Editing v0.31:Farming

{{quality|Exceptional|08:00, 22 May 2010 (UTC)}}{{AV}}

'''Farming''' is the action of growing {{l|crops}} for {{l|food}}, {{l|alcohol}} production and {{l|cloth}} manufacturing. While small forts can easily be sustained by plant gathering, {{l|hunting}} and trading, farming is vital to large settlements.

Farming is done at a '''farm plot''' building ({{k|b}}-{{k|p}}, resize with {{k|u}}{{k|m}}{{k|k}}{{k|h}}). It requires {{l|seeds}} and a worker with the "Farming (Fields)" {{l|labor}} enabled.  

 

See the article on {{L|crop}}s for details on the conditions needed to grow the available plants.

After building a farm plot building ({{k|b}}-{{k|p}}, resize with {{k|u}}{{k|m}}{{k|k}}{{k|h}}), you must select which crops to plant there.   

Press {{k|q}} and move the cursor over the farm, you will see a list of crops you can select to grow in the current season.  To move to plan for crops to be farmed in different seasons use {{k|a}},{{k|b}},{{k|c}}, or {{k|d}}.  You can select a farm to be [[fertilize]]d but starting out you won't have the necessary items to do so, and it's largely unnecessary.

You must have the appropriate {{L|seed}}s to plant a crop there.  To easily see how many of each seeds you have you can go to the Kitchen menu {{k|z}} {{k|right}} {{k|Enter}}.  Good selections starting out below ground are plump helmet spawn, above ground wild strawberries are good.  Check the {{L|crop}}s page for details on different seeds.  Only some plants are edible so make sure the seeds you're using will produce food.  It's often a good idea to pick a seed which produces a plant which can be {{L|brew}}ed.  This will create {{L|alcohol}} and also give you a seed to plant again next season.

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

=== Subterranean Farming ===

Underground farms are required to grow the 6 "dwarven" plants, including the {{l|plump helmet}}.  Seeds and spawn available at embark are for underground crops only.

Underground {{L|cavern}}s will most often have multiple {{L|Mud|Piles of mud}} to build Subterranean plots on. Note: Underground {{L|cavern}}s are very dangerous places, it would be a good idea to have a {{L|squad}} guard the farm and to set up walls around the area.

See {{L|irrigation}} for more.

Above ground farming is basically the same as underground farming, with the simplifying distinction that above ground plots do not need to be pre-muddied. However, there are some complications.

The first complication is that seeds cannot be chosen at embark. They can be bought from caravans ({{L|elves|elven}} or {{L|humans|human}}); or above-ground plants can be gathered using the {{L|Plant gathering}} designation, and then {{L|brewer|brewed}}, {{L|mill|milled}}, {{L|thresher|threshed}} or {{L|dining hall|eaten}} directly (depending on the plant) to produce seeds.

The second complication is that the farming must be done on {{L|soil}}. Typically, it is done above ground, which is dangerous (due to aggressive animals, ambushes and sieges). However, any land which has ever been exposed to sunlight becomes permanently marked as "above ground". So, if you have multiple Z-layers of soil, you can channel some above-ground land, remove the resulting ramps, then construct a floor above, where the surface once was. The (now dark and protected) lower soil will still be suitable for farming {{L|wild strawberry|wild strawberries}}, {{L|longland grass}}, {{L|rope reed}}, and anything else you may find.

* {{L|Irrigation}}

* {{L|Tile attributes|Tile Attributes}}