Saving Dahlia Seeds

It's time to start putting the garden to bed for winter but not before seeing if there are any seeds we can collect for next year's growing season.  

I am particularly interested in saving some of my dahlia seeds.  Now, I confess, I goofed up a bit.  I am a mad dead-header so there were very few flowers left to go to seed.  I should have stopped removing spent blossoms several weeks before the end of the growing season.  *Note to self, stop being so scissor happy*  Fortunately, I have a few dried seed pods to harvest so here's the advice I have gleaned from the internet:

Leave seed pods to dry, best done on the plant.  You can bring slightly immature seed pods indoors and  put them in a jar with a little water so they can continue to mature.  Not all pods will contains seeds or very few seeds so pick LOTS of them.  Single varieties will produce the most seed. 

Break open the pods and sift through the old papery petals.  Good seed will be firm, dark, and teardrop shaped.  If the seeds are skinny, green, and bendable do not save them.  They won't germinate. 

Dry the seeds well before putting them into paper envelops for storage.   Keep the seeds in a cool, dark place.  Dahlia seeds look very much like zinnia seeds and are just as easy to grow.  Speaking of zinnias, you can collect their seeds, too.   *Note to self, stop dead-heading the zinnias, too*