How do fields and orchards work?

[BaldEagle]

I've noticed when you first create a field, it seems like the workers wont work on it until its been a year. I've managed to get them to work the field, almost immediately, after creating one before but, I don't know why they refuse to work a newly created one until next spring.

I'm also lost on the specific mechanics of orchards. Do they grow on their own without farmers after a while? I've also heard the farmers are important when planting the fields the first time. How many are needed for planting and how much of an effect will more farmers have?

[ebrumby]

Crops are planted in the spring and harvested in the fall. During the winter, farmers automatically act as laborers so there is no need to reassign them. Orchards are planted at any time and harvested in the fall. It takes 3-4 years for an orchard to mature and start producing. Eventually the trees get old and the farmer will replant them. BanishedInfo.com has a great calculator for determining the best size/# or workers for crop fields, orchards, pastures and cemeteries - http://banishedinfo.com/t/Size_calculator. I have heard that once you plant an orchard, it will mature without a farmer tending to them, but you need a farmer to harvest the fruit/nuts. (I've never tried it.)

[mbutton15]

Originally posted by ebrumby:

I have heard that once you plant an orchard, it will mature without a farmer tending to them, but you need a farmer to harvest the fruit/nuts. (I've never tried it.)

I do this quite alot (particularly if short on workers) - I'll plant several 15x4 orchard plot, get one worker to plant a field, set it to 'No work' so he moves on to the next, repeat until all plots have been planted. Then I assign the worker back to the first plot, keep it's window open so I can see when it actually starts producing crops. Then I'll just assign workers to them all and leave them assigned from then.

Farm crop harvest triggers in early autumn and orchard starts in autumn.

[BaldEagle]

Originally posted by mbutton15:

Originally posted by ebrumby:

I have heard that once you plant an orchard, it will mature without a farmer tending to them, but you need a farmer to harvest the fruit/nuts. (I've never tried it.)

I do this quite alot (particularly if short on workers) - I'll plant several 15x4 orchard plot, get one worker to plant a field, set it to 'No work' so he moves on to the next, repeat until all plots have been planted. Then I assign the worker back to the first plot, keep it's window open so I can see when it actually starts producing crops. Then I'll just assign workers to them all and leave them assigned from then.

Farm crop harvest triggers in early autumn and orchard starts in autumn.

How do you know when its been fully planted?

[mbutton15]

Originally posted by DaydreamingRobot:

How do you know when its been fully planted?

I do sit and watch him plant ! A 15x4 plot only has 2 rows of trees and you'll see them work left to right, bottom to top. Plus it also only takes a few seconds before you see little trees appear.

[Fimbultyr]

Farm crop harvest triggers in early autumn and orchard starts in autumn.

If you play at hard conditions this is always to remember, or you can lost your harvest by early winter.

Crops can be started manually to harvest und teh crops will mature and are going to harvest. If you harvest orchards manually you will only get that percentage that is already matured.