The stem must brown and the seeds will turn pale brown or dull green. THe clear indication of ripenss is that the seeds will quickly and easily strip off between your fingers without tugging.

Try drying the seeds, if they mold toss. I usually don't harvest my gourd seeds till spring. just to make sure everything is thoroughly dry. Good luck. Lisa

Hi there Nance! Starting hosta from seed is a fun and rewarding enterprise. I like to let the seeds ripen on the stalk- but I watch for drying and harvest the stalk before the pods burst open. I let the stalks finish drying in a paper lunch bag indoors in a cool dry place. Later on- I will use a tooth pick to coax the remaining seeds from the dried pods. I like to winter sow my hosta seedlings- and others have great results indoor sowing under lights indoors in the winter. Both of these options have forums here in GW. I take old icecream buckets, the ones that let some light through- poke drain holes in the bottom- and another 4 holes just under the lip at the top for transpiration. I add at least a thumbs depth of soil less potting mix with time released fert mixed in wet it good - sprinkle the seeds on top- put the lid back on and place out in the cold- sometime in January. There is not much more to do till you have sprouts. It is the lazy mans way to sure fire sowing. Most of your seedlings will probably be plain old hosta- but some may really shine! Enjoy! Julie

I am fairly sure that the curly dwarf and the taller flat-leafed parsleys don't cross-pollinate, but, if I ma wrong, can someone please correct me? I collect the seed of both and haven't noticed issues so far, but they may be flowering at diff. times and I do separate tehm just in case. I don't always pay close attention to details, though.