Farming
Description
The farming skill covers tending fields, sowing and harvesting the crops. Crops can take several days to grow, during which a farmer should farm the field tiles to remove weeds. This will improve the harvest. Quality and amount of the harvest increases when you have a high farming skill. Quality of the seed also effects the growth time of the fields.
The seeds needed to start farming can be found while botanizing or from harvesting the crops. Harvested cotton, wemp and pumpkin must be picked/crushed to recover seeds for replanting.
Crops can be harvested at any time after the first growth level, but harvesting too early or too late results in a bad crop. Level 20 farmers can determine the optimal height by examining a field. It is also possible to use a small barrel. When a field reaches optimal height it will be the same height as the small barrel, or a little taller. The color of the field is also possible marker, as it changes to a yellowish-green when ripe. Not recommended in the dark. Template:Smiley
The maximum slope on which you can sow seeds is 8; attempting to sow seeds on a greater slope results in a message "The ground is not flat enough for crops to grow. You need to flatten it first". The slope does not appear to effect growth speed or crop quality.
Sowing on a sloped tile takes into account it's compound slope, however. That is, it's slope both North-South (NS) and East-West (EW). For example, the slope can be level EW and 8-steep NS. Or 4-steep EW, 4-steep NS etc.
Examine details
Anyone can verify if a field needs tending. "The crops grow steadily" means the field is in order, while "It could use a touch from the rake or some other farming tool" means it must be tidied with a rake. If the description mentions "rotting old weeds", the field is overgrown and can no longer be harvested.
Level 10 farmers can determine which type of crop is growing in a field, except at the lowest growth level ("freshly sown").
Level 20 farmers can determine the growth level of a field. The levels are, chronologically sorted:
- You see a patch of freshly sown field.
- A few green blades pop out of the ground.
- Small sprouts with many blades grow here.
- The sprouts are growing, a bit above half their mature height.
- The field is almost at full height.
- The field is at full height and ready to harvest!
- The field is at full height and ready to harvest! (Used to be: The field is overaged, and some crop has been ruined.)
- (rotten old weeds, crops completely ruined)
Level 60 farmers can determine the number of items they will get after a harvest when they examine the field. It should be noticed however that the number it shows it not very accurate but more of a minimum since luck and other factors change the final number.
Tools
Farming Products
Titles
- Farmer at 50 skill
- Crofter at 70 skill
- Master Farmer at 90 skill
Tritus's Quick Guide
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 fenced off ...
Forage and 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 Flatten 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 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 two days later at the same time as 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 in 2-3 days.
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.
Your crops need to be harvested within about 8 hours of becoming ripe. If you Harvest early you will get reduced yield and if you Harvest late you will get reduced yield. If you are only getting one potato, or whatever, anyway then you will get nothing from early or late harvesting.
At higher skill levels you should be able to harvest early or late without losing all of your crop.
After you harvest you should Sow one seed right back into the tile.
You get almost no skill for Sowing. You get most skill from Farming and maybe a little less than that for Harvesting.
Your best bet is to assume that you will not be making any real crop gain from your Farming until your skill is at 15. In other words, up to that point all your Farming will be very much sowing one seed get one seed back.
With a 50 tile farm you will get roughly 1 point of farming per day if you tend your fields twice a day. Takes about 20 mins to tend 50 tiles with a QL 10 Rake. As your skill level improves yield increases from 1 through 3 and 4 to 6.
Tip:: If possible always Sow, Farm and Harvest at the same time just before you go to bed. That way, if you can check again first thing after you wake up, you should almost never lose any crop.
Alternatively, do all your farming immediately after you login, at the same time every day.
Basic Farming Cycle
- Sow
- Farm (at least once per day)
- Harvest (when your crop is level with the top of a Small Barrel)
- Sow (always replant at least one seed from your harvest)
Yield Borders (approximated)
| Crop | Yield 3 | Yield 4 | Yield 6 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corn | [18] 20 | ||
| Cotton | [10] 15 | [30] | |
| Garlic | [18] 20 | ||
| Onion | [18] 20 | ||
| Potato | [10] 15 | [30] | |
| Pumpkin | [10?] 15? | ||
| Wemp | [18+] 20 |
Numbers in brackets indicate the earliest that I got a yield of that amount.
