v0.31:How do I build a farm?

The simple answer is that farm plots are an option on the building menu (b-p). Below is a step-by-step guide to building a farm.

Step One

Enable the grower skill for at least one dwarf.

Step Two

Select a suitable site for the farm plot. The farm should be on above ground soil, or below ground. Ideal sites are normally 3x3 or 5x5, but any rectangle of bare earth is suitable. If your site is on the surface or underground soil, skip to step four. If it is below ground, go to step three.

Step Three

Underground soil must be muddied before it can be farmed. There are many methods of irrigation available. The simplest requires a bucket and a source of water. Dig out a room above the farm site you have selected, and channel out a hole in the floor. Go to the activity zone menu (i) and designate the hole as a pit/pond. The zone will be designated a pit by default, P-f to change it to a pond.

Your dwarves will fill the bucket(s) with water, carry them over to the pond site, and dump them in, muddying the patch of soil below. When the whole site is muddy, turn off the pond zone to stop dumping, and proceed to step four.

Step Four

From the building menu, select a farm plot (b-p) and resize it to fit the site with umkh).

Step Five

Select which crops to plant there. Press q and move the cursor over the farm, and you will see a list of crops you can select to grow in the current season. You can change which season is displayed by pressing a,b,c, or d. Move the blue selector up and down with - and +, and press Enter to choose a crop to plant during that season (highlighted in white).

You must have the appropriate seeds to plant a crop there. To easily see how many of each seeds you have you can go to the Kitchen menu (z right Enter). Check the crops page for details on different seeds.

Instructing a plot to remain fallow z during a particular season will instruct dwarves not to plant in that plot during that season.

Farming FAQ
How do I build a farm?
How large a farm do I need?
What is the best crop?
How do I manage my seeds and crops?
What does "Reserved Barrels" and "Reserved Bins" mean?
Why are crops sometimes displayed with red writing?
What do I do with these inedible crops?
What does the option "Fallow" mean?
My dwarves will only farm on a small part of the fields, why is this?
How do I make absolutely sure my farm plot is all set to produce crops?
If I don't see any dwarves working my farm plot, does that mean there's something wrong?
Can you grow surface crops on multiple z levels in a tower if the floors are glass even though there's soil on the glass?
What is the "seas fert" option for?
How do you create a custom stockpile that accepts only prepared foods?
How do you successfully breed and utilize animals(grazing, non-grazing and poultry)?
How often do you need to irrigate your farm fields?
Having banned seeds from the kitchen, how to prevent dwarves from eating them raw?
Why do my planters keep complaining they have no seeds?
Why won't my animals breed?
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See Also

• Farming
• Irrigation
• Crops