Brenda, Leave the beans on the stock until they turn brown and dry out if you can but if you get frost that kills the plant before that then you can place them in a single layer in a sunny window to let them dry, then remove the seeds from the pod and store for next year. Carol

I have been doing prairie plating for over 30 years and experiment with many so called difficult native seed. This is what I know about all the gentians in zone five area. Collect bottle gentian pods just after they have faded and have turned brown but before the pod opens all the way. The pod is ripe when the top opens slightly. Gentian seed should never dry out. This is the key to all the gentians. I put them in a plastic ziplock bag so they stay moist. I take them home open the pods and then add moist ( not wet) sand to the seed and put them in the fridge until its time to sow. You will find a lot of the pods of seed contain small worms that eat the seed just discard them as you open the pods. The seed can be kept in the fridge but after about three months they can start to germinate in the bag so I usually sow them before the snow flys. I have grown the stratified gentian after two months in the fridge but they are very slow growing and it is just easier to sow where you want them. I have grown thousands on restorations this way. This also works for all the gentians. Never let the seed dry out. Good luck.

Ok. Next year, hopefully, is my first year of not buying plants, because I couldn't get the one's I wanted this year. I live in a 'Flyover' area so my resources are limited. I bought the best resource book I knew of, and I'm following their directions. I'm Midwestern and hot foods do not appeal to me. I garden mostly by the rules that I was taught by my grandmother in the back yard garden. I am a Master Gardener who learns something new about growing (and sometimes killing things) all the time, and tries to share it. This isn't a competition. I'm just trying to help. Peace. Blue Cat.

http://www.farmradio.org/english/radio-scripts/42-2script_en.asp Quote from the link: There are three rules for storing seeds so that they will grow well in the following season. Make sure the seeds are well dried before you store them. Store them in the coolest place possible. Protect the seeds from moisture. Lots more to the article at the link!