When to collect seed

[Yaron]

OK, this might be a bit of a newbie question.
I'm trying to prevent my seeds from going all over with the slightest breeze.

At what point should I cut down the stem, and collect the seeds?

I find that if I wait until the flower stalk is totally dry, then some of the seeds have already scattered, and they are like weeds - popping up everywhere...

Some teaching will be welcome 

[hcarlton]

Every person's technique is different. Some wait until most of the stalk is ready (ie. most of the seed pods have turned black or brown and thereby ripe), then cut the whole thing and dump the seeds into a packet, while I deal with each seed pod individually as they ripen.