Harvesting Sunflowers...
 

Howdy, just wonderin after having planted several sunflower seed varieties
this spring, at the bequest of my wife, we've grown to like em. I've got
several very tall (8') ones with very large heads, some smaller (4' - 5')
ones and even some very small (close to the ground) types. All look quite
nice. I found a site that say's :

"Harvest begins in mid-September and can run into October. A check of the
flower head will indicate maturity; florets in the center of the flower disk
are shriveled, heads are downturned, and a lemon yellow color is on the
backside. Pull a few seeds and split them with a knife to check if seed meat
has filled. Poorly filled seeds may be due to a lack of pollinating
insects."

And,
"To harvest, cut the seed head with about a foot of stem attached and hang
in a warm, dry, well-ventilated, rodent and insect-free place. A paper bag
with holes or cheesecloth can be placed over the heads to catch falling
seeds as they drop during drying. Seed heads can be allowed to ripen on the
plant, but cheesecloth or nylon netting will be needed for bird protection.
Once the seed is dried, it can be rubbed easily from seed heads. Humidity
levels must be kept low to prevent spoilage."

I do have some seeds left from the spring, will they keep? Also, should I
somehow germinate the seeds before planting them next spring? (what's the
best way?)

All sunflower info welcome...

Thanks...