Do red bell pepper seedlings take forever to grow?

[wizzzer]

Early this year (in southern california) I got seeds from the red bell peppers I got from the market and I planted a lot of them. They took a long time to germinate. Then they stayed about 1 inch high for a REALLY long time, like 3 monthis maybe. Then they finally started seriously growing. Now I finally have 5 plants between 12" to 18" tall and they all have bell peppers growing. Is this the normal growing pattern? I think I probably didn't water them enough when they were seedlings and the soil was probably too alkaline. Now I water them every day, keeping the soil always moist, and I give them sulfur every once in a while and they seem to be doing well.

[George Shirley]

I live in USDA zone 9b, warm and humid 10 months out of the year. Peppers need feeding frequently as they bear, they also need water a lot. We get large amounts of rain here on the Middle Coast but I stick a finger in the soil around the peppers and see if it moist. If the soil is moist down to about an inch it's generally enough. I use osmocote to fertilize them and do it about every two months. Peppers, like tomatoes, are heavy feeders when they are bearing. HTH

George