Farming question

[siskavard]

I set up a farming plot & have 100 seeds but I can't figure out how to get my dwarves to plant crops, they're not doing it automatically & I'm not sure how to make them.

[McFuzz]

Set your farmer to the planting task in the labour screen. Down the middle of that panel is a button that makes them only do the jobs they're assigned to (and ignore tasks like hauling). Click that on your farmer.

Have you set your farm plots to plant in all seasons? Seeds are also not universal; you might have 100 seeds that are like, 20 cucumbers, 40 rye, 40 pigtails, but no plump helmets.

[Xcorps]

What are you trying to grow and where is your farm plot?

[siskavard]

Farm plot is just outside of my mountain base, there's no soil inside. I want to grow anything doesn't matter just can't figure out how

[McFuzz]

Set a gathering designation. That should net you some seeds after they eat them.

You can also throw water onto stone tiles from above with buckets. to make them farmable. You check check what your seeds actually are in the stock menu. Then just plant those.

[BlackSmokeDMax]

Originally posted by siskavard:

Farm plot is just outside of my mountain base, there's no soil inside. I want to grow anything doesn't matter just can't figure out how

100 seeds of what? The base seeds you embark with can NOT be grown outside, they must be grown underground.

[db48x]

Originally posted by BlackSmokeDMax:

100 seeds of what? The base seeds you embark with can NOT be grown outside, they must be grown underground.

More specifically, at embark time you can select seeds for a number of different types of mushrooms, all of which have to be grown underground. Plump Helmets are for eating, Pig Tails can be spun into cloth, Dimple Cups can be ground into dye for the cloth. Rock Nuts are for eating too, but now that I think about it, they must not be mushrooms; they have leaves! But you still have to grow them underground.

You can plant them underground on dirt, sand, or soil, or you can plant them on rock if you first cover the rock with at least 1/7 water. Once the water evaporates the area will be muddy and you can plant.

[BlackSmokeDMax]

Originally posted by db48x:

Originally posted by BlackSmokeDMax:

100 seeds of what? The base seeds you embark with can NOT be grown outside, they must be grown underground.

More specifically, at embark time you can select seeds for a number of different types of mushrooms, all of which have to be grown underground. Plump Helmets are for eating, Pig Tails can be spun into cloth, Dimple Cups can be ground into dye for the cloth. Rock Nuts are for eating too, but now that I think about it, they must not be mushrooms; they have leaves! But you still have to grow them underground.

You can plant them underground on dirt, sand, or soil, or you can plant them on rock if you first cover the rock with at least 1/7 water. Once the water evaporates the area will be muddy and you can plant.

Blasphemy!! Plump Helmets are for making BOOZE!

Joking aside, good idea to point all that out for the OP.

[Calanor]

Many plants will not grow in mountainous terrain. If you've settled in an area with several different biomes, you might have more luck elsewhere on the local map. Also, as BlackSmokeDMax pointed out, if you launch the game with "Play Now" you won't start with seeds for outdoor plants.

[CoolNitro]

You can make plant able soil on stone using the very old school method of dropping water into the room via pit/pond.

[BlackSmokeDMax]

Originally posted by Calanor:

Many plants will not grow in mountainous terrain. If you've settled in an area with several different biomes, you might have more luck elsewhere on the local map. Also, as BlackSmokeDMax pointed out, if you launch the game with "Play Now" you won't start with seeds for outdoor plants.

I think a good rule of thumb for outdoor plants is that if you don't find them growing wild, don't plan on planting them. Not sure if that is completely true, but it is something to start with.

[Xcorps]

To set up a quick permanent sustainable farm you need plump helmet seeds. Check your inventory for plump helmets and plump helmet seeds. If you have seeds but no plump helmets, you're ok but you need to not mess about. If you have plump helmets but no seeds you're still ok, you just have to do some brewing and let your dwarves eat them, they will save the seeds. Make a stockpile for your plump helmet seeds (only) and turn off plump helmet seeds in any other stockpile. Make the same setup for plump helmets.

Dig into the mountain about 10x3 tiles with a 10x10 room at the end. Have your dwarves get some buckets and pour some water on the floor of the cave.. (unless the cave floor is dirt, sand, clay, loam,) Make enough mud so you have 10 tiles of mud, then turn that into farmland. After it's farmland, plant the plump helmet seeds. Now build a still near the plump helmet stockile. Create a stockpile for dwarven wine next to the still. Turn off dwarven wine in any other stockpile. Build a workshop. Cut wood. Build logs. Build two tables. Build two chairs. Construct the tables. Construct the chairs. Create a dining room. Set a work order "Brew Drink from plant" 10.
Get more barrels. Pay attention to your stock. Build a craftshop. Make stone crafts. Place a trade depot. Expand the farm to a total of 25 tiles, 5x5 is the simplest layout. Make some barrels. Chop more wood. Make a bigger room with dedicated stockpiles for trade goods. Monitor your stocks. Start looking for other food sources.

If you don't plump helmet seeds use the gather fruit activity. If there is no fruit start over on a more friendly embark. Make sure if you embark again that you take plump helmets and seeds.

[siskavard]

There's no soil inside of my base, so how do I make the dwarves pour water on the stone floor?

[BlackSmokeDMax]

Originally posted by siskavard:

There's no soil inside of my base, so how do I make the dwarves pour water on the stone floor?

You can either make a path and drain a small pond into that room, allow some aquifer water to reach it (a bit more dangerous), or cut a hole above your farming room, and pour buckets in from a zone surround that open channel to the room below.

You do need to make sure not to overfill it, as once it gets at I think 4/7, or higher, in depth it will no longer evaporate.

[siskavard]

Originally posted by BlackSmokeDMax:

Originally posted by siskavard:

There's no soil inside of my base, so how do I make the dwarves pour water on the stone floor?

You can either make a path and drain a small pond into that room, allow some aquifer water to reach it (a bit more dangerous), or cut a hole above your farming room, and pour buckets in from a zone surround that open channel to the room below.

You do need to make sure not to overfill it, as once it gets above I think 4/7 in depth it will no longer evaporate.

Ok but what is the specific thing I need to click on to make the dwarves carry a bucket of water and dump it out in a specific spot?

[db48x]

You need to make a “Pit/Pond” zone. Dwarves will pull buckets of water from wells or water source zones and carry them to your new pond and dump them in. The water will fall down the hole and spread out to cover your new farm area. Once there is enough water that everything is covered with 1/7 water, you can delete the pond zone.

Edit: though we should double–check the name. I haven’t done this yet in the Steam version, and the zones might have been renamed.