Thursday, January 7, 2010

Exciting Newness in 2010

2009 was a great start for us here at Veggie Trader. This time last year we had just an idea, and like seeds germinating into a spring garden, after a few months of hard work we launched a new website, blog and service. Then the hard part started... Like with anything new we didn't know how people would respond to Veggie Trader. We weren't sure what the limits are for using the web to connect gardeners, localvores, and others, so we focused on having fun and trying to learn as much as we can about how Veggie Trader can help our new friends.

As any gardener knows, there's nothing like trial and error to help improve your process. So we observed this garden and how it grew, and now we're about to plan some exciting new changes to Veggie Trader for launch in the Spring and Summer of 2010. Look for better, improved categorization within Veggie Trader, as well as some useful 'auto notify' features to help people know what's fresh even when they're not on the site. A secret new feature will be launched by April, and we'll be doing much more food & gardening writing on the blog and in other formats. Our plans are ambitious but our "slow season" is limited so we need to hear from you, the fans and followers of Veggie Trader.

What would you like to see more of in the Veggie Trader service, or in the blog? Please leave a comment here on the blog or in our handy contact form.

Happy new year and new decade to everyone. Here's to fulfilling technology's promise of making life, actual life, better for everyone.

Dear Mom, Now You Can Swap Your Roses On Veggie Trader

A few people (including our moms) have lamented to us that they'd like to trade flowers, bulbs, and decorative items on Veggie Trader. Why not?! So with this in mind, and looking forward to spring, we've added a new section to our listings where you can find or offer fresh cut flowers, bulbs, or homegrown decorative items like wreaths and garlands.

We hope that Veggie Trader members will find this new section useful.  Since this is a new section, we'd love to hear from all you people who grow flowers on ways to improve it.