In article ,
David Rance wrote:

For twenty years and more I've followed the advice you gave above but
this time I thought I would try before they get to that dessicated stage
just to see what happens. They weren't green green, but were beginning
to show signs of discoloration so I thought I'd give it a try. The seeds
were full and fat and don't seem to show any sign of shrivelling yet.
I'll see what happens over the next months.

However, based on what you said above, I'll leave the rest until they
are truly dried out!

Well, you always have to balance letting them dry out against letting
them rot. One year mine didn't start to dry out and I left them up,
but continual rain started and they just rotted. I shall have to
pick many of mine this year before the pods have fully dried out.

But I haven't tried a controlled experiment to see exactly how far
they have to get before they germinate. That is my rule of thumb.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.