Farming

This page was last verified for Vintage Story version 1.20.7.

Farming is a game mechanic that allows players to grow food crops for use in cooking and feeding domesticated animals .

Required materials

To begin farming, a player needs good soil and seeds to plant crops. A specialized tool, the hoe is required to convert soil into farmland. The player will also need to provide moisture for the growing crops, either via irrigation or through the use of a watering can .

Finding seeds

Wild crops are created during world generation and can be found all over the world in different climatic regions. Harvesting these crops is essential for gathering seeds to plant crops. Wild crops drop the same number of seeds as farmland-grown crops and 25% of the produce for the growth stage. Wild crops will grow even when their chunks are not loaded, and their growth is not influenced by temperature. However, once they are fully grown, they will revert to their first stage if they are not harvested before the next growth tick.

Mature farmland-grown crops drop 1.2 seeds when broken. Crops that are not mature have a 70% chance to drop a seed. For non-grain crops, breaking the plant at the penultimate stage has a 99% chance to drop a seed for temperate crops*, and will produce a reduced amount of the normal yield, further reduced by 25% for wild crops. Amaranth and Cassava act as non-grain crops in this regard.

Seeds can also be found in Seed and Farming vessels found in ruins or purchased from Treasure Hunter traders . Pumpkin seeds must be acquired through vessels, and cabbage seeds must be acquired through vessels or Agriculture traders . Soybean and rice seeds can be obtained through vessels to acquire them in non-warm climates.

Seed Type	Product	Climate
Carrot		Temperate, Ruins
Flax		Temperate, Ruins, Agriculture trader
Onion		Temperate, Ruins
Spelt		Temperate, Ruins
Turnip		Temperate, Ruins
Parsnip		Temperate, Agriculture trader
Rye		Temperate, Ruins
Rice		Warm, Ruins
Soybean		Warm, Ruins
Amaranth		Warm
Bell Pepper *		Warm
Cassava		Warm
Peanut		Warm
Pineapple		Warm
Sunflower		Warm
Pumpkin		Ruins
Cabbage		Ruins, Agriculture trader

* Bell peppers are not fully implemented as of 1.20.11. Mature wild bell peppers have only a 0.025% chance to drop produce, and the seeds cannot be planted.

Soil and farmland

Naturally generated soil

Four types of naturally occurring soil exist in the world at different fertility rates:

Soil Type	Fertility
Barren	5%
Low	25%
Medium	50%
High	65%

Soil retains its fertility levels when blocks are gathered and placed elsewhere, so a good farming strategy is to hunt soil with high nutrient levels and bring it home. High fertility soil can be difficult to spot due to blending in with other grassy soil. Similar to clay , it is most identifiable from the side, having a darker color than medium fertility soil.

Player-created soil

Terra Preta is a player-generated soil type with nutrient levels of 80%. Each block of Terra Preta is created by sealing 64 rot in a barrel for 20 days, then combining the resulting 16 compost in the crafting grid with 8 bonemeal around 8 charcoal to create one block of Terra Preta. Additionally, Terra Preta can be crafted with the same ingredients and a block of high fertility soil to create two blocks of Terra Preta.

Ingredients	Crafting Recipe
16x Compost 8x Bonemeal 8x Powdered charcoal

Ingredients	Crafting Recipe
16x Compost 8x Bonemeal 8x Powdered charcoal 1x High fertility soil

Creating farmland

Moist farmland.

Using a hoe + on a soil block creates dry farmland. If the farmland is within 3 blocks of a freshwater source block, it will be converted from dry to moist farmland. Other solutions for creating moist farmland include daily watering using a watering can or relying on rain in a rainy area. Moisture levels above 50% give a bonus to growth speed. More specifically, reducing the total hours needed for a crop to grow to the next stage by up to two hours of in-game time, if at 100% moisture.

Nearby water provides moisture to horizontally adjacent farmland within 3 blocks, including along the diagonal. The moisture bonus provided by nearby water is reduced by 25% for each 1 block that the farmland is distant from the water. Thus, farmland immediately next to a water block will be granted 75% moisture, two blocks away will be granted 50% moisture, and 3 blocks away will be granted 25% moisture. Farmland does not absorb moisture from water in a vertical direction (i.e. farmland created directly above the surface of a lake will not stay moist from the water below it).

Saltwater cannot be used to provide moisture, and will instantly kill crops.

Farmland blocks cannot be picked up and replaced once converted. Breaking farmland destroys the block.

Soil nutrients

All soil, dirt, and dry or moist farmland, has 3 nutrient levels, N, P, and K. Each crop consumes one of these nutrients. Some crops require higher values of nutrients than others, as shown in the table below. Crop growth rates also differ. Each crop has a different total growth speed, which is shown by the number of growth days.

When crops advance from one growth stage to the next, they consume nutrients from the farmland on which they are planted. The required nutrient, K, P, or N, is the nutrient that will be consumed, reducing the concentration of that nutrient in the farmland. The amount of the nutrient required per growth stage is determined by dividing the Nutrient Consumption by the number of growth stages. The nutrient levels of a farmland block cannot exceed 100%, even with fertilizer.

Nutrient replenishment

Nutrients in farmland slowly replenish over time and return to the maximum level per soil type, for instance, medium fertility will only regain nutrients to their original levels of 50%. Note that potash permanently increases the farmlands maximum K fertility by 15%.

Nutrients replenish at a rate of +0.25% every 3 - 4 in game hours, reduced by 10% for every degree below 10°C, and further reduced by 67% if a crop is actively growing on the block. The nutrition type used by the currently growing crop will regenerate even slower than the two not actively used, and effectively won't replenish at all, as the currently growing crop reduces it with every growth tick. If the crop on the farmland is ripe, none of the nutrients will replenish.

Nutrition replenishment ticks every 3 to 4 ingame hours.

Growth Speed

A crops growth speed affects how many hours it takes for the crop to advance to the next growth stage, and is determined by the moisture and nutrient levels of the farmland it is growing in, the temperature of the environment and the light level.

Before taking nutrient levels into account, the growth speed is first affected by the moisture levels following an equation:

• Crops do not grow below 10% moisture despite in-game tooltip
• 10% moisture = ~20% growth speed
• 25% moisture = ~58% growth speed.
• 50% moisture = ~82% growth speed.
• 75% moisture = ~97% growth speed.
• 100% moisture = ~109% growth speed.

Then, the nutrient levels are taken into account:

• Nutrient levels 0-5% = 10% growth speed
• Nutrient levels 5-20% = 30% growth speed
• Nutrient levels 20-35% = 60% growth speed
• Nutrient levels 35-50% = 90% growth speed
• Nutrient levels 50-75% = 100% growth speed
• Nutrient levels 75%+ = 110% growth speed

Light sources other than the sun can be used to grow crops, however below light level 19, a 10% growth penalty is incurred every level, which means growth will stop entirely at or below light level 9. Sunlight by default has a light level of 22. Light levels from multiple sources do not stack.

It is also intended that while the world configuration setting "Allow underground farming" is disabled, that for every block below sea level an extra light level is required for a crop to grow, however, as of 1.20.8-rc.2 due to a bug in the code, this is not the case and crops can still grow underground at the normal rate provided they are given enough light, and additionally if the crops are grown low enough, no light level is needed for crops to be able to grow (19 blocks below sea level or lower is enough to achieve this).

Crop growth speed is further reduced by 10% every degree starting from 10 degrees. For example, 9 degrees is 10% slowed growth, 8 degrees is 20% and so fourth until it hits 0 degrees where growth stops completely. These checks happen every 3-4 hours of in-game time.

Crop rotation

Crop rotation is the practice of growing a series of different types of crops in the same area over time and has been used since ancient times to maximize crop production. Nitrogen (N), phosphate (P) and potassium (K) dependent crops can be rotated on the same growing area. For example, after harvesting a nitrogen-dependent crop such as turnips, the soil will have a lower level of nitrogen but higher levels of the two other nutrients. Therefore a phosphate or potassium-dependent crop can be planted in the same soil.

A common crop rotation strategy is to divide the fertile area into four sections, one each for N, P, or K-dependent crops and one left fallow (without any crops growing). In the screenshot on the right, turnips (N-dependent) are planted in the top left, onions (P-dependent) in the top right, carrots (K-dependent) in the bottom right and the bottom left area are left without any crops. After harvest the planting will be rotated clockwise so that turnips will now be planted in the top right, onions in the bottom right, carrots in the bottom left and the top left will not have any crops. Rotate clockwise again after each harvest.

Note that the rotation will depend on the slowest crop to mature which in this case are the carrots (1.2 in-game months). Because nutrients replenish best in fallow soil, one area is kept unplanted during each rotation. This strategy is particularly useful if the player does not have access to fertilizer yet. You can make variations on this strategy to suit your crop mix.

Fertilizer

Fertilizers such as saltpeter , potash , bonemeal and compost can be applied to the soil to replenish nutrients depleted by the growth of crops without waiting for the slow natural replenishment in fallow soil (no crops planted) or the need for crop rotation.

For example, the important flax crop removes potassium (K) from the soil as it grows. Adding potash or saltpeter to the depleted soil after harvest will replenish potassium levels and allow replanting of flax on the same soil without waiting for natural replenishment and without the need for crop rotation. The type and amount of nutrient required for each crop is shown in the table of available crops in the next section. Having sufficient nutrients for each crop allows for the optimal growth rate if temperature and light requirements are also met.

Fertilizer is released slowly over time at a rate +0.25% of per 3 - 4 in-game hours, -10% for every degree below 10°C, in addition to the natural nutrient replenishment of the soil. Unlike the natural nutrient replenishment of the soil, the fertilizer release rate is not affected by the presence of a growing or mature crop on the soil.

Using fertilizer is the only time a soil type can exceed the maximum nutrient level of the soil type, however, nutrient levels cannot exceed 100%. Additionally, the amount of "slow release fertilizer" currently applied to a farmland block cannot exceed 150%. Once the fertilizer on a block runs out, if a nutrient level exceeds the soils max fertility it will attempt to return to the max fertility.

Potash permanently increases the farmland's maximum K fertility by 15%.

Note that saltpeter cannot be detected by a prospecting pick and must be found while exploring caves.

Fertilizer	Nitrogen (N) %	Phosphorus (P) %	Potassium (K) %	Source
Potash	0	0	60	Grinding sylvite , Commodities trader
Saltpeter	13	0	44	Mined from caves, Commodities Trader
Bonemeal	3	30	0	Grinding bones
Compost	40	8	8	Sealing 64 rot in a barrel for 20 days, Agriculture trader

Crops

To harvest, left-click on the crop with an empty hand or harvesting tool, knife or scythe . Fully mature crops will return seeds, food, and in the case of flax, fiber. All fully mature crops have about a 5% chance of dropping an extra seed when harvested. Each crop is characterized by a set of Crop Properties. Crop properties consist of the following individual properties:

• Growth Stages - The number of growth stages for a crop.
• Total Growth Days - The number of in-game days it takes for a crop to be fully grown (harvestable).
• Nutrient - The type of nutrient (N, P, K) consumed from the farmland when a crop grows to the next stage.
• Nutrient Consumption - The total amount of the required nutrient that will be consumed over the lifetime of a crop.
• Cold/ Heat Resistance - Temperature range the crop can endure before it takes damage and then will yield less harvest on breaking. Generally, all crops can keep growing only above 0°C. They might be able to endure lower temperatures without damage, but will not be able to grow under such circumstances. The only way to artificially regulate temperature for crop growth at the moment is through the use of a greenhouse structure, which will raise the temperature by 5°C. Keep in mind that getting too cold or too hot can halve the harvest of a crop or even kill a crop entirely, but the seeds will always be dropped. All produce from a crop is cut in half from any damage. Exception to this are Carrots , Parsnips and Rye - they provide 75% of the harvest when the fully-grown plant gets hit by a temperature outside its resistance.
• Yield - The amount of edible produce items that are dropped when a fully-grown crop is harvested.
• Crop growth speed is reduced by 10% every degree starting from 10 degrees. For example, 9 degrees is 10% slowed growth, 8 degrees is 20% and so fourth until it hits 0 degrees where growth stops completely. This check happens every 3-4 hours of in-game time.

Table of available crops

Crop	Growth Stages	Total Growth		Nutrient	Nutrient Consumption	Temperature Resistance		Yield
		Months	Days*			Cold	Heat
Carrot	7	1.20	10.80	K (Potassium)	40	-10°C	32°C	9-13
Flax	9	2.00	18.00	K (Potassium)	50	-5°C	40°C	5-7**
Onion	7	1.85	16.65	P (Phosphorus)	35	-1°C	40°C	10-14
Spelt	9	2.00	18.00	N (Nitrogen)	40	-5°C	40°C	10-14
Turnip	5	1.00	9.00	N (Nitrogen)	30	-5°C	27°C	6-8
Parsnip	8	2.00	18.00	P (Phosphorus)	20	-10°C	32°C	10-14
Rice	10	2.25	20.25	K (Potassium)	50	8°C	46°C	11-15
Rye	9	2.00	18.00	N (Nitrogen)	40	-12°C	27°C	9-13
Soybean	11	1.25	11.25	K (Potassium)	35	-5°C	40°C	5-7
Amaranth	9	2.00	18.00	N (Nitrogen)	15	6°C	42°C	5-7
Bell Pepper	19	2.20	19.80	N (Nitrogen)	35	8°C	34°C	Not implemented
Cassava	9	5.00	45.00	K (Potassium)	25	4°C	44°C	14-18
Peanut	9	2.50	22.50	P (Phosphorus)	45	10°C	42°C	8-12
Pineapple	16	6.00	54.00	N (Nitrogen)	15	6°C	48°C	1
Sunflower	12	1.85	16.65	N (Nitrogen)	40	-5°C	40°C	11-15
Pumpkin	8	1.70	15.30	P (Phosphorus)	30	-5°C	40°C	Variable***
Cabbage	12	1.50	13.50	N (Nitrogen)	40	-5°C	35°C	2

* Growth times are calculated based on number of days in a month. Changing the length of a month will change the total growth time in days proportionally.
** 5-7 grains, 7-9 fibers
*** Pumpkins are cultivated differently than all other crops. Please see the pumpkin page for detailed instructions about establishing a pumpkin patch.

Fruit trees

Fruit trees were introduced in the Homesteading Update (v.1.16). There are a total of nine different types of fruit-bearing trees: red apple, pink apple, yellow apple, peach, pear, cherry, orange, olive, and mango. Some of the trees, like mango and orange, are specifically adapted to warmer climates, whereas apples, pears, and peaches thrive in temperate climates.

After a fruit tree is found in the wild, a tree cutting can be acquired by breaking its branches with an Axe . Each cutting has a 40% chance to grow into a full tree when planted in the ground - if the temperature requirements are met. Some trees must go through "vernalization," when the temperature drops down below a certain point, for them to set fruit.

Protecting crops

Hares will go after planted crops and eat them. They will leave behind a dead plant that drops one seed, but no crops. Some crops are not eaten by hares, namely onions, pineapples, and pumpkins. These can be planted without protection if grown alone.

Since hares spawn on grass blocks, rabbit-proofing farms with walls, fences , or a two-block deep dry moat around farm blocks is recommended. Players must take care to leave no grass blocks within the enclosed area. The moat has the bonus of catching hungry hares when they try to reach the player's crops. Keep in mind that adult hares can jump over a single fence block if it is waterlogged and then frozen. Hare spawns can also be blocked inside an enclosed area by placing stones on the ground or removing all blocks that could grow grass. Grass that grows on fallow farm blocks is not a valid spot for hares to spawn because tilled farmland isn't a full block.

Hares ignore wild crops.

Food and cooking

See cooking or satiety for more information on player nutrition and preparing foods to eat.

The efficiency values below in the "Satiety/Growth time (days)" column are based on the average yield of a crop from one tile of farmland, multiplied by the food's satiety, divided by the number of growth days until maturity. Note that pumpkins, while they only require a single block of farmland, are spread out to cover a wider area of dirt. This space efficiency was not taken into account.

Seed Type	Category	Satiety			Satiety/Growth time (days)
		Raw	Meals	Bread	Raw	Meals	Bread
Carrot	Vegetable	100	150	N/A	75.00	112.50	N/A
Flax	Grain	30	120	160	10.58	42.35	53.33
Onion	Vegetable	100	150	N/A	75.00	112.50	N/A
Spelt	Grain	60	240	300	40.00	160.00	200.00
Turnip	Vegetable	100	150	N/A	100.00	150.00	N/A
Parsnip	Vegetable	100	150	N/A	50.00	75.00	N/A
Rice	Grain	60	280	330	40.00	186.67	211.85
Rye	Grain	60	240	300	36.00	144.00	183.33
Soybean	Protein	150*	240	N/A	81.82	130.91	N/A
Amaranth	Grain	60	240	300	20.00	80.00	100.00
Cassava (soaked)*	Vegetable	100	120	N/A	35.71	42.86	N/A
Cassava (dried)	Grain	N/A	N/A	300	N/A	N/A	106.67
Peanut	Protein	160	N/A	N/A	73.85	N/A	N/A
Pineapple	Fruit	320*	480*	N/A	6.67	10.00	N/A
Sunflower	Grain	60	240	300	48.00	192.00	234.23
Pumpkin	Vegetable	480*	720*	N/A	102.86	154.28	N/A
Cabbage	Vegetable	300	450	N/A	46.15	69.23	N/A

• Soybeans cannot be eaten raw, but they can be pickled and then eaten in this state.
• Cassava cannot be eaten raw off the vine. It must first be soaked in a sealed barrel and skinned with a knife, but it can then be eaten in this state.
• Pineapples and pumpkins cannot be eaten nor cooked whole. They must first be sliced with a knife, producing 4 pieces each with exactly 25% of the entire produce's satiety.
• Pumpkins' growth varies wildly, but community experimentation appears to have resulted in approximately 1.5 pumpkins' profit per vine, on average (assuming 2.5 are grown and 1 is used to produce the next pumpkin seed). The numbers above reflect this.

History

Version	Description
v1.19.0	In version 1.19.0-rc.1, High Fertility Soil was changed to occur naturally in the world, and Terra Preta can only be crafted. The recipe for Terra Preta in 1.19 is more expensive than the recipe for High Fertility Soil was in 1.18.

Notes

• It is recommended to harvest all wild crops, regardless of growth stage, when out on a long journey, if the player foresees that they will not come the same way again.

Video Tutorials

Detailed explanation including changes since version 1.13	Detailed explanation of pumpkin plants