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Difference between revisions of "Farm size calculations"

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(→‎The math: Let's show some actual numbers, and draw some realistic conclusions.)
(Sorry for edit spam, I couldn't create a talk page. I think the current text is misleading, because the 5 plants per harvest refers to the averages in the table above. Yes, it is possible to get a 5 stack with a mid-level farmer sometimes, but to reach the average of 300 plump helmets per year, an average of 5 per stack is needed.)
 
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[[Dwarves]] require approximately 2 units of [[food]] and 4 units of [[drink]] each season. [[Farming]] can produce enough [[crop]]s to satisfy part or all of these requirements. However, be aware that the more and larger your farms are, the more time and effort must be accorded to their maintenance.
+
[[Dwarves]] require approximately 2 units of [[food]] and 5 units of [[drink]] each season. [[Farming]] can produce enough [[crop]]s to satisfy part or all of these requirements. However, be aware that the more and larger your farms are, the more time and effort must be accorded to their maintenance.
  
 
==The math==
 
==The math==
−
Your dwarves can plant 1 [[seed]] per tile on each [[farm plot]], and depending on the crop, the [[skill]] of the [[grower]], and whether the farm plot was [[fertilizer|fertilized]], each planted tile will yield a stack of 0-12 (average: 5) edible, [[mill|millable]], [[brewing|brewable]], or otherwise [[farmer's workshop|processable]] plants each harvest cycle. Brewing always quintuples stack sizes; for example, a stack of [[cave wheat]]s [5] is brewed into a [[barrel]] of [[Dwarven beer]] [25] at a [[still]]. Processing [[quarry bush]] plants into quarry bush leaves at a farmer's workshop also quintuples stack size, as does processing [[sweet pod]]s into [[Dwarven syrup]].  [[mill|Milling]] sweet pods into [[Dwarven sugar]] does ''not'' increase stack size.  [[Pig tail]]s and [[plump helmet]]s grow faster than other crops, and as long as the mature plants are harvested promptly, it is not hard to grow multiple crops of either plant each season from the same plot.
+
Your dwarves can plant 1 [[seed]] per tile on each [[farm plot]], and depending on the [[skill]] of the [[grower]], whether the farm plot was [[fertilizer|fertilized]], and random chance, each planted tile will yield a stack of 1-10 plants each harvest cycle. Legendary+5 planters more frequently produce larger stacks - up to 6 plants each (with an average of 3.17) without fertilizer, or up to 10 plants each (with an average of 5.17) when fertilized.
  
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{| class="wikitable"
+
[[Brewing]] always quintuples stack sizes; for example, a stack of [[cave wheat]] [5] is brewed into a [[barrel]] of [[dwarven beer]] [25] at a [[still]]. Processing [[quarry bush]] plants into quarry bush leaves at a [[farmer's workshop]] also quintuples stack size, as does processing [[sweet pod]]s into [[dwarven syrup]]. ([[Mill]]ing does ''not'' increase stack size.) These larger stacks (including booze!) are generally not usable directly as food, but can be [[cook]]ed into prepared meals. [[Cave wheat]], [[sweet pod]]s and [[quarry bush]]es grow 67% slower than other crops, though they generally provide more valuable ingredients. As long as the mature plants are harvested promptly, dwarves can grow multiple plantings in the same plot each season.
−
! Plant Name
+
 
−
! Active Seasons
+
{|class="wikitable"
−
! Days Per Harvest
+
!rowspan=2|Plant Name
−
! Harvests Per Tile Per Season
+
!colspan=5|Active Seasons
−
! Harvests Per Tile Per Year
+
!rowspan=2|Underground
−
! Average Plants Harvested Per Tile Per Year
+
!rowspan=2|Days Per Harvest
−
! Average Processed Food/Drink Per Tile Per Year
+
!rowspan=2|Harvests Per Tile<br>Per Season
 +
!rowspan=2|Harvests Per Tile<br>Per Year
 +
!rowspan=2|Average Plants Harvested<br>Per Tile Per Year'''*'''
 +
!rowspan=2|Average Processed Food/Drink<br>Per Tile Per Year'''*'''
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Plump helmet
+
!Sp
 +
!Su
 +
!Au
 +
!Wi
 +
!N
 +
|-
 +
|[[Plump helmet]]
 +
|X
 +
|X
 +
|X
 +
|X
 
|4
 
|4
 +
|X
 
|25
 
|25
 
|3
 
|3
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|300
 
|300
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Pig tail
+
|[[Pig tail]]
 +
| -
 +
|X
 +
|X
 +
| -
 
|2
 
|2
 +
|X
 
|25
 
|25
 
|3
 
|3
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|150
 
|150
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Cave wheat
+
|[[Cave wheat]]
 +
| -
 +
|X
 +
|X
 +
| -
 
|2
 
|2
 +
|X
 
|42
 
|42
 
|2
 
|2
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|100
 
|100
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Sweet pod
+
|[[Sweet pod]]
 +
|X
 +
|X
 +
| -
 +
| -
 
|2
 
|2
 +
|X
 
|42
 
|42
 
|2
 
|2
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|100
 
|100
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Quarry bush
+
|[[Quarry bush]]
 +
|X
 +
|X
 +
|X
 +
| -
 
|3
 
|3
 +
|X
 
|42
 
|42
 
|2
 
|2
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|150
 
|150
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Prickle berry
+
|[[Prickle berry]]
 +
|X
 +
|X
 +
|X
 +
|X
 
|4
 
|4
 +
| -
 
|25
 
|25
 
|3
 
|3
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|300
 
|300
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Wild strawberry
+
|[[Wild strawberry]]
 +
|X
 +
|X
 +
|X
 +
|X
 
|4
 
|4
 +
| -
 
|25
 
|25
 
|3
 
|3
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|300
 
|300
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Longland grass
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|[[Longland grass]]
 +
|X
 +
|X
 +
|X
 +
|X
 
|4
 
|4
 +
| -
 
|25
 
|25
 
|3
 
|3
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|300
 
|300
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Rat weed
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|[[Rat weed]]
 +
|X
 +
|X
 +
|X
 +
|X
 
|4
 
|4
 +
| -
 
|25
 
|25
 
|3
 
|3
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|300
 
|300
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Fisher berry
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|[[Fisher berry]]
 +
|X
 +
|X
 +
|X
 +
|X
 
|4
 
|4
 +
| -
 
|25
 
|25
 
|3
 
|3
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|300
 
|300
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Rope reed
+
|[[Rope reed]]
 +
|X
 +
|X
 +
|X
 +
|X
 
|4
 
|4
 +
| -
 
|25
 
|25
 
|3
 
|3
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|300
 
|300
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Sliver barb
+
|[[Sliver barb]]
 +
|X
 +
|X
 +
|X
 +
|X
 
|4
 
|4
 +
| -
 
|25
 
|25
 
|3
 
|3
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|300
 
|300
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Sun berry
+
|[[Sun berry]]
 +
|X
 +
|X
 +
|X
 +
|X
 
|4
 
|4
 +
| -
 
|25
 
|25
 
|3
 
|3
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|300
 
|300
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Whip vine
+
|[[Whip vine]]
 +
|X
 +
|X
 +
|X
 +
|X
 
|4
 
|4
 +
| -
 
|25
 
|25
 
|3
 
|3
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|}
 
|}
  
−
Each dwarf (age 1 year or greater) consumes 4 [[Main:urist|urist]]s of booze and 2 urists of food per season, or 16 booze and 8 food per year.
+
:'''*''': ''Average 5 plants per harvest (Legendary farmer with fertilization)''
−
A 100 dwarf fortress (not counting infants) therefore needs 1600 booze and 800 food per year.
+
 
 +
A beginning fortress has 7 dwarves, each of which consumes 7 units of food and drink per dwarf per season, or 196 for the whole fortress for the year. The starting group can theoretically be supported by a single farm tile, but in practice a larger farm will be necessary since a young fortress is unable to use farm tiles to their fullest potential.
 +
 
 +
A properly-managed and fully-utilized 3x3 plot growing plump helmets can produce an average of up to 2700 units of alcohol per year, enough to provide food (through booze-[[cooking]] with seeds) and drink for a fortress of 95 dwarves. A similar 5x5 plot can produce up to 7500 units of food and drink per year, enough to support 265 dwarves.
 +
 
 +
This calculation assumes your planters can consistently produce stacks of 5 plants (with or without fertilization), and that there are enough of them to avoid any labor shortages at planting times. The general limitation, then, is not the size of the farm, but the skill of the growers, the availability of seeds and [[potash]] for fertilizer, and careful management of [[labor]], [[stockpiles]], and the food industry to ensure that crops are harvested (rather than left to [[wear|wither]] in the field), are properly stored away from [[vermin]], the plants are processed, and seeds are recovered so that the cycle can continue next season. However, since adding farm tiles is practically free, most overseers find it easier to create larger farms than to optimize production on a smaller plot.
  
−
A single farm tile, with fertilizer, configured for 3 quarry bush seasons + 1 plump helmet season, can produce 150 units of food (quarry bush leaves, 3 seasons * 2 crops per season * 5 plants per crop * 5 leaves per plant) and 75 units of booze (plump helmet wine, 1 season * 3 crops per season * 5 plants per crop * 5 booze per plant). Another tile dedicated solely to booze can produce 300 units (plump helmet wine, as above but 4 seasons), at the expense of variety. Together, they produce 375 booze and 150 food, which is enough for 18.75 dwarves, with some booze left over.  That's 9.375 dwarves per farm tile, if the tiles are split in this manner.  A 100 dwarf fortress therefore could ''theoretically'' get by with about 11 tiles of farmland, if the dwarves were willing to subsist on a single type of food and booze, and did not need any clothing.
+
In practice, dwarves require booze variety to avoid bad [[thought]]s and desire food variety to create good thoughts. Additionally, if your dwarves are going to grow textiles (and [[dye]]s) for [[clothing]], they will need more farmland.  
  
−
In practice, however, you want booze variety to avoid bad [[thought]]s, and your dwarves are going to need some [[clothing]]. If you grow crops for textiles to make this clothing, that will add more farmland. This calculation also assumes you use fertilizer, which is a dubious practice given the difficulty in maintaining a steady supply of wood. Why use 11 tiles with fertilizer when you could just use 20 tiles with no fertilizer, especially when the latter would use less labor? Finally, the calculation assumes all your planters have Legendary skill, and that there are enough of them to avoid any labor shortages at planting times. This may eventually be true in a long-running fortress, but is not typical in most forts.
+
At the high end, 50 tiles of farmland should provide all the food your fortress will ever need, even if divided between disparate types of less-efficient crops.
  
 
==Approaches==
 
==Approaches==
−
Many fortresses begin with a single large farm (5x5) with [[plump helmet]]s, or several smaller farms (3x3 or 1x5 are common) with a wider variety of crops. Given the small number of dwarves, a single smaller farm (2x4 or 3x3) is probably best for beginning fortresses. As the growers [[experience|level up]] and farm yields increase the farm can be expanded and newer, smaller farms with different crops can be added to enable new growers to practice their skills. The more tiles of farm plot you have, the more growers (and harvesters) you will need.
+
Many fortresses begin with a single large farm (5x5) with [[plump helmet]]s, or several smaller farms (3x3 or 1x5 are common) with a wider variety of crops. Given the small number of dwarves, only 10 or so tiles are needed for a beginning fortress. As the growers [[experience|level up]] and farm yields increase the farm can be expanded and newer, smaller farms with different crops can be added to enable new growers to practice their skills. The more tiles of farm plot you have, the more growers (and harvesters) you will need. A single legendary planter can plant up to 100 tiles of farmland if they never harvest themselves and the seed stockpile is only a half-dozen tiles from all farm plot tiles. Consider making the seed stockpile in the middle of a ring of farms to save travel time. 
  
−
To minimize the cost of [[fertilize|fertilization]], farm plots should ideally be one less than a multiple of 4 tiles -- ex. (1x3), (1x7), (3x5), (3x9), (5x7), (7x9)
+
If you plan to [[farming|fertilize]], farm plots should ideally be one less than a multiple of 4 tiles -- ex. (1x3), (1x7), (3x5), (3x9), (5x7), (7x9)
  
−
{{Template:Farming FAQ}}
+
{{Category|Agriculture}}
 +
[[ru:Farm size calculations]]

Latest revision as of 19:01, 24 April 2024

!!UNKNOWN!!  · xTATTEREDx  · +FINE+  · *SUPERIOR*  · ≡EXCEPTIONAL≡  · ☼MASTERWORK☼
v50.14 · v0.47.05
This article is about the current version of DF.
Note that some content may still need to be updated.

Dwarves require approximately 2 units of food and 5 units of drink each season. Farming can produce enough crops to satisfy part or all of these requirements. However, be aware that the more and larger your farms are, the more time and effort must be accorded to their maintenance.

The math[edit]

Your dwarves can plant 1 seed per tile on each farm plot, and depending on the skill of the grower, whether the farm plot was fertilized, and random chance, each planted tile will yield a stack of 1-10 plants each harvest cycle. Legendary+5 planters more frequently produce larger stacks - up to 6 plants each (with an average of 3.17) without fertilizer, or up to 10 plants each (with an average of 5.17) when fertilized.

Brewing always quintuples stack sizes; for example, a stack of cave wheat [5] is brewed into a barrel of dwarven beer [25] at a still. Processing quarry bush plants into quarry bush leaves at a farmer's workshop also quintuples stack size, as does processing sweet pods into dwarven syrup. (Milling does not increase stack size.) These larger stacks (including booze!) are generally not usable directly as food, but can be cooked into prepared meals. Cave wheat, sweet pods and quarry bushes grow 67% slower than other crops, though they generally provide more valuable ingredients. As long as the mature plants are harvested promptly, dwarves can grow multiple plantings in the same plot each season.

Plant Name Active Seasons Underground Days Per Harvest Harvests Per Tile
Per Season 		Harvests Per Tile
Per Year 		Average Plants Harvested
Per Tile Per Year* 		Average Processed Food/Drink
Per Tile Per Year*
Sp Su Au Wi N
Plump helmet X X X X 4 X 25 3 12 60 300
Pig tail - X X - 2 X 25 3 6 30 150
Cave wheat - X X - 2 X 42 2 4 20 100
Sweet pod X X - - 2 X 42 2 4 20 100
Quarry bush X X X - 3 X 42 2 6 30 150
Prickle berry X X X X 4 - 25 3 12 60 300
Wild strawberry X X X X 4 - 25 3 12 60 300
Longland grass X X X X 4 - 25 3 12 60 300
Rat weed X X X X 4 - 25 3 12 60 300
Fisher berry X X X X 4 - 25 3 12 60 300
Rope reed X X X X 4 - 25 3 12 60 300
Sliver barb X X X X 4 - 25 3 12 60 300
Sun berry X X X X 4 - 25 3 12 60 300
Whip vine X X X X 4 - 25 3 12 60 300
*: Average 5 plants per harvest (Legendary farmer with fertilization)

A beginning fortress has 7 dwarves, each of which consumes 7 units of food and drink per dwarf per season, or 196 for the whole fortress for the year. The starting group can theoretically be supported by a single farm tile, but in practice a larger farm will be necessary since a young fortress is unable to use farm tiles to their fullest potential.

A properly-managed and fully-utilized 3x3 plot growing plump helmets can produce an average of up to 2700 units of alcohol per year, enough to provide food (through booze-cooking with seeds) and drink for a fortress of 95 dwarves. A similar 5x5 plot can produce up to 7500 units of food and drink per year, enough to support 265 dwarves.

This calculation assumes your planters can consistently produce stacks of 5 plants (with or without fertilization), and that there are enough of them to avoid any labor shortages at planting times. The general limitation, then, is not the size of the farm, but the skill of the growers, the availability of seeds and potash for fertilizer, and careful management of labor, stockpiles, and the food industry to ensure that crops are harvested (rather than left to wither in the field), are properly stored away from vermin, the plants are processed, and seeds are recovered so that the cycle can continue next season. However, since adding farm tiles is practically free, most overseers find it easier to create larger farms than to optimize production on a smaller plot.

In practice, dwarves require booze variety to avoid bad thoughts and desire food variety to create good thoughts. Additionally, if your dwarves are going to grow textiles (and dyes) for clothing, they will need more farmland.

At the high end, 50 tiles of farmland should provide all the food your fortress will ever need, even if divided between disparate types of less-efficient crops.

Approaches[edit]

Many fortresses begin with a single large farm (5x5) with plump helmets, or several smaller farms (3x3 or 1x5 are common) with a wider variety of crops. Given the small number of dwarves, only 10 or so tiles are needed for a beginning fortress. As the growers level up and farm yields increase the farm can be expanded and newer, smaller farms with different crops can be added to enable new growers to practice their skills. The more tiles of farm plot you have, the more growers (and harvesters) you will need. A single legendary planter can plant up to 100 tiles of farmland if they never harvest themselves and the seed stockpile is only a half-dozen tiles from all farm plot tiles. Consider making the seed stockpile in the middle of a ring of farms to save travel time.

If you plan to fertilize, farm plots should ideally be one less than a multiple of 4 tiles -- ex. (1x3), (1x7), (3x5), (3x9), (5x7), (7x9)

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