saving oriental poppy seeds

I have several kinds of oriental poppies. Is there a prescribed way to save the seeds?thanks

I've never actually done it, but I'd loosley tie a cut off piece of pantyhose around the seed head to keep from losing the seeds. Maybe wrap a piece of cotton around the stem before tying. When the pod breaks open and you see little black seeds, cut off the stem and hang upside down somewhere to finish drying. When everything is brown and crispy, shake the seeds out onto a paper plate and put them away from drafts for another week or two to finish drying. I store in paper coin envelopes in a closet, but my house is humidity controlled because hubby collects vintage guitars.

thanks, melody! Do you think I can cut the seed heads off from the stems first and let them dry that way? Do they have to be hung upside down? And, have you ever grown these poppies from saved seeds?

thought I should add that I live in Tacoma, WA. Poppies grow like
crazy here, big and beautiful. These are about 2 ft. tall with 5" heads.

Poppies don't like hot humid west KY...just one of those plants that sulks and withers...so, since my flower philosophy is 'Grow or Die'...I plant other kinds of flowering plants.

Don't cut off the stem from the plant till it turns brown...the reason for hanging upside down is that air circulates better...if there's still moisture in the seed head and it's laying on a plate, you may get mold...not likely, but it's a possibility...just good seed saving practice until you are comfortable with doing it.

You can leave off the hanging upside down if you will make sure you turn the cut seed heads daily so that no moisture builds up where they are laying.

This may be a bit of overkill, but if you are a newbie at seed saving, I wanted to make sure that your first attempt was successful. If you've saved seeds for several seasons, you'll have a feel for when stuff is 'ready'.

Melody,

Thanks for your encouragement!

Poppy seed pods are mature when small holes appear under the cap of the pod. Most poppies put out copious amounts of seed, and don't spread the seed unless shaken. I generally cut the stems when they are mature and shake the seeds out into a container. I let the seeds air out for a few days before putting in an airtight container.