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In the current climate of price rises and frozen salaries we're all looking for ways to save money. Fortunately, many garden plants help us to cut costs by producing new seed for free. All we have to do is spot the opportunities, then collect

There's something really rewarding about cupping your hand under an old foxglove flower, tapping it gently and collecting the seeds that cascade out of it. It must be something like collecting coins from a slot machine when you've hit the jackpot

to wait until these are ripe before collecting seeds. In addition to agapanthus I've regularly developed viable seeds on eucomis and galtonia, too. These can be collected and sown, but you'll need patience if you want these to flower, as seedlings of most

the garden. It's a bit 'pot luck', but then that's the fun of gardening. If I really wanted to maximise my returns I could collect seed by hand, picking off the pods at the moment they split, but before they've dropped their cargo. Kept on a sheet

of seeds onto the surrounding soil.Of course I could collect the seeds, and sow them in pots to raise young plants, but self-seeding cuts out the legwork. I just let them 'do their thing'. Plants have a marvellous ability to flourish without us, much

and the outer brown layers will fall away, revealing silver discs, and allowing you to collect seed. Stems can be cut and brought indoors for decoration, or just pushed into borders, to add interest and plug gaps. Even on dull December days the seed

mother-in-law always says, “look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves”. Look closely at the things you're buying, and work out just much money could you save.And if you collect your own seed from suitable crops you could be saving

talking. It's claimed to be a 'Lost Crop of the Incas', although whether anyone can prove this I don't know. My seed comes from the Heritage Seed Library, a collection of unusual, old and heritage vegetable seeds run by Garden Organic. Members can choose

of weeding won't go amiss).Many hardy annuals also generously set seed. Either collect seed or let it fall onto the soil around and you'll have more flowers next year for free.So, what's your favourite annual?

When a letter starts "I must strongly protest at an article written by Adam Pasco…" then I do wonder what I've done wrong.Let me set the scene. You can't find much more of a bird lover than me. Just take a look at my garden, and the way I garden