Just happen to have these instructions sitting by the computer to try myself. They came from the extension office so it should be reliable :) Roasting Hulled Pumpkin, Squasah or Sunflower seeds To hull seeds in quantity, first break them up with a rolling pin, then drop the seeds and hulls into a large container filled with water. Stir vigorously to bring all kernels in contact with the water and to break the surface tension. The kernals will sink to the bottom, the shells will remain floating. After the seeds have dried they may be roasted in a frying pan at low heat or toasted in a shallow pan in the oven at 325º Mix: 1 cup seeds 2 teaspoons vegetable oil Heat stirring frequently to prevent scorching. the time required will be from 2-6 minutes, depending on the dryness of the seeds.

Hi Toni, Yes, you have to wait : ) How long, I can't say for sure since you would need to figure on when seed development began and from that date about a month or so. The seeds will darken and start to pop out/fall away easily when ready. You've got them covered so your all set for when they are ripe. If you are worried that cold weather is going to stop the seeds from maturing, don't worry they will be ready in less than a month. Unless you incur some bizarre catastrophic snow storm(knock on wood, it happened here 2 years ago,) they will ripen despite low temps. Remy

If you look up inside the flower, you will see the seeds. When they are black, they are ready for harvest. You will see little white seeds too, they are not mature yet. After the top of the stalk is no longer going to bloom, I carefully cut the stalk and lay it on a paper towel. Some seeds will just fall out (black ones). Be careful because if you jar the stalk, many seeds just fall out before you get them to the towel. You may have to tear open some of them to get the seeds out. If there are any of the "internal" blooms at the top of the stalk, I don't cut them. These are the blooms the hummers go for and they are migrating now.

I have two systems going and I do mine inside a large dark closet. I have plastic and right beside it a factory 360. Plastic is a little tricky with the wetness . I have 3 19gal tubs , at first I just drilled holes all around bottom and sides and Im about ready to add the third tub but I have made adjustmets that Im hoping will help. As the last harvest I saved at least 50 cocoons but this is also a pain and Im thinking there were many that I missed and they went into the harvest tub. Also even though I had holes drilled I wasnt happy with worms ability to migrate, so I made adjustments Adjustments- 1. I cut out the bottom of the tubs leaving 2-3 rim so that cut-to-fit hardware cloth could be placed in the bottom, this material is stiff so even with the weight of the bedding will not cave in. 2. I cut out windows for even more air flow and hot glued fiberglass mesh to the windows. I have spacers under the setup so air can pass thru from beneath and flow better. I used a 7/8" spade bit for the windows put 3 on each side and 2 on each end. Also if I see a lot of worms move up around the top some of may be for breeding purposes and some of it because its too wet , at that point I just I just remove the lid and/or crack it to release some air and the worms move back down. Is all I did necessary? No thats just me and what I felt would make the system a little better. Im about ready to add the third tub and in about another month I will move the bottom harvest tray to the top put a clamp light on with the lid off, stir the mix abit and hope most of the worms will move down , might take a couple of days for this.. By this time I will hope that all the cocoons have hatched and moved into the other trays,,,, at least I can hope.