Danita said:
I just had an idea that might be kind of fun for "filler" this winter. Since people are starting to sow their seeds for spring we could have a "Seedling Saturday" or "Seedling Sunday."

This is a really cute idea and should be fun in the coming months. Once the name of each plant is finally revealed the images should be a good addition to the database and will help folks to separate the valuable plants from the weeds in their garden.

I love all the stuff Dave and Trish do in their "spare time" to make ATP better each season. I have zero young children to raise/teach/feed, no cattle/cows, no chickens and zero acres and not a minute I can call my own. I don't know how they do it but

I'm with you on this, Greene. I don't know how they do it either. A labor of love I imagine.

A group effort-labor of love ... working together for the benefit of their Whitinger family and their ATP family!

I have written two or three articles, but they have not been published. Don't know if anyone else is writing any or not, but I really love learning about others ideas and ways to use things they have in their homes and gardens. And I love learning how others do things at their place, it's fun to learn new tricks and share yours.

As far as a daily article, I just was meaning the articles that came out in the weekly Saturday newsletter posting. I wasn't meaning I thought something should be posted on a daily basis. I just couldn't wait every week to see what goodies would be packed in the Saturday newsletter, and I sure have been missing that.

I read the articles everyday, they are one of the best features, and I miss them.

It sure seems that many people enjoyed reading the daily articles. I can understand when there are no articles published on a given day but don't quite understand why they were basically eliminated otherwise. Commenting on posted pictures is nice, but those same pictures are posted on threads in various forums. The published articles, though they could be posted in a forum, would only be seen by someone who follows that forum and thread. In my eye (and perhaps my vision is poor), articles published for the entire ATP community are much more beneficial to everyone.

Just my opinion.

I miss them, too!

I guess this would be a good opportunity for those of us missing the articles to go back and read some of the older ones that we didn't see originally (while we wait in suspense to see what Dave and Trish have planned)

Between the photo contest and the new seed swap set-up I kind of figured that the articles might be on hold for a month or two. I agree that we need the articles so we can learn. Since I have limited time I only "watch" about 5 or 6 forums here; having the articles/idea on the home page helps me to keep informed.

Maybe the articles/ideas waiting in the queue could be approved (or sent back for edits) then pre-programmed to appear on certain dates...just another thing for the Whitinger family to do in their spare time. I swear, I have no clue how Super Dave can do all this...even with Wonder Woman Trish and all the children by his side. There is no way I could keep more than 20 or 30 thousand people happy just by pushing a button.

Does Trish need volunteers to help proofread some of the articles in the queue? Would that help?

Certainly any articles that get submitted will eventually be published on the site. So don't feel like your time is being wasted.

Perhaps it is just the season or just me but I do find a general lack of enthusiasm or anything fresh at ATP recently. The upper right side of the home page is the best example. Perhaps my expectations are to high but I find very little new when I click on.

I think that lack of activity recently is called...The Holidays!
Most people are very busy with other activities and family in December. I'm sure it will pick up soon.
The seed swap feature is new and exciting!

I never ever get tired of coming to ATP. it's like walking into a new colorful garden each and every day. ATP makes me so happy.

vic said:I never ever get tired of coming to ATP. it's like walking into a new colorful garden each and every day. ATP makes me so happy.

I can't imagine ever getting tired of opening the All Things Plants page!

I think this time of year is normal for a slow down of sorts on any gardening website ... even for those of us who live in areas with continuing gardening weather ... we're still having to mow our lawns and pull weeds here in some parts of Florida, which keeps us from being on-line at times.

I enjoy the articles tremendously but if don't happen to see something that especially interests me on the home page, I know I can always find interesting chat in one of the ongoing threads. All Things Plants is my favorite place to visit, whether it's when I have a few hours to spare or just a few minutes! I Love This Place!

I agree with Danita -- things always slow down over the holidays. The new swap feature is a great addition to the site and there are 3 swaps going on right now. Plus, a lot of new members have joined recently, and to many of them it's ALL new.

There's another reason why it's slower in winter - many of us do not have photos of blooms to share. It is a great time to add photos from 2015 to the database!

I have started to do just that, Arlene. But I have blooms to share too.

While I do have some blooms and lots of foliage, it's nothing to compare to the warmer months.

I cheat, Arlene.