🌾 Farming
Farming 2.0 Overview
The Farming 2.0 update (Reap What You Sow) overhauled DST's farming into a deep nutrient-management system. Gone are the days of planting random seeds — now you must manage soil nutrients, choose crop families, and optimize for giant crops.
The Three Nutrient System
Every farm plot has three nutrient levels represented by icons:
| Nutrient | Depleted By | Restored By | Icon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Growth Formula (Blue) | Vegetables, root crops | Compost, manure, rot | 💧 |
| Compost (Green) | Above-ground leafy crops | Rot, manure, compost | 🌱 |
| Manure (Red/Yellow) | Fruit-bearing crops | Manure, guano, compost | 💩 |
Key rule: Plants display their current nutrient need above them. A smiling plant = happy. A frowning plant = needs attention. An arrow = almost ready. A sprout icon = ready to harvest.
Crops and Their Families
Crop Families Table
| Crop | Season | Growth Days | Family | Nutrient Type | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carrot | Autumn/Spring | 10 | Vegetable | Consumes Blue | Early food, filler |
| Corn | Summer/Autumn | 15 | Vegetable | Consumes Blue | Bacon & Eggs |
| Dragon Fruit | Summer/Spring | 10 | Fruit | Consumes Red | Dragon Pie (best HP food) |
| Eggplant | Autumn/Spring | 10 | Vegetable | Consumes Blue | Stuffed Eggplant |
| Garlic | Autumn | 12 | Vegetable | Consumes Blue | Garlic Mashed Potatoes |
| Onion | Autumn/Spring | 10 | Vegetable | Consumes Blue | Onion Rings |
| Pepper | Summer/Spring | 10 | Fruit | Consumes Red | Spicy Chili |
| Pomegranate | Summer/Spring | 10 | Fruit | Consumes Red | Banana Pop |
| Potato | Winter/Autumn | 10 | Root | Consumes Blue | Mashed Potatoes |
| Pumpkin | Autumn | 10 | Fruit | Consumes Red | Pumpkin Cookies |
| Toma Root | Summer/Autumn | 12 | Fruit | Consumes Red | Tomato Soup |
| Watermelon | Summer | 12 | Fruit | Consumes Red | Melonsicle |
| Asparagus | Spring | 12 | Vegetable | Consumes Blue | Asparagazpacho |
Giant Crops — The Real Goal
Giant crops yield 6-8 normal crops in one harvest and can be hammered for extra seeds. Growing giants requires four conditions:
- Same crop in a 3x3 block (minimum 9 of the same crop touching)
- Family companions — plant complementary crop families nearby (see below)
- Fully tended — water, talk to, and fertilize every stage
- Nutrient balanced — soil must have adequate levels of all three nutrients
The Giant Crop Combo
The optimal 3-crop cycle for giant harvests:
| Crop 1 | Crop 2 | Crop 3 | Why It Works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dragon Fruit | Tomato | Carrot | Fruit (Red) + Fruit (Red) + Vegetable (Blue). Tomatoes restore Compost (Green) while Dragon Fruit consumes it |
Companion planting logic: Plants in the same family CANNOT be companions. You need one crop from each of the three growth families: - Family A: Carrot, Corn, Eggplant, Garlic, Onion, Potato - Family B: Dragon Fruit, Pepper, Pomegranate, Pumpkin, Toma Root, Watermelon - Family C: Asparagus
Farm Plot Layouts
The 3x3 Giant Farm (Beginner)
[DragonFruit][DragonFruit][DragonFruit]
[DragonFruit][DragonFruit][DragonFruit] ← 9 Dragon Fruit (core)
[DragonFruit][DragonFruit][DragonFruit]
[ Tomato ][ Tomato ][ Tomato ]
[ Tomato ][ Tomato ][ Tomato ] ← 9 Tomato (companion)
[ Tomato ][ Tomato ][ Tomato ]
[ Carrot ][ Carrot ][ Carrot ]
[ Carrot ][ Carrot ][ Carrot ] ← 9 Carrot (companion)
[ Carrot ][ Carrot ][ Carrot ]
Advanced Rotation Layout (Seasonal)
For continuous giant harvests, rotate crops seasonally:
| Season | Primary Crop | Companion 1 | Companion 2 | Yield |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | Dragon Fruit | Tomato | Carrot | 6-8 giants per 3x3 |
| Summer | Watermelon | Onion | Carrot | Cools you down in summer |
| Autumn | Pumpkin | Garlic | Tomato | Best for Pumpkin Cookies |
| Winter | Potato (only option) | — | — | Single crop, no giants possible |
Bee Box Setup
Honey is the backbone of DST's best healing foods. Optimal setup:
- 6-8 Bee Boxes placed within 10 tiles of at least 20 flowers
- 1 honey per 3.4 days per box (shorter in summer, none in winter)
- Place flowers: Pick 20+ wild flowers and replant them near the boxes
Best Honey Recipes
| Recipe | Ingredients | Hunger | Health | Sanity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bacon & Eggs | 1 Egg + 1 Meat + 1 Monster Meat + filler | 75 | 20 | 5 |
| Honey Ham | 1 Honey + 2 Meat + filler | 75 | 30 | 5 |
| Meatballs | 1 Meat + 3 fillers (berries work) | 62.5 | 3 | 5 |
| Pierogi | 1 Egg + 1 Meat + 1 Vegetable | 37.5 | 40 | 5 |
| Dragon Pie | 1 Dragon Fruit + 3 fillers | 75 | 40 | 5 |
| Fish Tacos | 1 Fish + 1 Corn | 37.5 | 20 | 5 |
Pro Farming Tips
- Speed up growth: Talk to plants (press H near them) at every growth stage. It adds a "talked" buff that reduces growth time by one stage.
- Watering priority: Water in the morning. Rain counts as automatic watering. Build a watering can at the Science Machine.
- Seed economy: One planted seed gives 1-3 crops. Use a seed maker (or let crops rot then dig them) to multiply rare seeds.
- Winter farming: Only potatoes grow in winter, and they cannot become giants. Stockpile food before winter arrives.
- Soil reset: If soil gets too depleted (single nutrient below 25%), add 1 rot or compost to reset the balance. 1 rot added per tile restores all nutrients by +10.
- Fertilizer crafting: 1 Manure + 1 Grass = 1 Compost. 1 Manure + 1 Rot = 1 Fertilizer (balanced restore to all three nutrients).
- Nutrient visual check: Plant a seed and check its speech bubble. Blue arrow = needs Growth Formula, Green arrow = needs Compost, Red arrow = needs Manure.
- For Wickerbottom players: Use "Applied Horticulture" book to instantly grow all crops in a large radius — bypasses watering and talking requirements.