This is far from the truth, allot of us DO care, but please don't give up yet. The 4x labor, .5 grow times, and 4x xp make earning gold very very easy.
Use your 8x8, there is guaranteed land for it and to begin with that's really all you need, there is a temporary garden area in each starting zone that WILL have room (note it is 8x8 only), use it, put down mats for the basic packs, harvest and replant, you get a free farm cart and some eco fuel, or even the skateboard, use them to move the packs. With this labor regen once you get started you won't have to stop really unless you run out of mats, and with the reduced grow periods that should be minimized. Once you get the big freighter and such that's different, but for now you can go nuts.
Save your gold and enjoy the game, this weekend is guaranteed land opening up in auroria, and even if you don't get any of that, there is also going to be land going for cheap or even free from people who get land up there. As the age old argument goes, land is a commodity not a guarantee, so put a little effort in and you WILL get some. It might not be that prime piece of real estate everyone wants, but if everyone could get it would it still be the best? Find a guild and work your way up, meet people, start a family, grow. One of my family members started out with an 8x8, that's it no cash shop or anything. He did exactly this and now has 2 treehouses and 2 16x all near each other, he hasn't spent a dime in game.If you absolutely NEED something from the marketplace you can use the gold you earn to buy credits (they will go down in price when the donations can start again so don't worry) but it is not a necessity.
TL;DR The community does care and wants you if you want to work, what we all don't care about are people who want to just sit around and get everything with no effort, everything you need is here, just use it and you will get ahead.