Growing your farm is one of the most exciting things in Dwarf Fortress. Dwarf Fortress farming is pretty comprehensive and you can even copy farms from real life. Moreover, farming is necessary to build your Fortress in the game.
In this guide, we'll cover everything you need to know about farming in Dwarf Fortress. There will be not only a basic explanation of the system but also valuable pieces of advice about how to improve your farming experience.
And while you are here, make sure to check our Dwarf Fortress review. Also, feel free to check our list of the best RPG games for Android.
How to start farming in Dwarf Fortress
Like in real life, you should select the area you want to build in to start growing your personal farm. Most importantly, you should know that all types of soil in Dwarf Fortress are available for farming. Moreover, you can also grow crops in non-soil layers, but that requires irrigation.
Once you select an area for growing the farm, you need to open the Build Menu using the B button and press the P button to choose the Farm. After that, you need to choose the parameters of your farm. U/M buttons increase/decrease the farm vertically, while K/H buttons change the size horizontally.
What farm size to pick
One of the most complex questions about building a farm is what size is the most suitable for making a farm. Even though players' thoughts significantly differ, the best option is to build small farms like 2x2 or 4x4. Farms in Dwarf Fortress are highly productive. For example, 5x5 farms produce over 7,000 food per year.
Therefore, you will never run low on plants, even if you have a few small farms. Moreover, the high number of farms allows you to grow different crops, significantly diversifying your gameplay.
Does the farm require fertilization?
Even though the harvest effectiveness in Dwarf Fortress depends on the effectiveness and farming skill, fertilization can significantly boost the productivity of your Farm.
It can give you up to three additional plants each time you harvest. Such a boost is extremely important in the early game when you have nearly no seeds for the next harvest. But if you are in the game's latter stages, there is no reason to Fertilize your farm. You can quickly get enough seeds even without the additional boost.
Managing the farm in Dwarf Fortress
Even though management of the farm is the last thing we're covering, it is still an exceptionally important aspect of expanding your farm. The kitchen tab accessed through the stock menu is the most important in managing the farm. Here, you can see the amount of food and seeds you have and other important information.
In conclusion, you should build a few tiny farms to reach the best in-game experience in Dwarf Fortress. They allow you to diversify the range of crops you can grow and get a good harvest without significant effort. And if you want, you can build your farm even on the non-soil layer. While you are still here, make sure to check our Dwarf Fortress beginner's guide.