I'm harvesting poppies and violas. Those viola seedpods open and drop seeds before I can catch them, it seems like! I've noticed the swelling seedpods have a dark spot on the end, and the seedpod has a thin outer skin that is green with a hint of brown. I did a search here and somebody had posted that the viola pods point skyward before they open. Can I harvest my unopened skyward pods that are swelling and successfully get viable seeds? I hate losing them all! I'll be doing some deep amending on my poor soil, so I don't want the pods to burst naturally as the seeds will be buried by amendments.

About the poppies, Papaver rhoeas and orientale all mixed together, the pods will get "openings" at the top and some seeds will shake out when I turn them upside down. However, the pods are not completely brown and brittle, but still have a hint of green and some flexibility and give as if they weren't completely dead. Also, some of the seeds shaking out are very very fine, more like dust than poppy seeds. Are the seeds ready to be harvested as soon as the pods get those "doorways" surrounding the crown of the pod, or should I cut off the pod with some stem and let it ripen inside further before shaking out the seeds?

Thank you!