The latest consumer rip off, potted plants.

It really ground my grapes this week as I went to wal mart to buy some tomato plants. Last year they cost about 79 cents. This year a "slicing tomato" potted plant cost about five dollars each. The label didn't even say which type of tomato it was. I usually get beefsteak tomato plants.

All of the stores selling potted plants were charging the same price. This, imo, is prima facie evidence of price gouging and collusion.

I am going to write my congressman about this. It should be interesting. I'll report his reply here.
Has anybody here experienced this consumer robbery?

 

Lots of it going on. I know we raised our prices on imported China Products 12 - 30% depending on the EXPECTATION of Tariffs. Anyone that knew our leader in NYC, AC, and Florida would know how he operates. Thus, once announced, we had no choice, at the same time the FED, and everyone that works under TRUMP (that is all the people) have to do what they are told, no opinions matter, no truth matter's, no what was, matters.
Thus, they are propping a market that should have continued from the collapse of 2008 and Banks should have went out of business. Fast forward 11 years and an added 2.5T printed new dollars and they are 5X richer. You, nothing except for cuts, loses, more bills.
Just prepare the best you can, sooner or later it will play out, Pelosi, Schumer are no better as they agreed with Obama and congress Republicans to prop the banks destroying our financial system.

They all lie telling you it is ok, if that were true, pay would have kept up with real inflation and we are nowhere near it. Not even close, thus, more lies.

Here is the whole group lying in 2008 :
Great video and honesty is what none give today. They are navigating a mine field and only people paying on americans below 250K a year.

 

Right on! Remember that we owe a dino senator a bitch slap for voting against less costly drugs from canada.

He deserves a double bitch slap for saying that he was protecting us by doing it.

Duh, duh duh, da.

 

they raised the price, if people pay it... it will become the new price

 

We pay more than that for a well advanced beefsteak plant here. Often over $10.

Just don't play. Save your seeds and start your own.

 

Im betting you got 'peak season' prices. Check back in a week or two and they'll be 'on sale' at the regular price.

 

That's my plan for next year. In fact, I'm gonna sell them in the underground economy.

 

I have not bought plants or seeds for years. I always preserve the seeds and use one or 2 plants as seed producers.
Same for potatoes, always keep the ones with good and plenty of eyes.
Now it has to become spring, so I can get the starter plants into the ground.
Its snowing again, grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

 

The hills have eyes, too.

 

Yes, and there are plenty around here

 

It's happening in all categories of consumer goods. Look around and you'll see businesses cutting back in selection, customer service, and working employees harder while increasing prices. I returned to the local hardware store recently to buy more screen that cost $1.65 per foot last time. Now it's $2.49 per foot.

Our economy is not a great as the orange man wants you to think it is. The corporate elite see a crash coming and they are trying to rake in as much as they can as fast as they can as a hedge. That from a group of PhD economists.

 

I do the same. The last time I bought plants was when I replaced basil lost to critters. Needed it (for meals) sooner than I could grow it

 

A great many of the hybrid vegetable plants seem to have a very low germination rate for kept seeds. The heirloom types seem to do fine year to year.

 

If you buy bio stuff during the winter, like peppers, tomatoes and so on you can use seeds from those fruits.
All you need to do is dry them, I have had great success with that.
Same for potatoes, the bio stuff does not get powdered against germination.

Once you have started your own seed collection, you basically can run for ever.
I have 3 potatoes I like, Yukon, Reds and French Fingerlings, they produce each year more than enough seed potatoes, to have 2 to 3 harvest, enough for 10 people, 365.
I bought last year several very nice cantaloupe, saved the seeds, dried them and have 14 seedlings waiting for spring/summer.

It takes a little, minor effort, but it is really worth it.
If I produce it with my own seeds, I know, only me peed on them.

Since I live very close to the desert and have no rural water, all my grow beds a wicking beds, they save a ton of water, 1/8 of normal grow beds water use.

 

'Bio stuff'? Not acquainted with that phrase....

 

bio = organic.

 

That's the nature of the hybrid. Also, the hybrid seeds from your plants would not be expected to be the same as the plants they come from. Heirloom plants aren't hybrids, which is why they breed true.

Sort of like if you get a labradoodle (labrador poodle mix) and mate it with another labradoodle. More than likely you won't get puppies that resemble the parents.

 

Indeed.... most second generation hybrids will revert to the characteristics of the parent plants.

I was referring to the actual germination of the hybrid seeds... they seem to have a higher rate of infertility. I know quite a bit about germinating seeds, so it's not the 'how' of it, it's just been my observation that seeds saved from hybrids have a noticeably lower rate overall.

 

Maybe Russia hacked the price tag machine.

 

I've got an avocado seed planted. I tried it once before and it grew but i had to move before it grew much.

those suckers go for as high as $1.50 each sometimes.

Holy guacamole!

 

Let me know if you want some good heirloom tomato seeds, plus I have some extras on squash seeds, and just about any standard herb seeds. You would have to pay for shipping, but I have three avocado trees I started from seed, one about 8 feet tall. No avocados yet, but we keep hoping....

 

I will. I wonder if they'll grow in NC?

 

Depends where in NC. Western, in the Smokys, I doubt it. Eastern, possible with heavy mulch and wind guarding. Quick search, FWIW. https://homeguides.sfgate.com/climate-avocado-tree-need-grow-55865.html

I'll likely lose the ones that I'm planting outside, too big to overwinter inside at this point. I'll try one in the greenhouse, and the other one in the house, and see what happens.

 

gracias!

 

Price gouging is only ever possible in the majority of products if you have willfully surrendered your ability to produce them yourself.

There were 32 homes on the block I grew up on. Eight of those homes manufactured airplanes, and one of them helicopters, as most of our neighbors were retirees who had manned the production lines at the local Lockheed plant. You own or rent a space, and if you do not maximize it's productivity, and the potential of your own labor, you are dependent upon others doing it for you.

We live in an era of unprecedented automation that is widely available to all, and if you do not properly invest in it yourself you will be at the mercy of those who do.