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Farming in Build 30


kerlop

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With the new changes to farming, it takes months to grow all foods. However, with this change and, of course, the inevitability of the power shutting off, I'm wondering how farming will remain a viable source of food and survival if you must wait months in between each harvest. Even if crop growth is staggered, it will still be very difficult to keep farming as an effective method of survival. Thoughts?

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With the new changes to farming, it takes months to grow all foods. However, with this change and, of course, the inevitability of the power shutting off, I'm wondering how farming will remain a viable source of food and survival if you must wait months in between each harvest. Even if crop growth is staggered, it will still be very difficult to keep farming as an effective method of survival. Thoughts?

 

Loot like you never looted before.

Go fishing, trapping, forging, whatever gives you food.

 

I always thought of farming as a long term goal, i am glad they finally made farming take longer.

But if you want your harvest to be really worth it, you need to make it really big otherwise the wait isnt going to be worth it.

Also you better get those jars lids and jars to can your food.

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With the new changes to farming, it takes months to grow all foods. However, with this change and, of course, the inevitability of the power shutting off, I'm wondering how farming will remain a viable source of food and survival if you must wait months in between each harvest. Even if crop growth is staggered, it will still be very difficult to keep farming as an effective method of survival. Thoughts?

 

Loot like you never looted before.

Go fishing, trapping, forging, whatever gives you food.

 

I always thought of farming as a long term goal, i am glad they finally made farming take longer.

But if you want your harvest to be really worth it, you need to make it really big otherwise the wait isnt going to be worth it.

Also you better get those jars lids and jars to can your food.

 

Oh I definitely know of those tihngs. I've been playing for just under 8 months now on and off (have about 80 hours accumulated on Steam...not really much if I'm being totally honest) but I just feel like farming is no longer worth it. If you fish for 3 hours a day, you're bound to get the amount of food you need. Also, the big harvests will all go to waste because of food spoilage so the size of the haul doesn't mean anything unless your power is still on 10 months into the game. I just feel like farming is a liability at this point.

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Try spacing out your planting dates instead of planting all your seeds on one day, waiting for the crop to grow, then watching the harvest go to rot. Plant a few plants every few days. Time it right, and eventually you'll have smaller, more frequent harvests ensuring constant fresh veggies, and no more huge harvests getting tossed out.

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Try spacing out your planting dates instead of planting all your seeds on one day, waiting for the crop to grow, then watching the harvest go to rot. Plant a few plants every few days. Time it right, and eventually you'll have smaller, more frequent harvests ensuring constant fresh veggies, and no more huge harvests getting tossed out.

I had this idea. I think this is the way to go!

 

Home canning is now an option in build 30. Be sure to stock up on as much sugar, vinegar, jars, and lids as you possibly can. They will let you preserve your harvests if you are unable to eat them all in time. Also, keep in mind that since plants take longer to grow, they also take longer to rot when still on the vine.

Oh my gosh! This is a thing?! Wow! Okay. Thanks a heap. This solves all of my worries!

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Try spacing out your planting dates instead of planting all your seeds on one day, waiting for the crop to grow, then watching the harvest go to rot. Plant a few plants every few days. Time it right, and eventually you'll have smaller, more frequent harvests ensuring constant fresh veggies, and no more huge harvests getting tossed out.

I had this idea. I think this is the way to go!

 

Home canning is now an option in build 30. Be sure to stock up on as much sugar, vinegar, jars, and lids as you possibly can. They will let you preserve your harvests if you are unable to eat them all in time. Also, keep in mind that since plants take longer to grow, they also take longer to rot when still on the vine.

Oh my gosh! This is a thing?! Wow! Okay. Thanks a heap. This solves all of my worries!

Keep in mind though that right now home canned food is a limited time option because it's dependent on sugar and vinegar which are currently finite resources.

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Speaking of growing in the winter...

I noticed in the console that, in the winter, it mentions "damaging outdoor plants." I know you can't just plop some dirt in your house because the plants won't get enough light. I haven't tried it yet, but would it be possible to build a closed structure made of window frame walls to grow plants in during the winter? Would enough light get inside? Would the inside still be considered "outdoors" because the player built windows aren't closed? I'm curious if this is possible, but I've never stayed with one save long enough to try it...

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Farming doesn't take that much longer than it did before, at base level it takes 60 additional hours for every crop to reach growth stage 7. Winter is a bigger deal, but there are still plenty of other ways to keep yourself fed. Just couple your farming with something that remains dependable through winter.

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Hmm this is all some really great information guys! 1000 appreciations are yours. However, because I have the IQ of a dead baby elephant, what's the step by step for canning food?

Seconded, I hope you can make vinegar in the future seeing as humans have been preserving food for milennia. I haven't played build 30, but I hope that drying meats shacks will be introduced for meats and vegetables for example. There are mods for this, but i prefer an official solution in the game.

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Hmm this is all some really great information guys! 1000 appreciations are yours. However, because I have the IQ of a dead baby elephant, what's the step by step for canning food?

Seconded, I hope you can make vinegar in the future seeing as humans have been preserving food for milennia. I haven't played build 30, but I hope that drying meats shacks will be introduced for meats and vegetables for example. There are mods for this, but i prefer an official solution in the game.

 

 

Hum, thirded? I too want to know how to do that.

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I like all the changes made on the farming, and I would even take them further... once we get a system for food preservation that is not based on finite resource (Edit: And "official" irrigation please :)).

 

There are things that don't need much work actually. If you build a dark box for your potatos that keeps them in and dry environment (but ventilated) they last easily 6+ months (up to almost the full year... and I know because I've eaten them :) Not the best potatos ever, but hell, you get to eat). You will have to cut their little "sons", but that's all the pain. For meat and fish, the easiest way is smoke it. I don't know what can be done for other vegetables but surely there are ways to extend their life in a feasible way within the game scenario. 

 

And changing the subject a bit... Crossed myself with this structure a few weeks back (select level 1 in map layout to see it better):

 

http://pzmap.crash-override.net/#0.8993879369734876,0.1584965645488269,549.4822078698371

 

It would be awesome if these kind of buildings allowed you to increase your winter harvest :)

Edited by Ohbal
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I like all the changes made on the farming, and I would even take them further... once we get a system for food preservation that is not based on finite resource (Edit: And "official" irrigation please :)).

 

There are things that don't need much work actually. If you build a dark box for your potatos that keeps them in and dry environment (but ventilated) they last easily 6+ months (up to almost the full year... and I know because I've eaten them :) Not the best potatos ever, but hell, you get to eat). You will have to cut their little "sons", but that's all the pain. For meat and fish, the easiest way is smoke it. I don't know what can be done for other vegetables but surely there are ways to extend their life in a feasible way within the game scenario. 

 

And changing the subject a bit... Crossed myself with this structure a few weeks back (select level 1 in map layout to see it better):

 

http://pzmap.crash-override.net/#0.8993879369734876,0.1584965645488269,549.4822078698371

 

It would be awesome if these kind of buildings allowed you to increase your winter harvest :)

In reality greenhouses do work during winter, but you need to heat them (and maybe add some lights in certain climates) to grow vegetables. I don't see how this would work without gas?

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Hmm this is all some really great information guys! 1000 appreciations are yours. However, because I have the IQ of a dead baby elephant, what's the step by step for canning food?

The current system in game is just a crafting option. Have an empty jar, lid, a bunch of water, vinegar, sugar, and 5 of your food item (unless it's cabbage, in which case you need 3). Right click and can it. Then cook it over a heat source, and it will be preserved for up to 90 days (fresh for 60).

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When I last played PZ farming was mostly broken since getting back into PZ this is my first experience of farming really.

 

Personally find it okay.   The only thing that concerns me is how much experience you get when harvesting.  Im 30 days in and my farming is at skill 3,  Granted, I waited until I found the books first and read them first before harvesting, but you do get a ton of xp!

 

Another tip... Start the game in 'april'  that gives you a few more months to get ready before winter.  Also, it rains more in april/may so you dont have to water plants much at all.

 

As I said, im only 30 days in and my cooking and farming is at 3, by winter it will be 4 possibly 5, so im not worried about winter really and thats what all the canned goods and non-perrishibles are for anyway.

 

either way, Its another resource management part of the game that needs to be 'gamed' and I'm enjoying farming a lot, if a little too easy.

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  • 1 month later...

 

 

Hmm this is all some really great information guys! 1000 appreciations are yours. However, because I have the IQ of a dead baby elephant, what's the step by step for canning food?

Seconded, I hope you can make vinegar in the future seeing as humans have been preserving food for milennia. I haven't played build 30, but I hope that drying meats shacks will be introduced for meats and vegetables for example. There are mods for this, but i prefer an official solution in the game.

 

 

Hum, thirded? I too want to know how to do that.

 

1) Harvest said things you want to preserve

2) Generally slice said things you want to preserve into sizes fit for canning

3) Put slices in canning jars

4) Pour in canning solution *in the case of zomboid sugar and vinegar, in real life there's other options*

5) Optional step here but generally helps preserve longer, take canning wax and melt it up and pour it over the top to help with sealing

6) Put on lids and seal tight

7) Boil the ever living crap out of those jars *usually done in batches* till all the lids make a nice satisfying PING, this means that almost all oxygen has been taken out of the jar and that it now has basically an air tight seal.  If you used the optional wax step, this will make it so you have a nice layer of wax at the top of the jar right below the lid helping grantee a better seal making foods last up to a year *from personal experiance*

 

Moving onto other options, I'd like to see implimented the ability to make a root cellar, smoking house, or something else you can build to preserve things without needing jars and lids that eventually run out along with sugar and vinegar.  We as humans have learned to survive and save food for a loooooooooong time, would be nice to see other ways added in.  While going back to that idea I dont think most people know how so maybe add in that you have to find a rare book that has the plans to make like a root cellar.  Or while on that topic a book that can be found easier that shows how to make a level 3 or something cooking plan that turns meat into jerky *already in the game and gives no happiness or boredom but food is food*.  It's really not all that hard to make jerky either, don't even need salt : P  Just put it in a dehydrator for a few hours and blam jerky, or set it out in the sun on a rock and yeah that takes awhile but thats how they used to do it.  Or just smoke it, which you can do with fish as well, or you can dry it out and salt it, etc so forth....*ends rambling*

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