A Simple Farm Setup and Rotation for Beginners.

This guide is how I set up my farms and still do it this way after 3 years.

It feeds both your citizens and your livestock without running out of food for either and using simple rotations for optimum nutrients.

As your city grows then just repeat these setups starting with 1 farm. You will no doubt find some ideas as you learn along the way, but the import thing in the beginning is to get a good idea of how the farms and crops work and to get that first years crop in to entice the new comers.

I hope this helps those of you trying to understand the process, remembering this is basic farming and more depth guides on farming are also posted in this guide tab, so check them out also.

Basic Farming Setup

I build the farm BEFORE houses, pause game and set fields up. Employ only women and set a female manager. Builders then go onto houses etc. Should get all done before winter.

I only ever have 4 fields per farm. This way rotations work well with a fallow field (for cows) each season. Add farms as citizens increase. I build 1 cowshed per farm and allow use of fallow field.

Don't worry if field 2 and 3 don't get fully harvested 1st year.. doesn't matter as not really needed.

This setup allows for market stall from first year harvest to attract new citizens.

As farms grow everything is sown each year.

After including animal I set all farm food eating animals to buckwheat 400, wheat 100, no sunflower (unless needed) Sunflower is only for oil and trade.

Citizens only get potatoes from harvests after animals are introduced.

Wheat is predominantly used for flour and small trade.

1st FARM Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4

Field 1 Potato Fallow Wheat B'wheat

Field 2 B'wheat Potato Fallow Wheat

Field 3 Wheat B'wheat Potato Fallow

Field 4 Fallow Wheat B'wheat Potato


2nd FARM Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4

Field 1 Sunflower Fallow Hemp

Field 2 Hemp Sunflower Fallow

Field 3 Fallow Hemp Sunflower

Field 4 Wheat Buckwheat Fallow Hemp

3rd FARM As Farm 1

4th FARM As Farm 2

5th FARM As Farm 1

Note: I haven't fully formatted the fields, but hope to do this at a later date.

[Jemor]

You'll probably have to play another year and check your fields. I can't tell you what happened as not enough information. I do know the layout works as you can see many others have used it, however in saying that I have not played Ostriv for some time now so not sure if game has changed.
Maybe ask about it in general discussions and I'm sure someone will be able to help you.

[fredingue]

hello, i tried this on a new map. Year 1723, field 3 turned unfertile. I can't remember if i had cows on last fallow.

[Jemor]

I always use maximum, but you can use what ever you like. 9 women can deal with 3 max fields per season without any delays..anything left at end of Dec is lost, but not a big deal in early game...plenty to go around and if you have men to help it eases the burden. :-)

[Jemor]

Urs I think Trim covered this for you in the general area, so I won't confuse you any further. Glad you found my very basic farm setup. I can always be changed, as mentioned, but you will also have a chance to learn how it works from here.

Trim also has a great guide on this and is worth looking at.

[urs.boe]

Jemor can you help me to get my first animals into the cowshed? And how do I open your thread? Sorry, I am a very old beginner.

[cowboyjeeper]

Best food output in the game is actually

potato, buckwheat, potato, buckwheat, wheat, fallow

This will give you massive amounts of buckwheat and potatoes. The buckwheat is pretty easy to use up by setting all your chicken coops and livestock to eat only buckwheat!

The above rotation REQUIRES you to use plows otherwise your fields will go infertile.

I also use

wheat, hemp, wheat, buckwheat

and

sunflower, buckwheat

I find combinations of these are the best to maximize your output

[Jemor]

You're welcome!
It's a starting plan and after learning further you can always change it to how you want it to work for you.

[LittleTofoo]

Very helpful, thank you :)

[Jemor]

Usually the men are all employed already in building etc. If not make more builders before employing a manager and a woman will naturally take the job. If not you have to sack and employ constantly for a little while til you get a woman. Turn women only on for workers also. They are needed for thrashing on harvest.

[Grape Alchemist]

How to set a female manager? I do not have an option?