Hello Chris and gang! Truly enjoyed returning to the game again and again, I wish I had more opportunities to do so but alas, a busy schedule.
I'm kind of hoping you'll keep the server running for a continuous community effort in more and more stages. Being able to see other's changes to the world live is really fun!
I did feel like the world was quite small, which is great for the scope of this game jam, but for a bigger release I'd love to see a bigger map, maybe even something where players spawn at different points and expand their efforts outward, connecting with each other and tending to each other's spaces. There's other refinement options which aren't necessary at all but I thought I'd mention: Expanding flora and making them species specific for an educational opportunity and/or adding fauna - birds, deer, etc. depending on different flora levels unlocked. Say a community managed to grow forest, there's animals showing up depending on the size!
One thing I also thought of is that I can see this easily displayed in an art gallery - not just with a video game focus. I've recently visited an exhibition about dirt and it had a lot of themes of nature, preservation, nurture, sustainability and community - this game would've fit right in! It's quick and simple enough for people to easily engage with it in an exhibition setting and there could be a QR code for people to be able to continue accessing the game outside of the exhibition. I'd definitely take this game to art opportunities/awards outside of the games industry because its accessibility and message makes it really versatile and playable by a wide audience, not just gamers.
I really hope to see you expand this one, I think it'll be a refreshing experience for a lot of people :)