Farming

''"Fertilizer" redirects here. For a list of items that can be used as fertilizer, see Category:Fertilizer.'' "Daucuscarots. Edible and delicious."

- Wickerbottom

Farming is the process of growing Food or other resources to aid in survival. In general it requires a permanent base camp where the crops can be planted and grown. There are several types of farming including Farms, transplanted items such as Berry Bushes, and Ranching.

Farms
Farms are made by creating Basic or Improved Farms which are fertile patches of ground where Vegetables can be grown. Once built, Seeds can be planted in them which will grow into random vegetables, or Crop Seeds for desired crops. Some Vegetables from regular Seeds grow more frequently than others (see table, below). Farms can be used to grow 20-30 vegetables before they lose fertility and require additional fertilizing. Crops will only grow during the day time when the temperature is above 5 degrees; all other time the growth stops. When temperature is above 28 degrees crops grow 100% faster; when it's raining crops grow up to 300% (depending on precipitation rate) faster. This means, that when it's hot and heavy raining crops grow up to 400% faster.

Specific vegetables can be grown in Farms by using Crop Seeds. These seeds are produced by feeding a Bird imprisoned in a Birdcage any vegetable or fruit; except for Mandrakes or Berries. The Bird will drop 1 or 2 Crop Seeds of the selected type, plus an occasional regular Seeds (total of 3 possible seeds). Once planted these seeds will only produce the crop they came from.

Fertilizers
Items such as Guano, Manure, Rot, and Rotten Eggs can be used as fertilizers. When placed on the sprout in a Farm, fertilizers will advance its growth. The amount of fertilizer needed to fully grow a newly planted crop depends on the type of Farm and the type of fertilizer.

Guano substitutes 15, one Manure substitutes 10, and one Rot/Rotten Egg substitutes 2.5 daylight hours. Thus Basic Farms need 3 Guano, 4 Manure or 16 Rot / Rotten eggs, and Improved Farms need only 2 Guano, 2 Manure or 8 Rot / Rotten Eggs to fully grow a newly planted crop. Fertilizers do not advance crop growth when it's below 0 degrees in Winter, and using a fire to warm the area will not change this.

Fertilizers are also needed once a Farm loses fertility, which happens after 20-30 uses depending on the type of Farm. When a Farm is depleted, it will turn a lighter shade of brown and cannot be used for growing anything until fertilizer is added. Guano will rejuvenate a Farm for 12 additional uses, Manure for 10 and Rot or Rotten Eggs will only provide 2.

Fertilizers are also needed for transplanted plants. Berry Bushes and Grass Tufts that are dug up with a shovel and replanted must be fertilized before they will start to produce again. After a Berry Bush has been harvested for 3-5 times or a Grass Tuft for 20 times, they will require additional fertilizer. Replaced Saplings and Bushes and Grass that grow naturally never need to be fertilized.

Transplanting
Berry Bushes, Grass Tufts, Saplings and Spiky Bushes can all be dug up with a shovel and replanted anywhere. Typically this is done to move them closer to base camp for easy harvesting. Grass and Berries will need to be fertilized before they begin to produce, and when their harvest limit is reached. Saplings and Spiky Bushes do not need to be fertilized. During winter, with the exception of Spiky Bushes, these plants will regrow extremely slowly to the point that they will seem not to regrow at all.

With Pinecones, you can plant new Evergreens near your camp too. This will provide a constant and renewable source of Logs that will be active in both seasons. Caution should be taken with any spawning Treeguards though.

Planting these items close together will make them easy to quickly gather, however this leaves them vulnerable to lightning strikes, which can set the entire patch ablaze. To counter this, plants can be placed in small groups with gaps between them so that if one catches fire it will only take a few other plants with it. Additionally, Lightning Rods can be built which will help prevent fires.

Lureplant Farm
Lureplants don't spawn their Eyeplants on Rocky Turf (Cave Rock too), Cobblestones and Wooden, Carpeted and Checkerboard Flooring. This means that surrounding the Lureplant with these type of turf will make it safe to harvest its Leafy Meat.

The Leafy Meat can be either eaten, given to Pigs to befriend them or most importantly given to a caged bird for a fresh Egg. Once harvested you'll have to wait for 2 days before the Lureplant spawns a new one. To take it without having to kill the Lureplant, just unequip any weapon and then click on the Lureplant.

Additionally, it can be used with Wickerbottom to farm a lot of Morsels and Feathers. Make a path with hard turf to the Lureplant and around it, but let enough soft turf for its Eyeplants to spawn around you, but not be able to attack you. Read Wickerbottom's "Birds of the World" book and let the Eyeplants eat the birds that spawn. Then immediately kill the Lureplant and get your loot.

Since Lureplants are inactive in winter, you won't be able to get the Leafy Meat during that time.

Slime Farm
Slurtle Slime is a useful non-spoiling item used to refuel Lanterns or Miner Hats and cause Earthquakes in caves. It's dropped mainly by Slurtles and Snurtles when they eat Rocks, Flint, Gold etc.

To farm it, you have to explore the caves and find one or more Slurtle Mounds grouped together, preferably under a light shaft. Once you do that, wall the mound(s) to prevent the Slurtles or Snurtles from wandering off, then build a Chest and place it near the mound(s). Fill the chest with excessive Rocks or other minerals. When the slugs come out and there are no minerals in the ground they will aim for the chest. They will start biting the chest and make the minerals bounce out, then after enough of them are on the ground they'll start eating them and produce slime in the process.

With this technique you'll ensure that all the slime is in one place and not scattered around the area of the mound and the walls will keep the slugs from eating minerals you don't want them to eat (either wall them against the border of the map where there's a little space you can cross but they can't, or place a Hay Wall that can easily be destroyed and replaced anytime you want to enter or exit.)

Ranching
Ranching is the farming of animals such as Butterflies, Pigs, and Beefalo. Generally ranching can only be done with animals that can respawn. Each type of animal requires its own way of ranching.

Butterfly Farms
Butterfly farms can be produced by catching butterflies in a Bug Net. Once captured, they can be planted as flowers anywhere. Flowers require no maintenance and can spawn additional Butterflies as soon as they are planted. When the Butterfly population is high enough they can be killed for their Wings.

Moleworm Farms
Moleworms can be farmed by releasing several placed Moleworms in an enclosed area. You can do this by destroying a Burrow with a shovel, knocking the Moleworm out with a hammer, and picking it up. Build an enclosed wall somewhere in your world and release the Moleworm within it, and after a random amount of time has passed, the Moleworm will reburrow. You may then catch the Moleworm when it surfaces by baiting it with minerals, and killing it. A Moleworm will respawn from the burrow in the same way a rabbit does.

Catcoon
A Catcoon may be farmed if you want to gather random minerals and objects over time. This can be done by creating an enclosed wall and trapping several Catcoon within it. You may do this by finding a Hollow Stump, in which a Catcoon should be spawned near by. Then, befriend the Catcoon and take it back to the enclosed wall. Leave the Catcoon inside and at random times it will spit-up various items and objects which may prove to be useful. You want to gather as many Catcoon as possible for the best resulting effect of the farm as if a catcoon dies, it can only respawn 8 more times.

Bees and Honey
Best way to farm Bees and Honey is to build some Bee Boxes (at least 3) near a flower field (at least 6 per box). Make sure that the flowers aren't planted too close to each other or the bees won't be able to visit them sometimes.

A Bee Box will spawn a bee every 2 minutes up to a maximum of 4. If any of these bees is caught or killed another one will spawn after the 2 minutes cool-down. This means that it is an indestructible (unless Deerclops attacks), fire-proof, infinite bee spawner. The bees can be caught with a Bug Net and then be either murdered for Stingers and Honey or used to make Bee Mines. If a bee is caught all bees still inside its box will become Killer Bees and come out to attack you; additionally any nearby homeless bee will join the fight, so be careful.

When bees will successfully visit 6 flowers they will return to their box and increase the amount of honey contained in it by 1, up to a maximum of 6. Honey can then be harvested by the Bee Box, but the bees of that box will turn hostile. A Beekeeper Hat is advised to tank the damage, or the player can just run away until the bees lose aggro. Additionally it's advised do build the Bee Boxes near your camp. If the player wanders too far away the game will hibernate the boxes and decrease the speed at which honey is produced by several times. Harvesting Bee Boxes in winter will not spawn killer bees. Honey spoils very slowly and is needed for some of the best recipes in the game.

Pigs
Pigs spawn from Pig Houses and live in them. Each house built will spawn one Pig and will respawn them if they are killed (after a few days). Pigs sometimes drop Pig Skin when killed, which is required to make additional Pig Houses. Pigs are useful because they can be convinced to follow Wilson, fight monsters and chop trees, and because they can produce Manure when fed vegetables, or flower petals. Care should be taken on full moon nights - any pigs left outside their houses will transform into Werepigs, which are hostile to anything and will eat any food on the ground very fast. The same effect can be achieved intentionally by feeding a pig 4 pieces of Monster Meat. Because a Werepig always drops 2 Meat and 1 Pig Skin, and because other pigs in the area will not target the player if they attack a Werepig, they could be farmed instead of regular pigs, if the player has excess Monster Meat.

Bunnymen
Bunnymen are the cave counterpart of Pigs. They spawn from Rabbit Hutches (found in caves) and function the same way as pigs except for 5 differences: This means that they're suited for nocturnal protection at which Pigs fail and they're perfect for farming Spiders (see below) Also their Bunny Puffs can be used to make a Fur Roll, which is a better version of the Straw Roll.
 * 1) They are active during dusk and night, contrary to pigs who only roam around at daylight.
 * 2) They don't kite during combat and will run away at low health to regenerate it.
 * 3) They don't produce manure when fed vegetables and don't eat meats . (Recruitable with Carrots)
 * 4) They attack the player if the player carries meats or meat based foods in its inventory.
 * 5) They don't help with tree cutting.

Beefalo
Beefalo regularly drop manure without being fed (Unlike pigs) increasing the use of ranching them, which can be done with the use of a Beefalo Horn. They will also spawn Baby Beefalos during mating season, making them irregularly aggro during their "heat". It's best to keep your Penned Beefalo fairly far from your base camp, as when Mating Season rolls around picking up their Manure will be an aggressive event. However, wearing a Beefalo Hat will make it so the in heat beefalo will not aggro on you. Regardless they still will aggro if attacked first.

Spiders
Spiders spawn from Spider Dens. To get one you either need to destroy an existing Tier 3 den or kill a Spider Queen. The higher the tier of the den the more spiders spawn from it. Spiders when killed will drop either Monster Meat, Silk or Spider Glands, all of which are useful items. There are 3 ways to farm them effectively: Unless you want to fight with a Spider Queen, make sure you destroy your Tier 3 dens after emptying them.
 * 1) Put Traps near the den. Step on the webbing to get the spiders to come out and then lead them to the traps. Repeat until the den is empty. This is the easiest method as it requires only basic materials but is also the most time consuming for the player.
 * 2) Build Pig Houses around the den. The higher the tier of the den the more houses needed. During the daylight wandering Pigs that step on the webbing will trigger spiders to come out, which will be attacked on sight by any nearby pigs. Pigs will eat the Monster Meat though so this is not recommend if you need it.
 * 3) Build Rabbit Hutches around the den. Same as with pigs, but the fights will take place during dusk and night. The difference is that the Bunnymen won't eat the Monster Meat. The loot can be then collected at dawn when the den is mostly empty, making it safe to step on the webbing.