When is the best time to start a BELL PEPPER from seed? I live in So Cal in Redlands. It is very hot and dry. I was thinking of using containers (I have no room and live in a Studio apt). I planned to use seeds from Bell Peppers. To preserve them for planting: do I dry them and store them or freeze them?

The seeds inside a green bell pepper are not ripe. You need to get seeds from a colored bell pepper. You do not need to cold store them. People often start pepper and tomato seeds in February. They can be grown in pots. We've done it. We've not had a lot of success with bell peppers so you might want to try banana peppers instead. They are mild (no heat) but are shaped more like a carrot or banana. I've got a similar climate to you. You can get plants from some nurseries or seeds from a catalog or online.

And Welcome Barrypatri!