Shake a few poppy seedheads and listen for the seeds rattling. If they rattle they are dry and ready to harvest. Tip up the seedhead to check that the seeds will drop out.
Gather enough seeds for next year’s sowingsa large bunch of stems, carefully keeping them upright. Put a paper bag over the heads, then turn the bag the right way up. Shake the bag so the seeds drop into the bottom. Do this before the seedhead gets blown about and releases its seeds onto the ground.
