Farming
Description
Farming in 7 Days to Die is the intentional planting and management of crops, and it is a crucial aspect of survival, providing players with a sustainable source of food and resources. By planting Seeds and cultivating the resultant crops, players can ensure their long-term survival in the harsh post-apocalyptic world.
Overview
Farming allows players to grow various crops such as corn, potatoes, and cotton. These resources can be harvested for food, crafting materials, and trading with other survivors.
A crop specifically refers to a cultivated Plant that is grown and harvested for a useful purpose, typically as food, feed, fiber, or fuel. Crops are intentionally planted and managed by players for various purposes.
Farming Basics
Preparation
Crop Seeds can be found via Looting, bought from Traders, or crafted once reaching the crafting skill level appropriate for the type of seed you wish to craft. Crafting skill level for seeds is increased by reading Crafting Skill Magazines, specifically 'Southern Farming'. Most seeds have to be planted into a Farm Plot in order to begin growing. Mushrooms can simply be placed on any surface in order to start growing.
Lighting
Crops (with the exception of Mushrooms) require sunlight to grow. This means that crops need to either be outside (defined as having no Blocks located anywhere above them), have non-opaque blocks above it that allow sufficient sunlight to reach it, or be within a certain horizontal distance of a block that receives a sufficient level of sunlight. A Farm Plot that is located in an area with insufficient sunlight will not allow planting to occur.
Sunlight levels have values from 0 to 15. Full sunlight outdoors has a value of 15. Vertical distances through air do not reduce the sunlight value, but other blocks reduce the sunlight value of the sunlight that passes through them, as determined by the Light Opacity of the block as well as the shape of the block, but not its orientation.
Crops (with the exception of Mushrooms) require at least a sunlight value of 8 in order to grow. They must be either directly receiving sunlight from above, or be within a certain horizontal distance of another block that is receiving sunlight. Sunlight value decreases by 1 for every horizontal block it is from a block that is illuminated by sunlight.
The accompanying image shows the ground view of available spots a crop can be placed and will grow in an underground farm.
Growth Cycle
Crops initially appear as seedlings and slowly mature over time. Inspecting a crop by aiming your crosshair at it will display its growth stage: seedling, growing, or plant.
Only fully-grown plants can be harvested for its crop yield. If a seedling or growing plant is harvested, only the seed for that plant is recovered. Plants take 63 minutes to advance to the next growth stage. Once reaching full maturity, the plant will remain until harvested or otherwise destroyed; plants do not die naturally.
Harvesting
Crops are harvested by melee attacking the mature plant.
Harvest yield for any given crop is the same regardless if harvested with Fists, a weapon, or a tool. Base harvest yield is 1 item from a wild plant and 2 items from a player-planted crop. There is also a 50% chance of harvesting a single seed when harvesting a player-planted crop.
Harvest yield can be increased by the Living Off The Land perk. With one level of this perk, harvest yield increases to 2 items from wild plants and 4 items from player-planted crops. Having 2 levels of the perk will add a 50% chance of harvesting 1 extra item from both wild plants and player-planted crops. Having 3 levels of the perk will increase harvest yield further, to 3 items for wild plants and 6 items for player-planted crops.
Farming Sustainability
Harvesting a player-planted crop always has a 50% chance of dropping a seed. Alternatively, seeds can be crafted, which requires 5 units of the crop item to make one seed. Mushrooms also require 2 Clay Soil.
With no levels in the Living Off The Land perk, each cycle of planting and then harvesting a set of crops will lead to an average loss of 10% per cycle. At perk level one there will be an average gain of 30%. Perk level two increases that to 40%, and perk level three increase that further to to 80%.
Video Tutorial
A How To Farm Guide for Alpha 20 along with the changes from Alpha 19.
A brief overview of changed in Alpha 20 for those that are familiar with last Alpha
More detailed explanation of Farming
Images
A16 - Farm ready to be harvested.
A16 - Fertilized and freshly planted garden.
A19 - A farm consisting of every plant in its all three stages.
A19 - Trees can also be planted in farm plots.
History
- A21
- The ability to craft seeds is now dependent on seed crafting level, raised by reading the magazine "Southern Farming". The perk Living off the Land increases the likelihood of finding this magazine in loot.
- A20
- Player-planted crops no longer convert to seedlings when destroyed.
- Instead, player-planted crops have a 50% chance to drop a seed.
- A18
- Tilling soil and the use of hoes has been discontinued. Now plants have to be planted in farm plots.
- Living off The Land -perk has now three levels instead of five.
- Super Corn Seed can only be unlocked through a schematic.
- A16
- Living off the land now has five levels, with the 5th unlocking mutated plant seeds.
fr:Agriculture de:Landwirtschaft es:Agricultura nl:Kweken pl:Rolnictwo ru:Сельское хозяйство