fermentation question

Is it better to leave 3 wks in primary fermentation and 2 wks in bottles for conditioning. Or 2 wks fermentation and 3 wks bottles for conditioning?

Depends on what you are doing and your exact process. If it is done and has settled clear, 1 week plus 4 weeks is probably better than your options. But if it takes a long time to ferment (and if you ferment cool and slow, it may) you may be better off with 3-4 for fermenting/settling out. Then you'd still need 3+ weeks in the bottle to carb, but it may be better conditioned. Hope that helps, at least a little.

Your beer should sit in primary until you hit your final gravity. Anyone who bases it off time or visual activity is wrong. Take a reading after about 9 days in primary and see where your gravity is, then take another the following day. If it is the same you can bottle or move it to secondary. If it dropped at all, take another reading the next day and see if it is still changing.

Some people wish it was as easy as making it and forgetting about it for 2 weeks and then hoping it is all done. Those are the people that will get bottle bombs.

Check your gravity!