You make it to much work. I Love collecting and cleaning seed-seed has to be one of the better things GOD came up with. when to collect seed is very important-- I collect only when the plant has some ripe seed on it already- that is when some seed heads are alread dehising seed. Or when the stem of the plant is beginning to turn brown. what good is seed if it is not ripe? If the seed will not come free from all the seed heads on the stem -into a paper bag they go to dry. I work only with dry material - makes it easer. Once seed is saved and cleaned it goes into a zip lock bag and into a shoe box under the bed or in the fridge. Some plants must be sown right away and they are sown to grow out or kept in the fridge untill spring.