Farming

This article may contain outdated information that is inaccurate for the current version (Alpha 21.2). It was last updated for version (Alpha 19.3).

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Description

Farming is the process of planting, growing, and harvesting the various Trees and Plants found in 7 Days to Die. This process allows the player to set up a farm and sustain the production of certain foods, items, and resources.

Journal Entry

Use your fists or any tool to harvest crops. After you have bought the required level in the Living off the Land perk or found a schematic you can craft seeds from harvested crops. Craft Farm Plots and plant seeds on Farm Plots using the secondary action and increase your harvesting yield through buying more levels of the perk.

Farming Basics

Preparation

Tree seeds can be obtained by fully-harvesting (felling) a mature tree. Planting tree seeds requires only the appropriate seed and an open area of land.

Crop seeds can be found via Looting or for purchase from Traders. You can craft seeds for flowers at Level 1 of Living Off The Land (Perk), berry & vegetable & mutated seeds after unlocking Level 2.

Crop seeds can only be planted in a Farm Plot.

Lighting

Plants (with the exception of Mushrooms) also require natural light so that they can grow. This means that plants need to be outside, or have some method of receiving natural light. A chimney will work.

Various types of blocks will let light through. This is defined by either the shape of the block, or the material it is made from, or a specific value that is specified. The light levels have a range of 0 to 15, 0 being completely dark and 15 having access to full sunlight. A block with a light opacity of 1 will reduce the amount of light that the blocks below it receive by 1 (assuming it is the only source of light, as in a tunnel to underground). So Bulletproof Glass will reduce the light below it from 15 to 13, still plenty of light to grow plants.

The amount of light that a block receives will also reduce by 1 with the vertical distance from a light source. A block that is over six meters from a natural light source will not receive any light.

Growth Cycle

Trees will initially appear as small saplings, which only yield minimal Grass when harvested. Trees slowly grow and mature in stages until a maximum size is reached (determined by the soil type in which the tree was planted^[?]).

Plants initially appear as seedlings and slowly mature over time. Inspecting a plant by aiming your crosshairs at it will display its growth stage: seedling, growing, or (type) plant. Only fully-grown plants can be harvested. If a seedling or growing plant is harvested, the seed for that plant is recovered in your inventory.

Harvesting

Trees are harvested for wood via chopping. This can be done with bare hands if necessary, but is more efficient using tools (Axe). A mature tree that is fully harvested will also provide 2 tree seeds once felled.

Plants are harvested by left-clicking any mature plant. Harvest yield is equal when using bare hands vs. any tool, and is only determined by the Living Off The Land (Perk). Once a player-placed plant is harvested, it reverts back to its seedling stage in its plot. Plants found growing organically on the map are simply destroyed upon harvest. If a seedling or growing plant is harvested, the seed for that plant is recovered in your inventory.

Seeds

Plants

Harvest yields are determined by the Living Off The Land perk, varying between 1-3 units per plant harvest based on your Living Off The Land level.

Plant	Crafting Required?	Produces	Growth time (Realtime min)	Unit Yield per Harvest based on Living Off The Land (Perk)
				Level 0	Level 1 & 2	Level 3
Aloe Plant	yes	Aloe Seed	120	1	2	3
Blueberry Plant	yes	Blueberry Seed	120	1	2	3
Chrysanthemum Plant	yes	Chrysanthemum Seed	120	1	2	3
Coffee Plant	yes	Coffee Seed	120	1	2	3
Corn Plant	yes	Corn Seed	180	1	2	3
Cotton Plant	yes	Cotton Seed	120	1	2	3
Goldenrod Plant	yes	Goldenrod Seed	120	1	2	3
Hop Plant	yes	Hop Seed	120	1	2	3
Mushroom	yes	Mushroom Spores	180	1	2	3
Pumpkin Plant	yes	Pumpkin Seed	120	1	2	3
Potato Plant	yes	Potato Seed	120	1	2	3
Yucca Plant	yes	Yucca Seed	120	1	2	3

Trees

Wood yields vary based on the size of the tree. Below are yields for felling fully-mature trees (i.e trees with 1200 durability when felling them). Trees can be planted on any soil based ground (No Farm Plot required) and yield 150 wood per tree regardless of tool used. The wood yield is effected by Mother Lode. Trees will always yield 2 tree seeds.

Plant	Crafting Required	Seed Type	Growth Time (Realtime min)
Blue Spruce Tree	None	Blue Spruce Seeds	120
Pine Tree	None	Pine Seeds	120
Oak Tree	None	Oak Seeds	120

Crops

• Blueberries grant minimal Fullness and are best used in Blueberry Pie. They are easily found growing in the Snow Biome as early-game food for players willing to dare enter. They can also crafted into seeds for farming later. Note: Blueberry plants grow bright green and are far more scarce than the frost-colored Snowberry Plant.
• An Ear of Corn can be cooked into a Corn on the Cob and is a very useful early game food. It can also be used to make Corn Meal as well as being an ingredient for Meat and Vegetable Stews. Corn Meal in turn is used to cook:

• Blueberry Pie
• Corn Bread
• Grain Alcohol (used to make First Aid Kit, Recog, Grandpa's Moonshine)
• Pumpkin Pie
• Pumpkin Cheesecake
• Pumpkin Bread
• Fish Tacos
• Plaster Cast
• Grandpa's Moonshine

• Potato is best used in stew, but can be eaten raw or grilled using a Cooking Grill to produce a Baked Potato.
• Coffee Beans can be used to brew Coffee, which when consumed will give the player the positive effect Caffeine Buzz.
• Cotton Plant can be used to craft Cloth Fragments or Cotton Seeds.

Notes

• After harvesting a plant, a fresh seed will be automatically planted in place of the adult plant at no cost to the player. This seed can then be picked up by harvesting it with any item meaning that player made plants are a permanent food source so long as zombies do not break the farm plot the crop sits on.

History

• In older version living off the land had 5 levels with the 5th unlocking mutated plant seeds
• Before Alpha 18 crops could be planted on normal soil not just farm plots.
• As of A18, tilling soil and the use of hoes has been discontinued.

Video Tutorial

(Alpha 18) Farming using the new Farm Plot.

(Alpha 16) The video guides you through how to farm trees and crops, the effect of tilling and fertilizing the soil, and basics of underground farming and light. It also touches on the different crops and what they are used for.

Images

Farm ready to harvest

Fertilized and freshly planted garden