All twisted up about Peppers

This is weighing on me heavily.

My peppers aren't started yet.

I had decided that I wasn't going to do peppers this year, but I had bought pepper seeds intending to do peppers. I've never had success with peppers before, but Baker Creek is selling a King of the North seed and I wanted to give it a shot. I bought the seed TOO LATE and it still hasn't arrived.

Other pepper seeds that I ordered on time didn't come, or they sent me jalapeno when I ordered ANYHTHING OTHER THAN JALAPENO. I don't like them.

Please reassure me that it's not too late to start a pepper.

Hi Carmen,
For the king of the north variety, it says it can bear in as little as 68 days. I think you will be fine... though you might not harvest quite as many as if you had started them already. I think you will still get some though.

You can also buy nursery starts to augment the seeds you start at home, just to be sure you get something.

This place is really reliable (I have ordered from them four or five years): https://www.chileplants.com/

I appreciate the reassurance. I think that my bad attitude towards peppers has done more damage to my pepper crop than any other variable, though my pepper seeds not coming in did quite a number on it.

I'm considering starts, but I'll probably only find jalapenos for hot peppers. It seems as though that is my cosmic predicament each year I try.

Christopher Weeks wrote:You can also buy nursery starts to augment the seeds you start at home, just to be sure you get something.

This place is really reliable (I have ordered from them four or five years): https://www.chileplants.com/

Thanks for the rec! I'll probably do exactly that

I grew King of the North from Bakercreek last year and I was very happy with the strong and productive plants. Getting the potting mix warm will significantly speed up seed germination. Still, I often see variation in germination time within the same packet of seeds, sometimes ranging from 3 days to 3 weeks. Start more seeds so you will have peppers early.

I'm in the same predicament.
I'm hoping to refine my season extension and overwintering to make up for peppers that get a late start.

I would give it a shot.  Soak your seeds in hot water. I start mine in 3/4" soil blocks and bottom water with hot water. A heat mat is very helpful. If you don't have one try starting your seeds on top of the refrigerator.
Even if you don't get a great harvest this year you can trim your pepper dig it up, pot it and bring it inside. Then next year you will be ahead of the game.
So sorry you had bad luck with Bakers Creek. I think you might want to contact them.  I have always gotten exactly what I ordered in a timely fashion. They are my favorite. I could be wrong, but they seem like the kind of company that would want a chance to make you happy???
Good luck, I hope your peppers grow fast and produce well.

Try a protection tent once you get them in the ground, one that helps keep the cold out, or put a hoophouse over it that you cover at night. We have chilly nights so I cover my peppers most nights except for in July and August. Come September, I leave the tent on day and night. My peppers LOVE IT. Sometimes I'm harvesting into November.

Feeling hopeful, and love the advice.

My spouse and I just got a whole mess of felt pots as wedding gifts, which I think I'm going to put my peppers in for moving inside when it gets cold. We also have a greenhouse that we can use for a few weeks.

My "not hot" hot peppers got planted near the end of March and are doing well but I forgot my sweet peppers until last week...  oops!  We will see if I end up bringing them inside like last year at the end of the season.  
I am actually pleased with how well the pepper seedlings are doing this year as normally I have horrid luck with them.