3 responses to “Carrots: $1.45 each, compared to $3.50 for a packet 500 seeds”

1. 

   Oliver Bock

   January 23, 2012

   I think you’ll find that the supermarket were charging $1.45 for 1kg of carrots (in a bag), which is about the going rate. I suggest you calculate the labour costs of growing 1kg of carrots and then convert that to an hourly rate. And don’t forget the cost of your seeds, the time spent selecting them and travelling to the shop to buy them. Of course it would be fair to credit some exercise and psychological benefits.

   Reply
   1. 

      James

      January 23, 2012

      You could well be right that the sign was referring to 1kg bags of carrots (although that isn’t what it says).

      So how long do the supermarket-bought carrots last? A few days? A week at best, before they become floppy?

      While a larger family would possibly get through 1kg of carrots in a week, most smaller households wouldn’t. What would be the waste involved, and how would this change the effective per-kilo price?

      Carrots in the ground just keep getting bigger, and are harvested exactly as needed, when needed.

      And if you’re worried about the labour involved in purchasing the seeds, drop a packet in your shopping trolly when you’re next at the supermarket, they’re in the isle with the fertilisers and weed-killers … 🙂

      Reply
   2. 

      Darren (Green Change)

      February 1, 2012

      I agree that it’s probably $1.45 per 1kg bag (that’s about the going rate here in the Illawarra).

      I find it strange that people want to cost out their time spent in the garden to grow things, and then declare it completely illogical to produce your own food. When you purchase your 60-inch 3D plasma TV, do you factor in the 6 hours a day you’re going to spend sitting in front of it?

      I’d rather be spending my time in the garden than in front of the TV, so I think it’s perfectly valid to leave out “labour” costs.

      Reply