Tomatoes need to be started 6-8 weeks before the transplant date, peppers 8-10 weeks.

It sure is simpler to buy plants, but not nearly as satisfying, and of course you're much more limited in varieties. We're lucky that we now have a local greenhouse that has dozens of heirloom tomatoes, but varieties of peppers are still pretty limited.

Plus I really want to start saving more seeds. I used to start everything from seed, but that all went by the wayside when we became snowbirds.