Jalepenos thrive when it's warm here, 4 to 6 plants will overrun you with peppers, it seems like they need the heat to generate the heat, my experience says mild summer means mild jalap's hot summer gives you the hot peppers, my current favorite of all favorites are Anaheim's, they grow well and are easy to roast then gut and peel and freeze for use all winter long.
I never mess with planting seeds, just buy a couple of six packs when they come out, no need to put them in the ground until mid to late may, unless you have a greenhouse they will just sit there and look sickly yellow until things warm up anyway.
Have had poor luck with any bell peppers, not sure why ...unless they can tell than I don't really care for them.
Here's an old indian trick, when transplanting young peppers mix about a half a book of paper matches into the dirt in each hole...they like the phosphorous.


I'll try to dig up my old pickled jalapeno recipe and put it up here, used to do 3 to 5 gallons a year and eat them all...

yeah, burnin' ring of fire.
Starting to get the itch to do some garden [Bleeeeep!] myself....just been burned enough times by rushing things that I will continue to be patient and wait for May to roll around.