Build 31 Tips for Noob Farmers?

[Wveth]

Exactly what it says on the tin.  I've never really farmed before and I'd like a little run-down of how to go about.  What should my farming grid look like, how much should I farm at once, how often should I water or spray?  I have the two gardening cans and the materials to make the sprays, along with 2 watering cans and plenty of dirt and seeds.

 

How do I get started?

[MaxStrategy]

Not sure about the specifics of how many plots will last you how long but you might want to farm on top of a building if possible so the zombies don't trample your crops and its safer to take your time farming. You probably already know this but I thought I'd mention it in case you didn't

[Wveth]

I did.  I built stairs to the roof of the GigaMart in West Point.

[jefferyharrell]

I've got very little experience, but I've found that in build 31 at least, farming is very much a set-it-and-forget-it thing. It takes a relatively long time for plants to bear fruit, and longer for them to bear seeds; I didn't time it or anything, but I want to say it was on the order of an in-game month or more. In one game I sowed seeds and then watered (which was tedious), and in another game I sowed seeds and ignored them and let rain do the work, and I didn't notice a significant difference. Maybe I just got lucky.

 

Doing things like planting on a thin layer of soil spilled on concrete strikes me as being too video-gamey, so I personally don't care for it. That's just me being weird, though.

 

My biggest problems, which I've yet to figure out good solutions to, relate to storage. Harvesting two plots yielded something like twenty cabbages. I didn't have enough room in my fridge for them, so where and how do I keep them such that they don't spoil before I can eat them? Stocking up for winter is a challenge I haven't overcome in any of my games yet (mostly because of zombie-related death before the first snowfall). I know canning is a thing, but I haven't found any jars or anything yet, so I haven't had a chance to experiment. Vinegar I always end up with in spades, but that's it.

[MaxStrategy]

Of course you are right about just some dirt on concrete, but a more 'advanced' setup with a little more dirt and some boards to hold it together (and prevent rain from washing it away) is very common IRL all over (potential feature request?). In a zombie apocalypse it would only make sense to set it up in a place the zombies can't get to it. Even IRL having a rooftop garden is pretty simple to do. Different crops take different lengths of time to harvest too. Can't have the crops take an entire season to grow, the Devs have to balance between 'realism' and 'fun' when creating gameplay after all

[jefferyharrell]

Of course you are right about just some dirt on concrete, but a more 'advanced' setup with a little more dirt and some boards to hold it together (and prevent rain from washing it away) is very common IRL all over (potential feature request?). In a zombie apocalypse it would only make sense to set it up in a place the zombies can't get to it. Even IRL having a rooftop garden is pretty simple to do. Different crops take different lengths of time to harvest too. Can't have the crops take an entire season to grow, the Devs have to balance between 'realism' and 'fun' when creating gameplay after all

 

Oh sure, I agree. But it's a matter of degrees. Spilling dirt on top of a warehouse just doesn't work for me as a player, personally. If it were harder, then yeah, no problem. I want to be clear: I'm not criticizing the game here. I'm just expressing a personal quirk. I know it's a fine line.

[megaman204]

1. Make sure there are 2 spaces between each crop plant. To prevent disease from spreading.

2. I only plant when its raining.

3. 4 minium rain barrells.

4. Check them once every 1-2 days.

5. Get empty sand bags and a spade/shovel. Fill the empty sand bags with dirt. Put the dirt on a roof that you have access to. Use that to farm.

6. Potatoes and cabbage are really easy to farm.

7. LOTS OF WATER.

8. Never harvest until you can harvest the seeds too unless its an emergencey.

9. Always water immediately after planting.

10. Make sure to have a good ratio of crop to water supply. What i mean by that is dont plant 500 crops if you can only water 100 crops.

 

 

Hope this helped!

[Wveth]

That's very helpful, thanks!  Do you know how much water is needed for how many plants?

[megaman204]

That's very helpful, thanks!  Do you know how much water is needed for how many plants?

 

It varies by plant but i would say about 1/2 of a cooking pots worth of water.

[Albie]

I usually grow three crops, Cabbage, Potatoes, and Broccoli. These can't be overwatered so you can just let the rain keep topping the water up. The cabbages grow first, followed by potatoes then broccoli. Replanting when harvesting means you will have a source of fresh food very frequently. Tomatoes are also a good outdoor crop.

Indoor farming requires more effort, as you aim to keep the water levels at the right amount to keep the crop healthy, as overwatering can kill your crop. I use a spare room in the house, or craft a shelter for indoor farming. Tainted water is fine for your crops, it is just rain after all. As mentioned try to space out crops to stop disease spreading between crops. I find lamps on pillars helpful for nighttime farming, and you can always preserve what food is left by jarring it up. An empty jar, a lid, some sugar, vinegar and water is what you need to store 5 of one crop (3 cabbages, so try to preserve other crops first). Then cook the jar of crops in a campfire/oven to seal the jar and preserve the food. Not sure how long it lasts, as on MP our group is big, so we haven't left the food long enough to go off!

Sorry for the mammoth post!

[syfy]

ok, a tip for growing Carrots, which are sensitive to the amount of water they get.

 

this relies on you either being in a 2 story house, or being able to build stairs.

 

in a house, plant the carrots next to the wall and underneath a window or two. you will need to build an elevated floor directly over the carrots, i usually go 3 tiles wide just to be safe. this way the rain does not hit the carrots, and you can keep a close eye on their water situation.

 

of course, if you can build a staircase, just go ahead and built a lookout platform and plant the carrots underneath it.

now in order to keep people from walking on my plants, to help prevent disease spread, and to make it look nice i tend to build wood floor walkways between the plants, and plant in a type of grid pattern....very similar to a large # with the plants occupying the white spaces.

[RtM]

Carrots are dlcks. They always seem to get Devils water fungi in the later stages. Even with ample space between plants and correctly watering. Im a master farmer but they and strawberries seem to be the toughest to get a good harvest out of. 

 

Quick question, when a bush grows out on the tile of a crop there doesnt seem to be a way to remove it even after harvesting. Does anyone know why or how it can be removed?

 

quick tip - Building a 'green house' is so much help when growing radishes and carrots. Of course having a decent carpenter in your group or yourself is necessary.