting.   Any suggestions much appreciated.  We're Zone 5B on the southern coast of Maine.   We'll be using an LED growlight system to start everything and eventually move the plants into our little green house in early May before putting everything outdoors for good by early June.
 
http://www.cluckamok.com/102PeppersChiles2020.jpg
 
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
 
 
John

I'm a bit south of you, USDA Hardiness Zone 6a (See map below.), and I always started mid-March but always fought lanky seedling growth.
 

 
By the sounds of you're an experienced grower. Many here start in Jan. but have the capability to prevent this malady.
 

 
Good luck  neighbor!

 

[midwestchilehead]

Welcome to the madness. I am in the same zone, I think. I stagger my starts. Pubescens are started Thanksgiving weekend. I start Chinenses right after new years, and I start annuums and tomatoes around St. Patrick's day. Typically all plants go to my outdoor greenhouse towards the end of March or first of April.

 

[The_NorthEast_ChileMan]

Welcome to the madness. I am in the same zone, I think. I stagger my starts. Pubescens are started Thanksgiving weekend. I start Chinenses right after new years, and I start annuums and tomatoes around St. Patrick's day. Typically all plants go to my outdoor greenhouse towards the end of March or first of April.

 
Good morning John,
 
I believe your zone close to us in New England.
 

 
_

 

[midwestchilehead]

Thanks Paul. I never could really tell if I was in 6a or 6b on the USDA maps I looked at, but this map makes it clear that I'm in 6a.
 

 
Good morning John,
 
I believe your zone close to us in New England.
 
_

 

 

[Harry_Dangler]

Impressive grow list and it will be quite an undertaking.  What do you plan on doing with all of those fruits? 
 
I'm in 6A with Midwest Chilehead.  I start my chinense mid-late Jan and everything else Mid Feb to early March.  Tomato plant out is usually the 1st week of May and pepper plant out is usually a couple weeks later.  

 

[The_NorthEast_ChileMan]

Thanks Paul. I never could really tell if I was in 6a or 6b on the USDA maps I looked at, but this map makes it clear that I'm in 6a.

 
Hilariously, I have the same issue with my location, see map below. I,m in that green area just to the northeast of Lowell and you'll note it's dark/light green. My guess is 6b as I'm on the border with Cow Hampshire - usually a little colder the further you get from Bawstan.
 

 

[The_NorthEast_ChileMan]

A little searching uncovered this.>Find Your Plant Hardiness Zone by Zip Code. Entering my zip reports 6a for me.

 

[SCARBO]

Hey, folks . . .
 
Thanks for the responses.   
 
We're located at the little red dot below, in the far southern coastal part of Maine, about 15 miles southwest of Portland.
 
 
John
 

 

[The_NorthEast_ChileMan]

Hey, folks . . .
 
Thanks for the responses.   
 
We're located at the little red dot below, in the far southern coastal part of Maine, about 15 miles southwest of Portland.

Looks like 5b John.

 

[SCARBO]

Looks like 5b John.

 
Yup.   I think I referenced Zone 5b in my original post.   Apparently we're on the edge of 6a when you zoom in on the map.   
 
Hard to believe for Maine, eh?
 
 
John