Farming can be a difficult skill to start, in the sense that getting your hands on the seeds as a new [[player]] can be extremely time consuming. But, since most people build their first [[house]] with at least some surrounding [[land]] [[fence]]d off...
[[Foraging|Forage]] and [[Botanizing|botanise]] a few times every time you log on. Every time you get a [[seed]], [[plant]] it in the grounds of your house.
'''Notes:'''
* To prepare the ground for planting you may need to [[Flattenflatten]] and then [[cultivate]] it.
* Initially you should start with an easier crop such as [[corn]], [[cotton]], [[potato]], or [[wemp]]. Otherwise you may get zero [[skill]] gain.
* [[Onion]] and [[garlic]] definitely give zero skill gain with up to 22 in farming. They give some skill gain near 30.
Once you have [[sow]]n sown your seeds, you want to [[farm]] the [[tile]] at least once every real [[day]].
You will raise your skill more quickly if you farm more often, although once every 6 hours is about the most often you will be able to.
Your crops should begin to ripen about 3-5 days after you planted them but this is not precise. Each tile will grow at a different rate and if you sow 10 seeds at the same time then those ten tiles may ripen individually at different times over 3-5 days.
You will rarely lose a [[harvest]] if you harvest at the same time every day. Crops that are ripe can often, though not always, still be properly harvested at the same time the following day.
Your crops will be ripe when the top of the crop (when groomed) is exactly level with the top of a [[small barrel]] placed in the tile.