Blue Pumpkin Seed Co. - Growing Update!

Hello, fellow gardeners!

I've been working hard and I wanted to take a moment to update you on everything that's been growing (besides the amazing seeds you'll be planting soon)!

Balancing Growth with Family: 

As we welcome the vibrant gardening season, I want to sincerely thank you for your continued support. My focus has always been on providing you with timely order fulfillment. However, I wanted to share that you may experience some slight delays in the coming weeks.

My elderly father recently had a fall and is now in hospice care. While he has shown some encouraging signs of improvement, his needs require a significant amount of my time. I'm working alongside my twin sister and mother, who are his primary caregivers, to balance the demands of the shop with my commitment to my father's well-being. I remain optimistic as his condition improves.

I know any delays can be inconvenient, and I appreciate your understanding. If you have any concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out. Your thoughts, prayers, and positive energy during this time are greatly valued.

I am currently fulfilling all the orders for our U.S. and Canadian customers. I do have some intermittent help from my helper Alex who is absolutely amazing and super efficient. Alex is my unsung hero, I couldn't make it through this season with out him.

As for or Canadian customers, I am currently working with my accountant and bookkeeper to see how we can collect and remit taxes to the proper Canadian entities so we can offer the more competitive prices and seed quantities on our website vs our Etsy Shop.

New Seeds on the Block

I've been listening to your requests, and I've got some good news:

• Even more amazing pumpkin varieties! My goal of reaching over 200 pumpkin seed varieties has finally been met. I've set my next goal to offer 250, wish me luck!

• Treated and non-treated options! Per customer requests, I've added more treated versions of our non treated varieties, and more non treated versions of our treated varieties.

• Herbs and veggies galore! Round out your garden with fresh, homegrown goodness.

Plus, I'm adding detailed growing info for all our pumpkin seeds. Get ready for details on vine types, weights, sizes, treatments, and disease resistance!

Visit the "NEW ARRIVALS" section to see the newest additions. More seed varieties are being added!

Behind the Scenes Sneak Peek

Here's what I've been working on to make your experience even better:

• Catalog coming soon! I've had a lot of requests for a physical catalog. It's a big project, but with my graphic design background, a full catalog is being worked on with a tentative Jan. 2025 release.
  

• Speed boost in progress! I have tested the site multiple times and I acknowledge that it can be slow to load and that the mobile version has room for improvement. I am currently looking for options to improve the speed and mobile version.

• Fixing the checkout button! I'm aware of the issue and have Wix tech support on it. In the meantime, if you have trouble, message me directly for a quick workaround.

Where We're Growing

• Gift shop goodies: I'm excited to announce that I'm exploring a potentially new gift shop section on our website. It may feature a curated selection of botanical and garden-themed items from talented local Colorado Springs small businesses. Items may include garden planners, cups, apparel, artisan soaps, our hand blended teas, our fresh roasted coffee beans, artwork prints or a photo book of our seed envelope artwork, gardening tools, micro green kits, mushroom kits, etc. This is a fantastic way to support our community and keep the seed shop thriving during the slower seasons. Do you have items you'd love to see? Specific makers you admire? Let me know! Your suggestions will help shape this exciting addition."
  

• Show your love! I've had some customer requests for Blue Pumpkin Seed Co. apparel. This may also be a possibility, stay tuned!

• Blue Pumpkin Seed Co. tea time! I enjoy making hand blended teas during the colder months. I may be moving our sister company Ash Hollow Tea Co. to this website as I made the difficult decision to close it on Etsy due to the increasing overhead that comes with the Etsy platform. Moving the tea shop to this website will allow me to offer hand blended teas at a more competitive price than previously on Etsy.
  

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Growing Pains (The Real Kind!)

Growth is exciting but it can present unexpected and new challenges. Some things I am working on:

• Hiring help! I'm learning the ins and outs about hiring another employee. There are a lot of additional overhead costs of having staff. I'm hoping to have a part time employee so I will be able to run the shop more efficiently and get more projects completed in a more timely manner.

• Space invaders! As I transition over to envelopes, I have realized that they are more cumbersome than the old 2x2" plastic bags I was using. I work out of a small humidity controlled shed that has limited space. This may create a delay in rolling out the new seed packets until I brainstorm some other options.

• Designing with love! On the weekends I am working on the new envelopes. Each new envelope can take up to a day to complete as the artwork goes through 3-4 programs for editing, watercolor effects, color correction, etc.

Etsy Alternative Alert: Find Us on Michaels Makers!

• We've faced our share of challenges on Etsy, so we're branching out! You will soon find our lovingly grown seeds on Michaels Makers – a fantastic competitor to Etsy (YAY!) Although we have our own direct website, around 88% of our business still comes from Etsy. In addition the majority of our sales on this site are pumpkin seeds while Etsy customers purchase a wider variety of our offerings, so we still need to maintain a presence on Etsy, at least for right now.
  

• With significantly lower overhead costs, we're able to offer more competitive prices than our Etsy shop. Plus, if you're a Michaels member, you might even earn points on your seed purchases to use towards all sorts of goodies at Michaels!

Seasonal Closure Reminder

Like last year, I will have the site closed for the month of November. Since I mainly work alone, I will need to temporarily pause orders for the month as I update the website, audit inventory, and count thousands of bags of seeds in preparation for the busy season. If things aren't ready, it's very easy to fall behind quickly. I always aim to get orders out in a timely manner. I currently quote a 3-5 business day processing time, but I do still work over the weekend processing orders to make sure your seeds reach you quickly.

Rewards Program Update: Important Changes Coming

After careful consideration, I've decided to end our rewards program. While I love offering sales, discounts, promo codes, giveaways, freebies, and rewards points, the combination has unfortunately had a negative impact on the seed shop's bottom line. We've run into challenges when customers combine multiple offers, sometimes leading to unintended losses. Rest assured, I'm working on new incentives to reward our loyal customers! You have until October 31st to redeem existing rewards points, and stay tuned for exciting new ways to benefit from your patronage.

I'm looking forward to potentially having extra help soon. That means more social media activity, more frequent website updates, and super-efficient shop operations.

Thank you again for your patience, and for letting us be part of your garden!

A Heartfelt Thank You!

Your support means the world! Everyday I acknowledge how grateful I am for each and every single one of you. Each order fuels growth for the seed shop, and I'm extremely grateful to be part of your garden.

Happy growing! -The Blue Pumpkin Seed Co. Team

Our Seed Packets Get An Eco-Friendly Artistic Upgrade (and We Couldn't Have Done It Without You!)

**Images may load slower on mobile devices

Hello, fellow gardeners and seed enthusiasts! We have some incredibly exciting news to share. After years of careful planning and saving, we're finally making a big change to how we package our seeds. Say goodbye to our generic tiny plastic bags and hello to our new stunning, custom-designed envelopes!

The Importance of Your Support

Before we dive into the details, we want to take a moment to thank you, our amazing customers. Your unwavering support is what made this dream a reality. As our seed company has grown over the years, we've been able to reinvest in our business, including the purchase of our very own commercial printer. This opens up a world of creative possibilities: i.e printing our own envelopes, printing custom envelopes for customer's special events (weddings, parties, etc.) packaging our own hand blended teas (coming soon), printing our own catalogs (also coming soon), and much more!

Our Vision: Watercolor Wonders

We believe seeds come with a promise of beauty and abundance. That's why we wanted our new packaging to reflect those values. Our envelopes will feature unique, eye-catching illustrations crafted with a blend of digital and traditional watercolor techniques. Think lush botanical details with a soft, artistic touch.

Our vision is to set ourselves apart from competing seed companies in retail spaces and to add an extra touch of magic to our customer's gardening experience. Growing seeds should be exciting and adventurous, we are hoping our new envelopes will capture those feelings.

The Design Journey (We Want Your Input!)

While the designs aren't completely finalized yet, I'm getting close! I've sent out a couple dozen so far so we could receive feedback. Since we'll be printing the envelopes ourselves, we have incredible flexibility. This means we can easily incorporate your feedback, ideas, and suggestions during the design process. Do you prefer the thin stripe on the bottom or the thicker one? Do you like the colors, or the layout? Let us know your thoughts.

Information on the back will include the botanic name, weight, type of utilization for the pumpkin, general information, disease info, maturity days, etc.

Starting with Pumpkins, Then Expanding

Our pumpkin varieties are some of our biggest sellers, so that's where we'll begin our envelope revamp! Expect to see those gorgeous gourds in their newly designed packaging first. I'll continue working through our other seed varieties over the next couple of years, transforming our entire collection.

Stay Tuned & Get Involved

I hope you're as excited about the new envelopes as I am. I will continue to work on them in between completing orders. I'll also share updates as new designs become available. And remember, please leave a comment below with any thoughts and feedback you have.

Let me know your thoughts, suggestions, or feedback.

Changes and Growth: Blue Pumpkin Seed Co. Update

Hello everyone! I'm thrilled to share some exciting updates and completed projects from our seed shop. As a one-person team, I've been hard at work to bring you an even more diverse and user-friendly platform. I was able to complete about 70% of what I needed to get done, but I will continue to work hard throughout December to get more completed. Let's dive into the details of what's been done.

1. **Blue Pumpkin Seed Co: Variety Expansion: 90 New Varieties Added!

In our relentless pursuit of providing you with the finest seeds, I'm delighted to announce the addition of 90 new varieties to our collection. This includes an array of pumpkin, flower, herb, and vegetable seeds that are sure to add a pop of color to your garden. I've also added some new additions including Salsify and Tabaco (coming soon) Stay tuned, as I still have 36 varieties left to be listed!

Ou new arrivals section featuring the Spark F1 pumpkin as the main image.

2. **Seed Count Customization And Vine Type Addition

To cater to your unique gardening needs, I've made adjustments to the seed counts across the majority of our new varieties. I've added smaller counts (5 seeds) and larger counts (50, and 100) Please bear with me as this is a big project and I'm wearing all the hats for now, so bear with me while I work on extending this customization to our remaining pumpkin seeds.

I've also begun to add the different vine habits in the information section of each of our pumpkin, summer squash, and winter squash varieties. I know this will help you determine what to container, what to trellis, or what to grow in a more limited space. A lot of the new ones include this, I will continue to add this information to the other seed varieties over December. I will also be adding a disease-resistant section to each seed variety, this is also a project that will take some time, but I will work on it one variety at a time as I update information.

One of our seeds varieties with the new layout./

3. **Website Visual Overhaul

To create a more visually appealing and seamless browsing experience, I've refreshed some of our site images and added smoother transitions. I also changed the layout of the items screen to a more organized layout for each product. I didn't get as much done as I would have liked, but I will continue to add enhancements while the site remains open.

A screenshot of the new seed quantities we will be offrering.

4. **Changes in Canadian Shipping

We understand the importance of smooth shipping processes, especially for our Canadian customers. Due to the complexities involved in Canadian customs, Canada Post requirements, and tax regulations, we've made a strategic decision. Canadian customers are now directed to our Etsy site for ordering seeds.

A link at the top of our page redirecting Canadian customers to our Etsy site.

A 2nd link in our banner at the top of our site for our Canadian customers to click on to reach our Etsy site.

5. **Why Etsy?

Navigating Canadian customs, import taxes, harmonization numbers, provincial taxes, and varying tax rates for different provinces is no small feat. Unfortunately, our current website platform (WIX) lacks the customization capabilities required to comply with these intricate Canadian tax regulations.

By partnering with Etsy, we can ensure that all the necessary paperwork and tax obligations are met efficiently, as Etsy does all this for us. While we do incur Etsy fees, it's a more cost-effective solution than hiring a bookkeeper to handle these complexities individually. Every variety we offer on our website, we offer on Etsy with the exception of some seed varieties varieties that are considered noxious and are prohibited on the Etsy platform.

In essence, this shift to Etsy for Canadian orders allows us to focus on what we do best—providing you with top-quality seeds and exceptional service—while ensuring a hassle-free experience for our Canadian customers. Links are provided for our Canadian customers to visit our Etsy site to order seeds.

A screenshot of the main page of our Etsy shop.

6. **Clearance Extravaganza: Making Room for New Seed Varieties

Our cozy haven may be small, but it's bursting with possibilities. We operate out of a 10' x 15' temperature and humidity-controlled finished shed, with limited space. To make way for exciting new varieties, we've put a lot of our inventory on clearance. Check out each section on our site for incredible deals on quality seeds – it's a win-win as you get fantastic seeds, and we make space for what's next!

An advertisement for our clearance sale.

7. **Catalogs: A Project in the Pipeline

I've heard your requests for printed catalogs, and it's a project close to my heart. However, printing costs are substantial, and I'm working out the logistics. To make printing cost-effective for us, we would need to print a large volume of catalogs, more than what we anticipate sending out. I have started working on a pdf. version that will be available for download on the site in the future.

Progress on our catalog at this moment....

8.**Donations and Free Seeds: Growing to Give Back

While I'm not yet at the stage to provide free seeds on request, I'm actively working to grow our operations. Currently, I'm proud to support two local libraries – The Manitou Public Library in Manitou, Colorado, and Pikes Peak Library in Colorado Springs. If you're in need, check with your local library; many have seed banks willing to share the joy of gardening.

The front of the Manitou Public Library in Manitou Colorado.

The front of the Pike Peak Library in Colorado Springs, Co.

9.**Wholesale Dreams: A Work in Progress

Building a wholesale mini-site has been on my radar, but the journey has its challenges. Despite my efforts with WIX, a dedicated wholesale option is proving elusive. To streamline wholesale orders, I'm offering higher seed counts at discounted rates. Tax-exempt? Click on the wholesale option on our website, fill out the form, and let's grow together.

The wholesale main page on our website.

10.**Artistic Touch: Watercolor Illustrations for a Seed Packet Project

In the vast world of seeds, standing out is key. My enormous seed packet project is in the works, albeit a couple of years away. Bright watercolor illustrations will adorn our packets, a choice inspired by the desire to captivate attention, especially in the competitive retail space.

11.**Educational Endeavors: Seeds of Knowledge

The journey of gardening is filled with learning, and I'm committed to enhancing your knowledge. While time constraints have hindered immediate progress, I'm still working on expanding the free/learning section of our site. Stay tuned for valuable resources to nurture your green thumb.

Progress on our learning section of our website.

12. **YouTube Chronicles: "How to Start Seeds" Series

Videos speak louder than words. My YouTube channel is set to feature a series on "How to Start Seeds." From mimosa pudica to coffee, strawberries, lavender, and more, each video will guide you through the intricacies of growing different seed types. I had run out of time to complete the videos, but this upcoming gardening season is the perfect time for me to work on these as I start our seeds.

Some of the videos on our Youtube Page.

13.**Collaborators

Collaborating with partners across diverse social media platforms has been a learning journey. While the experience has been enriching, we've noticed that the anticipated returns, particularly through the use of provided promo codes, haven't met our expectations (negative ROI). Moving forward, we'll be offering gift cards based on the number of customers who navigate to our site through mentions made by our valued collaborators. We will offer an initial gift card (value depending on the number of followers). For every mention, we will offer additional gift cards calculated by the visitors who use the code. Equally, we can also discuss fees or sponsorships. It's our way of cultivating a mutually beneficial relationship. To enhance the collaborative spirit and express our gratitude for your support, we're introducing a fresh approach. and acknowledging the impact your engagement brings to our community.

In Conclusion:

Thank you for taking the time to explore the latest chapter in our seed-filled journey. Your engagement, curiosity, and support are the nutrients that nourish the growth of Blue Pumpkin Seed Co. I'm immensely grateful for your patience and understanding during our brief closure in November.

Running a small business is a labor of love, and I'm truly fortunate to have your unwavering support. As I navigate the seasons, I wear many hats – from fulfilling orders to counting and labeling seeds, tending to the garden, managing finances, overseeing our online presence across various platforms, and answering messages on FB, IG as well as several emails and messages on the website. It's a year-round endeavor, and your encouragement fuels my passion for what I do.

During the busy season, I'm fortunate to have a helping hand, but the off-season is a solo act, and I embrace each task with dedication and enthusiasm. Your understanding of the intricacies involved in every aspect of this venture means the world to me.

As I move forward, I invite you to share your thoughts, suggestions, and opinions. Your feedback is a crucial compass that guides our growth. Whether it's a seed variety you'd love to see, insights on our content, or any other ideas, your voice matters.

In the garden of Blue Pumpkin Seed Co., every seed planted is a shared endeavor. Thank you for being a vital part of our community. Let's continue cultivating this green dream together.