Congrats on your seed pod. They ripen prior to the pod turning brown. The stem and pod will usually change color, eithier yellowish or become paler and soften when ripe. This can take anywhere from a few months to over 6 months, the cooler the temps the slower the ripening. I'd protect the pod from temps under 40. Just toss a piece of burlap or something over it. Frost will probably cause it to stop ripening and get mushy and you don't want the branch it's growing on to suffer cold damage either. Once the seeds are ripe I spread them out and allow them to dry a few days before storing them. Seeds stored in favorable conditions can remain viable for a long time. I've had decent germination with seeds that were several years old but fresher is always better. I store my seeds in coin envelopes in the fridge (veggie drawer).

As for planting brug seeds fresh seeds where the corky covering is still soft can just be planted as is. Once dry I soak the seeds in water overnight and peel off most of the cork before planting. I press the seeds about 1/2" into the soil, lightly moisten and keep warm, not hot and don't let the soil get soggy. You can cover the pot to retain moisture but make sure it doesn't stay too wet. As soon as a seedling emerges remove the cover. I transplant each seedling to a 3 or 4" pot when they have 1 or 2 sets of true leaves and move them up as necessary. I'm not sure what size is optimal for planting in the yard for those that keep them inground year round. In my zone they need to be stored over the winter. Good luck.

Thanks so much for the advice..I will try to make sure the pod is protected...we don't get that many truly hard freezes...so I can wrap the pod and protect. Thanks again.

Congrats on the pod!! Looks like Karyn covered it!!! LOL

Kylie