Angie, you don't want to harvest the seeds until the pods are brown and cracking - then remove the seeds and let them dry a bit further before you bag them. The aggravating thing about Hardy Hibiscus seeds is that invariably you'll be finding little bitty bugs in the bag a few days or weeks later .. that's because there are insects that lay their eggs inside the forming seeds and they'll hatch out after eating the innards of the seeds leaving large holes in the seed coat. You won't know if the seed is infested til they hatch. I always dust my seeds with Diatomaceous Earth before I bag them. That will kill any bugs that hatch and it's totally inorganic and non poisonous.
Hardy Hibiscus seeds will remain viable for years ... I've successfully germinated seed that were 8 years old.
