* Completing [[My Arm's Big Adventure]] and [[Making Friends with My Arm]] unlocks special herb patches that are immune to disease, although herb yields may still be increased by treating the patches with super/ultracompost.
* With completion of the [[Kourend & Kebos Diary#Easy|Easy Kourend & Kebos Diary]], the Hosidius allotment, herb, and flower patches will no longer become diseased.
* With the elite tier of the [[Falador Diary]] complete, the tree patch in [[Falador Park]] will no longer become diseased.
===Compost===
[[File:Ultracompost detail.png|right|90px]]
Besides reducing the chance of a farming patch becoming [[Disease (Farming)|diseased]], [[compost]], [[supercompost]] and [[ultracompost]] also increase the minimum yield and maximum number of harvests received from [[allotment]]s, [[hops]] and [[herb]]s.{{CiteTwitter|author=Mod Ash|url=https://twitter.com/JagexAsh/status/1088561370432487424|date=24 January 2019|archiveurl=https://archive.is/nNpNA|archivedate=28 May 2020|quote=[Flower/berry/cactus patches] don't depend on the compost state. Allotments, hops and herbs do.}} This also applies to [[giant seaweed]] patches [[underwater]]{{CiteTwitter|author=Mod Ash|url=https://twitter.com/JagexAsh/status/1019207794350845953|date=17 July 2018|archiveurl=https://archive.is/ZcKoV|archivedate=28 May 2020|quote=[Does compost increase giant seaweed yield?] Yeah.}} and [[celastrus bark]] from a fully grown [[celastrus seed]]{{CiteTwitter|author=Mod Ash|url=https://twitter.com/JagexAsh/status/1088630402284224512|date=24 January 2019|archiveurl=https://archive.is/LeHQ1|archivedate=28 May 2020|quote=Yes, celastrus would be helped by composting.}}. It should be noted that this only works for one set of seeds. Once the crops are harvested, another bucket of compost must be applied to the patch in order to receive its effects.
{{see also|Compost_Bin#Mechanics}}
Visit the page linked above for instructions on how to make the different tiers of compost.
==Crop types==
{{Main|Farming/Patch locations}}
Crops and trees can be farmed in allocated farming patches, which can be found in several places. All farming patches are divided into a category, therefore seeds can only be grown in certain patches.
Allotment, flower, and herb patches are often found together as 2 allotment patches, 1 flower patch, 1 herb patch, and a [[compost bin]].
An additional single allotment patch can be found on [[Harmony Island]], which can be accessed after completing [[The Great Brain Robbery]]. Also, additional herb patches can be accessed at [[Trollheim]] after completing [[My Arm's Big Adventure]], in [[Weiss]] after completing [[Making Friends with My Arm]] and building the [[Fire of Nourishment]] and on [[Harmony Island]] after completion of the elite [[Morytania Diary]].
====Allotment====
{{Main|Allotment patch}}
Allotments are used to grow certain fruits and vegetables that are often used in the [[Cooking]] skill. Each allotment crop requires three seeds to be planted in each patch. Players can pay a nearby gardener to protect their crops, but must do so separately for each patch, even if two are available. Having fully-grown flowers of the corresponding type will protect adjacent allotment patches from getting diseased for as long as the flowers are in the patch, as an alternative to paying a gardener to protect the patch.
Fully grown allotment patches can be harvested by clicking on the fully grown crops; harvests are generally between 3 and 56 crops. After a patch has been harvested, it is cleared for re-planting.
====Flower====
{{Main|Flower patch}}
A single flower seed is needed to plant in a flower patch; a fully grown flower protects specific allotment crops depending upon the flower's type. Flower patches cannot be protected by a gardener. Most flowers yield one flower when harvested, clearing the patch. [[Limpwurt seed]]s, at minimum, will yield three limpwurt roots. The yield can increase depending on the player's Farming level.{{CiteNews|author=The Old School Team|url=http://services.runescape.com/m=news/bush-yield-improvements-nordic-soft-launch-and-mobile-changes?oldschool=1|title=Bush Yield Improvements, Nordic Soft Launch and Mobile Changes|newsdate=23 August 2018|accessdate=06:22, August 25, 2018 (UTC)}}
====Herb====
{{Main|Herb patch}}
A herb seed can be planted in a herb patch; as certain herb types are expensive, growing herbs with a high Farming level can be lucrative. Herb patches cannot be protected by a gardener. The herb patches at Trollheim and Weiss never become diseased, and the Hosidius patches are also protected if the player has completed the [[Kourend & Kebos Diary#Easy|Easy Kourend & Kebos Diary]]. Harvests generally range between 3 and 18 grimy herbs. Using [[ultracompost]], [[Farming cape]] and [[magic secateurs]], a player will gain an average of 9.5 grimy herbs when harvesting a herb patch.
===Hops===
{{HasStrategy|page=Crop_running#Hop_run}}
{{Main|Hops patch}}
There are four [[hops]] patches: north of [[Lumbridge]], north of [[McGrubor's Wood]], in [[Yanille]] and on [[Entrana]]. Hops grown here can be used with the [[Cooking]] skill for [[brewing]]. Four hop seeds, or three [[jute seed]]s, are needed to plant in each hops patch. Harvests generally vary between 3 and 46 hops. After a hops patch has been harvested it will be cleared for re-planting.
===Bushes===
{{HasStrategy|page=Crop_running#Bush_run}}
{{Main|Bush patch}}
There are five bush patches: west of the [[Champions' Guild]], [[Rimmington]], south of [[Ardougne]], south-west of [[Etceteria]] and in the [[Farming Guild]]. A player can check the health of and then harvest berries from fully grown bushes. This is done by hand and yields a minimum of four berries, with any extra berries depending on the player's Farming level. Unless a bush is dug up, it will continue to regrow berries over time.
===Trees===
{{HasStrategy|page=Crop_running#Tree_run}}
{{Main|Tree patch}}
There are six tree patches: at [[Lumbridge]], [[Varrock Castle]], [[Falador Park]], [[Taverley]], the [[Gnome Stronghold]] and [[Farming Guild]]. Players can grow trees by using a seed on a [[plant pot]] filled with soil to create a [[seedling]]. The seedling then needs to be watered. After a few minutes the seedling will turn into a [[sapling]], which can then be planted in a tree patch.
A fully grown tree acts similarly to the trees that are used in the [[Woodcutting]] skill. After checking a tree's health, players can cut it down using an [[axe]] to receive logs. As with non-player grown trees, there is a chance of a farmed tree dropping [[bird nest]]s. Once a tree is cut down it will leave a tree stump, which can be left to respawn or dug up to gain tree roots and to clear the patch. Players who do not wish to cut down and dig up a tree can use the right-click "pay" option on the tree to instantly remove it. Gardeners can instantly remove a tree for a fee of {{coins|200}}.
There are six fruit tree patches: at [[Gnome Stronghold]], east of [[Catherby]], west of [[Tree Gnome Village (location)|Tree Gnome Village]], [[Brimhaven]], [[Lletya]] and [[Farming Guild]]. Players can grow fruit trees by using a seed on a [[plant pot]] filled with soil to create a [[seedling]]. The seedling then needs to be watered. After a few minutes the seedling will turn into a [[sapling]], which can then be planted in a fruit tree patch.
Once a fruit tree is fully grown the player may check its health and harvest it to receive 6 fruit. A fruit tree will continue to grow fruit over time, unless it is cut down and its stump dug up, with a new fruit regenerating every 45 minutes. Gardeners can instantly remove a fruit tree for a fee of {{coins|200}}.
===Special patches===
{{Main|Special patches}}
Some plants may only be grown in their specific patches. See the main article for more information on these plants and patches.
==Farming Guild==
{{Main|Farming Guild}}
The [[Farming Guild]] is a [[members]]-only guild located within the [[Kebos Lowlands]] just north of the [[Kebos Swamp]]. The guild is a large greenhouse separated into three tiers, with each tier requiring an increasing Farming level to enter ([[Temporary skill boost|boosts]] may be used for all tiers). Entering the guild requires a minimum Farming level of 45, the Intermediate tier requires level 65, and the Advanced tier requires level 85.
===Farming contracts===
[[File:Seed_pack_detail.png|right|100px]]
Because the guild needs to rotate the crops they're growing to stop the soil from tiring due to a lack of nutrients, [[Guildmaster Jane]] can assign [[farming contracts]] that require the player to grow certain crops within the Farming Guild. Players who complete them are awarded with [[seed pack]]s, which contain an assortment of seeds and can include [[Hespori seed|Hespori]], [[Celastrus seed|Celastrus]], and [[Redwood tree seed|redwood seeds]].
There are three tiers of contracts available, with each tier being restricted based on their Farming level and their level of access within the Farming Guild. Boosts may be used to accept a farming contract you are below the level requirement for.
===Hespori patch===
[[File:Hespori fully grown.png|thumb|250px|A fully grown Hespori plant, ready to fight.]]
The Hespori patch, accessible via the cave entrance, is a patch where players with 65 Farming can plant [[Hespori seed]]s. These are randomly obtained when harvesting plants throughout Gielinor or rewarded from farming contracts. The Hespori plant cannot become diseased, and therefore does not need to be watered, composted, or protected by a farmer.
Once the patch has fully grown, which is indicated by the flower behind the cave sprouting open or by going into the cave and checking, the [[Hespori]] can be fought as a solo [[demi-boss]]. Killing the Hespori boss grants Farming experience and seeds, including the unique [[White lily seed|white lily]] and [[anima seed]]s. It can also drop the [[bottomless compost bucket]], which can hold up to 10,000 compost of any kind and doubles any compost added to it. In addition, it has a chance to give the [[Tangleroot]] pet.
The Hespori fight is [[instanced]] but has an item reclaim service that works identically to other grave systems like the [[Grotesque Guardians]], [[Zulrah]], and [[Vorkath]]. If the player dies during the Hespori fight, [[Arno]] will collect and return their items for a fee of 25,000 [[coins]], but if they die in any dangerous area before doing so, any unclaimed items will be permanently lost.
==Barbarian Farming==
{{Main|Barbarian Training#Barbarian Farming}}[[Barbarian Training]] is a [[miniquest]] that allows players to expand their barbarian skills in the Farming skill. Completion of Barbarian Farming allows players to plant [[seed]]s without a [[seed dibber]] and automatically destroy [[empty plant pot]]s when planting [[tree patch|trees]].
==Tithe Farm==
{{Main|Tithe Farm}}
'''Tithe Farm''' is a Farming based [[minigame]] that is located in [[Hosidius]]. The minigame revolves around intensively planting special seeds into farming patches, tending them until harvest, and depositing the produce into sacks in order to earn points. Players can speak to [[Farmer Gricoller]] for information on how to play.
===Requirements===
Three types of seeds can be found on the table near Farmer Gricoller, each requiring a specific Farming level. Players can only take one type of seed, and boosts '''can''' be used, but boosted levels must be maintained when planting seeds. When trying to enter without seeds, Farmer Gricoller will stop you.
*[[Golovanova seed]]s ({{SCP|Farming|34}})
*[[Bologano seed]]s ({{SCP|Farming|54}})
*[[Logavano seed]]s ({{SCP|Farming|74}})
Players will also need a [[spade]], a [[seed dibber]] and a [[watering can]] (6 to 8 watering cans are recommended).
===Rewards===
After harvesting the plants, players should deposit the harvest into the sacks found nearby. Depositing harvests will reward players with points and Farming experience.
{| class="wikitable align-center-1"
! colspan="2" |Rewards
!Points<br/>required
!Notes
|-
|{{plinkp|Compost}}
|[[Compost]]
|1
| rowspan="2" |Reduces chance of crops becoming diseased while growing throughout the plant cycle and increasing the minimum and maximum number of crops received upon harvest. The supercompost version is more potent.
|-
|{{plinkp|Supercompost}}
|[[Supercompost]]
|5
|-
|{{plinkp|Grape seed 5}}
|[[Grape seed]]
|2
|A tradeable seed that can be planted in the [[Vinery]] to harvest [[grapes]].
|-
|{{plinkp|Bologa's blessing}}
|[[Bologa's blessing]]
|1
|Converts 1 [[grapes]] into 1 [[Zamorak's grapes]] per scroll when harvesting them from the [[Vinery]]. Purchasing this requires level 50 Prayer and a one-time payment to [[Bologa]] for 75,000 coins while wearing an item affiliated with [[Zamorak]].
|[[Farmer's strawhat]]<ref group=a name=gender>Both gender's sets can be obtained at the same time, however, upon using the [[make-over mage]] to change genders, your farming outfit will convert to the gender you currently are when you try to equip it.</ref>
|75
|A piece of the [[farmer's outfit]]. Appearance differs between genders.
|A piece of the [[farmer's outfit]]. Appearance slightly differs between genders.
|-
|{{plinkp|Gricoller's can}}
|[[Gricoller's can]]
|200
|Acts as a [[watering can]] but holds 1,000 doses of water. This effectively lasts 333 plants which is 3 full games of tithe farm before it needs refilling. Filled by using it on a water source.
|-
|{{plinkp|Seed box}}
|[[Seed box]]
|250
|Stores any amount of six types of seeds.
|-
|{{Plinkp|Herb_sack}}
|[[Herb sack]]
|250
|Stores 30 of each type of grimy herb.
|-
|{{plinkp|Weeds}}
|Auto-weed
|50
|When enabled, weeds no longer grow in your Farming patches. This doesn't remove weeds that have already grown there, but it stops them from growing back.<br/>Once purchased, the ability can be turned on and off freely.<br/>Note: This doesn't affect farming patches involved in [[Managing Miscellania]].
|}
{{Reflist|group=a}}
==Mechanics==
===Growth timing===
Crops do not grow continuously; each plant has a discrete set of growth stages, advancing to the next at periodic times called '''growth ticks'''.{{CiteNews|author=The Old School Team|url=https://secure.runescape.com/m=news/farming-timer-rework--skilling-qol?oldschool=1|title=Farming Timer Rework & Skilling QoL|newsdate=15 February 2018|archiveurl=https://archive.is/SPmUw|archivedate=28 May 2020|quote=Before describing the new system, it's worth taking a moment to say what a growth tick actually is. Imagine the game has clocks that tick every 5 minutes, every 10 minutes, every 20 minutes, every 40 minutes, and so on.}} The frequency of growth occurring is determined by the type of seed, e.g. a spirit tree's growth stages last 320 minutes. In comparison, hops' growth stages last 10 minutes. The shortest is 5 minutes, which includes flowers, weeds growing and tree seedlings growing into saplings. For a full list of growth stage durations and the number of stages for each type of crop, see [[Seeds]]. The [[Kronos seed|Kronos]] plant provides a chance for farming patches (excluding itself) to skip a growth stage during their next growth cycle; this chance is shared between all farming patches of that growth cycle.
The pattern of growth ticks is shown in the table below. However, there is an offset of up to 30 minutes which is '''different per player''', and persists through logins.{{CiteTwitter|author=Mod Ash|url=https://twitter.com/JagexAsh/status/1112039756764983296|date=30 March 2019|archiveurl=https://archive.is/RzheL|archivedate=28 May 2020|quote=It persists through logins, and does not re-randomise.}} To determine this offset, note the time when a slow crop grows, and compare with the next time listed. Then apply the difference to every time in the table. This offset is always negative, causing growth ticks to occur up to 30 minutes prior to the times listed here.{{CiteTwitter|author=Mod Ash|url=https://twitter.com/JagexAsh/status/1592825645901709313|date=16 November 2022|archiveurl=https://archive.is/8bqFS|archivedate=4 April 2022|quote=The offset still applies, though it ranges from 0 - 31 rather than -15 - +15.}} For example, if a mahogany tree grows at 10:28 AM on Day 1, subtract 12 minutes from each time listed.
{| class="wikitable"
!Cycle length
!Main crops
!Base growth times (GMT, 12-hour)
!Base growth times (GMT, 24-hour)
|-
|5 minutes
|Flowers, Saplings
|colspan="2"|All times ending in :00, :05, :10, :15, :20, :25, :30, :35, :40, :45, :50, :55
|-
|10 minutes
|Allotments, Hops, Potato cactus, Seaweed
|colspan="2"|All times ending in :00, :10, :20, :30, :40, :50
In the table above, {{#time: l j F Y}} is Day {{#expr:floor({{#time:U}} / 86400) mod 4 + 1}}. ''Note: this is usually today, but does not update immediately when the date changes: {{purge|Click here to clear the cache and force an update|tag=span}} in case.''
The time for a newly-planted seed to grow to the second stage is typically less than the full time between growth ticks. For example, herb seeds grow every 20 minutes. Suppose a player with zero offset plants a seed at 6:35. A growth tick for herbs will occur at 6:40, and the herbs then grow to the second stage, having spent five minutes in the first growth stage instead of the stated 20.
The following is a schematic representation of the growth ticks. The green bars represent the times when plants will grow. Each time a plant grows, all plants with shorter growth stages will also grow, so there is a time every 640 minutes when all plants grow simultaneously.
[[Herb patch|Herbs]], [[Allotment patch|allotments]], [[Hops patch|hops]], [[Bush patch|bushes]], [[belladonna]], [[Special patches#Cactus patches|cacti]], [[Limpwurt plant|limpwurt]], [[Celastrus tree|celastrus]], and [[Seaweed (Farming)|giant seaweed]] all produce varying amounts of items when you harvest them.
For herbs, allotments, hops, and giant seaweed, the mechanism to determine how many items can be harvested is based on "harvest lives". A fully-grown patch initially has three lives, with additional lives when compost is used (one additional life for regular [[compost]], two for [[supercompost]], and three for [[ultracompost]]).{{CiteTwitter|author=Mod Ash|url=https://twitter.com/JagexAsh/status/1035091924099772417|date=30 August 2018|archiveurl=https://archive.ph/HIz8O|archivedate=31 March 2023|quote=For any patch that works that way, including herbs, you start with 3. Standard compost makes it 4, super compost makes it 5, ultra compost makes it 6.}} Each time a crop is harvested, there is a chance of one of these lives being used, continuing until there are no more harvest lives and the patch becomes empty. The chance of a harvest life being saved is determined and can be increased in various ways:
* Farming level and crop type: This determines the base chance to save a harvest life and is a function of both Farming level and what is being planted.{{CiteReddit|author=Mod Kieren|url=https://www.reddit.com/r/2007scape/comments/3x8o8t/mod_archie_really_needs_to_stop_paraphrasing/cy2gwmv/|title=Mod archie really needs to stop paraphrasing questions wrong.|quote=[I]f you're 99 farming, your average yield from guam and torstol will be exactly the same. However it is not the same at all levels... Let's say you are level 50 farming, and have an irit plant ready to harvest and a guam plant. The chances come in with whether you lose a life or not each pick of a herb. Your base chance of not losing a life when picking a guam would be roughly 53/255. Your base chance of not losing a life when picking an irit would be roughly 63/255. These chances scale depending on your level, but all peak at the same probability at level 99. These chances are what are affected by diary rewards / secateurs etc.|date=17 December 2015|archiveurl=https://archive.ph/e6SHW|archivedate=06 September 2021}}{{CiteTwitter|author=Mod Easty|url=https://twitter.com/JagexEasty/status/1111548773354881026|date=29 March 2019|archiveurl=https://archive.is/UJVVE|archivedate=20 December 2019|quote=Yep that looks correct to me, including your calculation of the magic secateur boost.|notes=In response to the question: "Hey..., just wondering whether these Chance to Save Values for Herbs look right to you? :)"|name=ChancetoSave}} Generally speaking, the higher your Farming level, the higher the base chance to save. Additionally, the higher the Farming level requirement of the crop, the higher the base chance to save, with the caveat that this effect decreases with Farming level, converging to equal chances for all crops at level 99. Boosts above level 99 only affect the yield of limpwurt plants and belladonna.{{CiteTwitter|author=Mod Ash|url=https://twitter.com/JagexAsh/status/1315965010309414916|date=13 October 2020|archiveurl=https://archive.is/k0VbL|archivedate=31 January 2022|notes=Player: "Need clarity on this: harvesting limpwurts is a base of 3 + scaling +1 for each 10 levels, 90-99 being +9, does boosting to 100+ then result in +10?" Mod Ash: "It's picking a random number between 0 and (stat - 1) inclusive. So if you boost to 101, it has a small chance to roll 100, which would give the +10. (in addition to the base of 3)" Player: "Thanks, are there any other farming patches/crops that are affected by boosts above 100?" Mod Ash: "Belladonna has something similar."}}
* Wielding [[magic secateurs]] or having magic secateurs in your inventory while harvesting: *1.10
* Wearing the [[Farming cape]] while harvesting: *1.05 (herb patches only, additive with secateurs bonus for a 1.15 total multiplier)
* Completing the [[Kandarin Diary]]: +10 Medium, +17 Hard, +25 Elite ([[Catherby]] herb patch only)
* Completing the [[Kourend & Kebos Diary]]: +10 Hard ([[Hosidius#Farming patches|Hosidius]] and [[Farming Guild]] herb patches only)
* Having an [[attas seed]] planted: *1.05
The unboosted chance to save a harvest life is given by
<math>\text{Chance to save (unboosted)} = \frac{\left\lfloor \frac{\text{CTS}_{\text{low}} (99-F)}{98} \right\rfloor + \left\lfloor \frac{\text{CTS}_{\text{high}} (F-1)}{98} \right\rfloor +1}{256} </math>
where <math>F</math> is the player's Farming level, <math>\text{CTS}_{\text{low}}</math> is the base chance for saving a life of the specific crop at level 1 Farming, and <math>\text{CTS}_{\text{high}}</math> is the base chance for saving a life of the specific crop at level 99 Farming. While <math>\text{CTS}_{\text{low}}</math> and <math>\text{CTS}_{\text{high}}</math> are fixed constants for each specific crop, it is generally true that <math>\text{CTS}_{\text{high}}</math> is the same across crop types; for instance, <math>\text{CTS}_{\text{high}} = 80 </math> for all herbs.
Boosts, such as the [[magic secateurs]], improve the chance to save by increasing the constants <math>\text{CTS}_{\text{low}}</math> and <math>\text{CTS}_{\text{high}}</math>. The three classes of boosts improve these constants as follows:
* <math>\text{ItemBonus}</math> is 0.1 with {{plink|magic secateurs}}, 0.05 with {{plink|Farming cape|txt=Farming}} or {{plink|max cape}}s, for a total with 0.15 with both;
* <math>\text{DiaryBonus}</math> is 10, 17, and 25 for the Catherby [[herb]] patch following completion of the medium, hard, and elite [[Kandarin Diary]] respectively, and is 10 for the Farming Guild and Hosidius herb patches following completion of the hard [[Kourend & Kebos Diary]];
* <math>\text{AttasBonus}</math> is 0.05 if the player is currently growing an [[attas plant]] in their [[Farming Guild#Anima patch|anima patch]].
The three bonuses are 0 by default. The improved <math>\text{CTS}_{\text{low/high}}</math> values are then given by{{CiteTwitter|author=Mod Ash|url=https://twitter.com/JagexAsh/status/956892754096869376|date=26 January 2018|archiveurl=https://archive.is/SBWfs|archivedate=28 May 2020|quote=For herbs, the percentages are added for the secateurs and cape, then applied, then the Kandarin effect is multplied on afterwards.|notes=In response to the question: "Do the farming yield percentage bonuses from magic secateurs, farming cape, and kandarin diary stack additively or multiplicatively?"}}
so that the chance to save a harvest life for a given crop, accounting for boosts, is
<math>\text{Chance to save (boosted)} = \frac{\left\lfloor \frac{\overline{\text{CTS}}_{\text{low}} (99-F)}{98} \right\rfloor + \left\lfloor \frac{\overline{\text{CTS}}_{\text{high}} (F-1)}{98} \right\rfloor +1}{256}.</math>
The absolute minimum number of crops harvested is equal to the number of lives the player started with (for example, six with ultracompost), but there is no theoretical upper limit on the size of a harvest. Large harvests, however, are rarer; as the number of harvests which preserve a life follows the {{wp|negative binomial distribution}} <math>\mathrm{NB}(r=\text{Harvest Lives}, p=\text{Chance to not save})</math>, the expected yield is
<math> r + \frac{r(1-p)}{p} = \frac{\text{Harvest Lives}}{1 - \text{Chance to save}} </math>.
===Average yield per crop type===
{{Incomplete|Ranges need to be recalculated based on known CTS values.}}
These averages depend on knowing the chance of a harvest life being saved, which is unknown for the majority of variable yield crops other than herbs, but can be estimated after numerous harvests.
The following estimates are based off of experimental findings (unless cited with exact numbers), and presuppose the use of both the magic secateurs and the Farming cape at 99 Farming with ultracompost:
* Herbs give an average of 9 [[herb]]s per patch.{{NamedRef|ChancetoSave}}
* Allotments give an average of 40–50 produce per patch.
* Bushes give an average of 15–20 berries per patch.
* Hops give an average of 30–40 hops per patch.
* Belladonna give an average of 8 [[cave nightshade]] per patch.
* [[Cactus (Farming)|Cacti]] give an average of 10 [[Cactus spine|spines]] per patch.<ref>{{PlainCiteNews|url=https://secure.runescape.com/m=news/a=13/game-integrity-pickpocketing?oldschool=1|author=The Old School Team|newsdate=July 12 2018|title=Game Integrity: Pickpocketing}} "Players harvesting Cactus spines will now find that the harvesting works in a similar way to herbs, where the Farming level reduces the chance of using up one of the lives of the patch. At level 55 there is a 75% chance of using one of those lives with each pick, versus a 30% chance at level 99. You'll always receive a minimum of three spines."</ref>
* [[Potato cactus (plant)|Potato cacti]] give an average of 15–20 [[Potato cactus|potato cacti]] per patch.
* Celastrus trees give an average of 8-10 bark per patch.
* Limpwurts give an average of 8 [[limpwurt root]]s per patch.{{CiteTwitter|url=https://twitter.com/JagexAsh/status/1052268545244053504|author=Mod Ash|date=16 October 2018|archiveurl=https://archive.is/GPV3t|archivedate=28 May 2020|accessdate=5 March 2019|quote=[Do you have the function that says how likely you are to use a "life" from a limpwurt root patch? If not the level 99 and level 1 rates, then what about just level 99, or the expected number at 99?] That one doesn't have the "life" mechanic, does it? I think it just picks a number of roots and gives them to you. That's 3 + a random number. For levels 90-99 the max random number is 8. For levels 80-89 the max random number is 7, etc. Boosts are accepted.|notes='''Note:''' The numbers in the citation appear to be off by one, and they were later corrected within the thread. With an attas seed planted, it is possible to obtain 13 limpwurt roots, hence higher average.}}
* Seaweed give an average of 33 [[giant seaweed]] per patch.{{CiteTwitter|url=https://twitter.com/JagexAsh/status/1050735300119617536|author=Mod Ash|date=12 October 2018|archiveurl=https://archive.is/ifgEO|archivedate=28 May 2020|accessdate=25 October 2018|quote=3 [lives] as standard. Add 1-3 for the tier of compost you used. The chance scales from 59% - 82% of NOT taking a life when you get an item, as your level goes from 1-99. Secateurs are ignored; they'd be a pain to take there anyway.|notes=In response to the question: "How many "lives" do Giant Seaweed patches have with/without compost? What's the % chance of taking one of these "lives" relative to farming lvl? Do magic secateurs work on seaweed patches?"}}
==Farming pet==
[[File:Tangleroot (follower).png|right|90px]]
{{Main|Tangleroot}}
The [[Tangleroot]] is a skilling [[pet]] that can be obtained when checking the health and harvesting the final crops of any fully grown [[farming patch]]. It can also be obtained while playing the [[Tithe Farm]] [[minigame]], or from killing the [[Hespori]]. The chances of getting it are dependent on the player's Farming level and the produce the player is harvesting.
==Temporary boosts==
{{main|Temporary skill boost}}
{{:Temporary skill boost/Farming}}
*Note that boosts are only needed at the time of planting. You do not need to boost to check the health of a tree/bush or to harvest produce.
|[[Fairytale II - Cure a Queen]]||{{SCP|Farming|49}}|| {{SCP|Thieving|40}}, {{SCP|Herblore|57}}
|-
|[[Song of the Elves]]||{{SCP|Farming|70}}||{{SCP|Agility|70}}, {{SCP|construction|70}}, {{SCP|Herblore|70}}, {{SCP|Hunter|70}}, {{SCP|Mining|70}}, {{SCP|Smithing|70}}, {{SCP|Woodcutting|70}}
|[[Song of the Elves]]||40,000||{{SCP|Farming|70}}||{{SCP|Agility|70}}, {{SCP|Construction|70}}, {{SCP|Herblore|70}}, {{SCP|Hunter|70}}, {{SCP|Mining|70}}, {{SCP|Smithing|70}}, {{SCP|Woodcutting|70}}
|-
!Total
!89,500
!colspan="2"|
|}
===Skill choice===
Upon completing any of the following quests, players may choose to allocate experience to Farming. These rewards usually come in the form of items, such as lamps or books, and are independent of any experience rewards directly received for completing the quest.
{{SkillChoice|Farming}}
==Changes==
{{Subject changes header}}
{{Subject changes
|date = 16 May 2019
|update = Farming Improvements and Rebalancing Existing Content
|change = Inspecting a farming patch will now reveal the growth stage of the plant.
}}
{{Subject changes
|date = 15 February 2018
|update = Farming Timer Rework & Skilling QoL
|change = The timing system for Farming patches' growth cycles was reworked to prevent cycles from being skipped when logging in, logging out, or hopping worlds.
}}
{{Subject changes
|date = 23 February 2017
|update = Shift-Click Drop & QoL
|poll = Quality of Life - Ten Skilling Suggestions
|change = For a cost of 50 Tithe farm points, Farmer Gricoller of the Tithe farm will allow you to permanently rid your farming patches of the burden of weeds. After unlocking this reward, you'll only need to rid your farming patches of weeds once more in order to clear them permanently!
}}
{{Subject changes
|date = 28 April 2016
|update = Calling Pets & Deadman Death
|poll = Old School Content Poll 41: Bank placeholders & Skillcapes
|change = It is now possible to add compost or supercompost to any farming patch during any growth stage of a crop.
}}
{{Subject changes
|date = 22 October 2015
|update = Abyssal Bludgeon Buff
|poll =
|change = Catherby allotment patch data and Taverley tree patch data will now be transmitted from a larger area.
}}
{{Subject changes
|date = 8 October 2015
|update = Smoke Battlestaff Buff
|change = Left-click pruning farming patches now checks for held magic secateurs.
}}
{{Subject changes
|date = 1 October 2015
|update = The Abyssal Sire
|poll =
|change = The information for protecting Krandorian Hops in the Farming skill guide has been corrected.
}}
{{Subject changes
|date = 28 May 2015
|update = Farming & World Switcher Tweaks
|change =
*Every farming patch now has the following left-click options:
**Rake, when they need weeding.
**Clear, when dead or a stump.
**Prune or cure, when diseased.
**Clear on fully grown bushes with no fruit left.
*Corrected the payment for redberry bushes in the Farming skill guide.
}}
{{Subject changes
|date = 18 December 2014
|update = Christmas 2014
|change = Repaired the textures on some diseased farming trees.
}}
{{Subject changes
|date = 27 February 2014
|update = Trident, pouches and roots
|poll = Old School feature poll 16
|change =
*High-level farmers can now get more roots when digging up a tree patch. One extra root is given for every 8 levels above the tree's Farming requirement, up to a total of four. For example, a yew tree has a Farming requirement of 60, so it gives two roots at level 68, three at 76 and four at 84. Stat-boosts are respected.
*When picking fruit from a Farming patch, your character will now automatically continue picking until the patch runs out of fruit or your inventory fills up. This applies to fruit trees, bushes, cacti, mushrooms and calquat trees.
}}
{{Subject changes
|date = 29 August 2013
|update = Patch Notes (29 August 2013)
|change = The in-game skillguide for Farming now shows the requirements for planting two and three spirit trees simultaneously. The messages you get on levelling up that skill have been updated too.
}}
{{Subject changes
|date = 22 August 2013
|update = Patch Notes (22 August 2013)
|poll = Old School feature poll 8
|change = Players can now grow more than one spirit tree at a time. Level 91 Farming will be required for two trees, and level 99 for three.
}}
{{Subject changes
|date = 22 February 2013
|update = Old School RuneScape: Early Access Now Open
|change = This content was included when the ''Old School RuneScape'' servers officially launched.
}}
{{Subject changes footer}}
==Trivia==
*Many farming related items, such as tools and seeds, were added into the game before the skill itself was. These items were given the examine text "Farming skill coming in July!" until the skill released, at which point they were given regular examine texts.
==See also==
* [[Farming/Experience table]], a list of all Farming experience sources
* [[Farming/Level up table]], a list of all requirements and unlockables within the Farming skill
Farming is a skill in which players plant seeds and harvest crops. The crops grown range from vegetables, herbs and hops, to wood-bearing trees, cacti, and mushrooms. The harvested items have a wide variety of uses, and are popular for training Herblore and Cooking. Many players sell their harvest for a significant profit. The plants grown in farming patches are accessible only to the player who grew them.
Planted crops grow according to set timings, continuing even after a player logs out. This makes it possible to gain large amounts of experience from little in-game time, especially when growing high-experience crops such as trees. Players can also gain rapid experience by planning farming runs that maximise the number of plants grown at once.
The first thing any player will do when they begin training this skill is to rake away the weeds from one of the many farming patches found scattered around RuneScape. Once cleared, players have the option of applying compost to the patch, which will decrease the chance of the crop becoming diseased, and will also possibly increase the yield of the crop once it reaches maturity.
A player picking herbs grown from farming.
Compost
Compost can be bought in farming shops, or obtained by placing a total of 15 weeds or various other unwanted vegetables into one of the compost bins. Supercompost, which results in an even higher yield and further lowers chances of disease, is obtained by filling the compost bin with higher level Farming produce such as pineapples, watermelons, calquats, coconuts, and high end herbs. Ultracompost may be made by adding 25 volcanic ashes to a full bin of supercompost or adding two volcanic ashes to a bucket of supercompost. Players can also cast the Fertile Soil spell from the Lunar spellbook at any point during the plant's growth cycle to apply the effects of supercompost.
Obtaining Seeds
Seeds are usually easy to obtain. They can be bought from players and stalls, stolen via Thieving or obtained as drops from an enormous variety of monsters. Any lower or intermediate level seeds are usually very cheap, ranging from 1-20 coins each, while the higher level seeds, such as tree, fruit tree, and especially upper end herb seeds can be costly as they are harder to procure and their usage yield high Experience and/or valuable harvested items.
Growth and Disease
After growing for a preset period of time crops will mature and can then be harvested, provided that the crops have not become diseased and died while growing. Once planted, crops grow even if the player is not online, so one can plant a seed and come back at any time. Once the crops are fully grown they will remain in the patch indefinitely until harvested; that is, they will not die once fully matured.
However, during this time crops have a chance to become diseased, and die if left unattended in this stage. While players may wish to check on their crops and cure diseased ones, this can prove a time intensive process. Use of supercompost or ultracompost significantly reduces disease risk. To guarantee plants reaching maturity, players can pay nearby gardeners to watch crops.
Gardeners all charge for their services, but not in coins. The price that they ask depends on the crop that the player asks them to watch. For example, the price for protecting a patch of potatoes is two buckets of compost while the price for protecting a patch of onions is one sack of potatoes. They will also accept your payment-items in noted form. Gardeners cannot be paid to protect herbs or flowers. After completing the Easy Kourend & Kebos Diary, the allotment, flower, and herb patches there will be protected by the local farmer at all times. Players can also unlock two herb patches which are perpetually protected from disease, for free, by completing My Arm's Big Adventure and Making Friends With My Arm.
Farming equipment
Tools
For farming, there are certain tools you will need to use, whether it's using a rake to clear a patch or digging up dead plants with a spade. Below is a table of the basic tools and their uses.
Used for watering plants, which prevents disease during the watered growth cycle. Also used to water tree seedlings. Gricoller's can holds 1000 uses of water instead of 8.
Seed dibber
Used for planting seeds in a plot.
Gardening trowel
Used to fill plant pots with soil, as well as planting tree seeds in plant pots to grow saplings.
The tool leprechaun will also swap herbs (both grimy and clean) and harvested produce (with some exceptions) into bank notes form by using the unnoted items on the tool leprechaun.
Magic secateurs are obtained during the quest Fairytale I - Growing Pains. It is the only weapon in game that is capable of damaging Tanglefoot. When equipped or in the inventory, the magic secateurs increase the crop yield of herbs, allotments, grape vines, and hops by 10%, as well as yielding more higher quality herbs from Herbiboars.
They are not considered a weapon when travelling to Entrana, as there is a hops patch on the island. Additionally, because of the stab and slash bonuses, they can be an alternative to the Dramen staff on the island when using Melee.
The Farmer's outfit is an experience-boosting set that grants bonus Farming experience when worn. A Farming level of 34 is required to wear any of the pieces, as pieces of the outfit are purchased from the Tithe Farm shop. The outfit costs a total of 400 points to purchase.
The untradeable amulet of nature is used to monitor the state of a patch. Players can use it on a patch to bind the amulet to the selected patch. The amulet will remain bound to the same patch even after the plant is harvested or removed.
Players wearing the amulet will receive a message if the plant becomes diseased, finishes growing or dies. The message will be received upon log-in if it occured while the player was logged out. The amulet can also be rubbed to learn the current state of the patch.
Players can only have one amulet of nature at a time, but it can be rubbed and bound to new patches indefinitely.
Seeds are items that members use to grow crops with the Farming skill. They are essential in training the Farming skill. There are various ways in retrieving them, for example:
When a healthy crop ends a growth cycle, there is a chance it may become diseased. While diseased, the crop stops growing and does not advance to the next stage. Crops do not recover from disease on their own, and die at the end of the diseased cycle if left uncured. Dead crops yield no experience and require use of a spade to dig up their remains before planting another crop in the patch.
Players may treat plants in diseased herb, flower, allotment, bush, hops, tree, fruit tree, hardwood tree, spirit, celastrus, belladonna, cactus, and mushroom patches with plant cure to restore the crop to health. Doing so may let the crop advance to the next growth stage normally upon the end of the cycle, although it is possible that it may become diseased again. For diseased trees and bushes, the player may use secateurs on the plant to trim the diseased branch and restore the crop to health. Alternatively, if a player has access to the Lunar Magic spellbook they may use the Cure Plant spell instead, which is substantially more expensive but may save the player valuable inventory space during a crop run.
Crops grow in real-time, so they may become diseased when a player is offline. In addition, crops that have been cured of disease may become afflicted once again. Crops cannot become diseased in the first growth stage (i.e. immediately after the seed has been planted), and fully grown crops will not become diseased.
An amulet of nature alerts a player to disease occurring in a specific patch if worn, and may also be rubbed to check whether or not a plant is still healthy.
Reducing disease risk
Each crop type has a predetermined probability of becoming diseased each crop window. Treating a farming patch with compost, supercompost or ultracompost before (or immediately after) planting a crop reduces the chance of disease during all growth cycles, rounded down to the nearest 1/128th. Compost reduces disease risk by 50%, supercompost by 80%, and ultracompost by 90%. If an Iasor is planted and alive, disease risk of all crops is reduced by a further 80%,[1] to a minimum chance of 1/128 per growth cycle. The risk of a plant becoming diseased without any treatment varies depending on the crop (and in some cases the specific patch).
Watering allotment, flower, and hops patches with a watering can reduces the risk of disease occurring at the end of that growth cycle.[2] During the next growth cycle, the plant changes from being watered back to normal and has a higher risk for disease once more, unless it is watered again. Only allotment, flower, and hops patches may be watered.
Eliminating disease risk
Planting different flowers or a scarecrow provides protection from disease to a variety of crops in allotment patches once the flower is fully grown, while white lillies protect every type of crop grown in allotment patch.
Allotment, Hops, Bush, Tree, Fruit tree and some special farming patches allow you to eliminate disease risk entirely by paying one of the farmers near the farming patch to watch over it and ensure that it grows to completion. Payment may be noted, but must be in the exact form requested. For instance, a farmer does not accept five apples in lieu of a basket of apples. Visit the page linked below for a list of payments required to protect each seed.
↑Jagex. Mod Ash's Twitter account. 12 April 2019. Archived from the original on 28 May 2020. Mod Ash: "Attas affects everything except itself and compost bins. Iasor reduces the chance to 20% of what it would otherwise have been, from what I can see in the code. For Kronos info, I'd suggest trying Kieren."
↑Jagex. Mod Ash's Twitter account. 16 December 2019. Archived from the original on 16 December 2019. Mod Ash: "[Does watering crops eliminate chance of disease for one grow cycle stage or just reduce it?] It just reduces it. - [Got it. In that case, how much does watering reduce chance of disease?] There isn't a formula as far as I know - the dev who made the skill just set different numbers."
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