F A R M I N G guide
All you need to know about farming!

Why Farming?
Farming, by far, is the fastest way to bring in the gold. There are also a ton of buyable farming items on Ocean of Stars, and give the member a little extra to do when things are going slow or they’re experiencing writer’s block. Or, if you simply want to get rich, and eventually buy a mansion and live the SUPERB life---that works too!

How to Get a Farm
No matter what your character’s background story is, the way you get your farm set up is always going to be the same. You PM an admin with the following information in your personal message:

Typical Starter Farm
One thing you should know is that the actual farm is free. You start out with a farm that has a farming field that is a 10x10 square area. Typically, a new farmer starts out with the basic “shack” house. If you take a look at the Carpentry, you’ll see that the starter house is free as well, though it is a pretty crappy house.

Is there leeway? Are you allowed to say that you’re taking over your parents/grandparents/someone else’s farm? Yes, you are! And, if you are doing so, are you allowed to have a bigger house (because you’re ‘inheriting’ the old farming families house). The answer, again, is: Yes, you are! Is it free? Yes, it is! Though, you have to be reasonable with the house size and it has to correspond to the previous family living at the farm.

Now, are you allowed to have a bigger field area? NO! No matter what your background story is, you will always start with a 10x10 square area for a farming field. And it will always be full of sticks, stumps, trees, weeds, and the like. Are you allowed to already have animals on the farm? NO. What about crops? NO. Fruit Trees? Yes, you can have fruit trees already on the farm.

Well, what if you want a bigger farming field? Once again, go take a look at the Carpentry and you'll see an area for upgrading your farming field.

So, we have learned:

• All farms start out with a 10x10 square area for the farming field (this is 100 squares total). All farming fields are filled with weeds, sticks, stumps, and the like.
• Most farmers start out with a Shack (free house) though you are allowed to have a bigger house if the farm was already pre-owned.
• You are not allowed to have free pre-owner farm animals or crops. Though, you are allowed to have fruit trees.
• You can upgrade your farming field size at the Carpentry.

Buying Crops
Currently, there are two crop selling stores. The first is at Meadowbrook Farm [click here to go there.] and the second is at the Mainland, known as the Farming Superstore. [click here to go there.] Though, you can often take a look at the Bazaar to see if any members are selling seeds of their own.

Buying Livestock
Ricochet currently has her Tanner family owning a Livestock Shop at their farm Muddy Water Ranch. [click here to go there.] You can also take a look at the Bazaar to see if any members are selling animals of their own.

Farm Inactivity & Consequences
It’s very important to understand that farmers must be active. You must post at least a couple of times a month in your farm. Whether it’s a regular thread, or your character doing farm work, it doesn’t matter; just make sure to post in your farm to let us know that you’re still keeping up with it.

Saying as much, if your farm is neglected for two months then your farm will be moved to the archives and your space will be open for others to take. You will not be warned, or given any notice.

Owning WORKING on a Farm!
Well, what if you don’t want to own a farm, but, hey, it’d be nice to have your character work on one? No problem! Just search through the farms on the board, and then PM the farm owner, asking them if your character can work on the farm. It’s a fun way to make money as well as have your character make friends with who they work with! It’s a great opportunity, and we encourage it very much!

G R O W I N G crops
All you need to know about crops!

101 of Buying Crops
----------Bluestem Farm Supply
Located at Meadowbrook Ranch, it is the only player-run store that specializes in selling Crops. All the crops sold there are from the Harvest Moon games. If you take a look at the Peridot Bazaar you may find some member shops actually selling special seeds for the season. It's a good idea to try some of these out, for they may be cheaper, have better selling prices, or unique quirks about them. Also, there is the Farming Superstore located on the Mainland.

As a farmer, you are 100% able to make your own shop at the Bazaar and sell your own seeds. Or, you can even make your own shop at your farm, selling seeds to other farmers. You can sell everything, or you can specialize in one category (such as trees, or unique crops, etc).

101 of Growing Crops
The basic format of a crop is such:

In the above example, the name of the crop is Turnip and it is saying you can buy a bag for 60G at the Farming Superstore. Next, it goes over how long the seeds take to grow depending on what kind of soil you plant them in. If they re-grow then Multi-Harvest would be Yes and it would tell you how long they take to re-grow. The Sale Price is how much you can ship them for, to earn money. DQ stands for Decent Quality, GQ for Good Quality, and PQ for Perfect Quality.

On a field, there are three types of soil quality:

• Poor Quality (lowest)
• Decent Quality (mid)
• Good Quality (high)

On Poor Quality soil only DQ crops can be harvest. On Decent Quality soil both DQ and GQ crops can be harvest and at about a 50/50 ratio. On Good Quality soil GQ and PQ can be harvest, but PQ is more rare at about a 70/30 ratio.

Now, to grow crops you actually need to use TOOLS. And, in order to understand how the Tool System works, you should read the Tool Guide. [click here to go to the tool guide.]

So, assuming you know how to use Tools now, the first thing you have to do is till the soil of your farming field with a Hoe. Then you plant the bags of seeds you bought from a store and keep track of the growth time information. Harvest the seeds and collect your money on each day that your crop is ready to be harvest.

Too Much Work!
So, maybe this is sounding like too much work for you! Do you have to post every single time you sow, water, harvest, etc your crops? The answer to that is: NO! Are you surprised? Well, don't be! You're allowed to be lazy, but your laziness is going to make it so you're not making as much money as other farmers who put a lot of effort into posting.

You, as a farmer, can literally go on having your character being a farmer, and never have to post a single thread in your farming field about planting and/or harvesting your crops. However, there is a catch!

None of your farming tools will EVER go up a level! They will all remain at level 1, and so the amount of crops you can actually sow/harvest will be far more limited than the other farmer who is posting and leveling up their tools.

Saying as much, anyone is allowed at anytime to harvest their crops without posting. If you've been busy, and kind of fell behind, then you can just tally your total for crop harvesting up until the current date you're on. The downside is that your characters tools will not gain a single point through all of those IC days. But, the upside is that you got your money, and you're up to date, and now you can start working on your points again.

Soil Quality?? How To Make it Better!
You want to make your soil quality better? Well, my friend, what you need is a little something called FERTILIZER! Once again, it can be purchased at the Farming Superstore. Though, the store only sells the lowest kind! Maybe your farmer can be the one to open up a stall at the Bazaar, selling more effective Fertilizer? Who knows!

L I V E S T O C K guide
All you need to know about livestock!

101 on Buying Livestock
---------The Livestock Shop
Ricochet's The Livestock Shop is currently the only store you can buy livestock from. Other than that, there is also the Bazaar where farmers are known to sell their own livestock or unique livestock (like the unique crops discussed in the previous post). Members are encouraged to buy from the Bazaar since it's a member-helping-member sort of thing.

101 on Raising Livestock
Currently, Livestock animals available are: Cows, Chickens, Sheep, and Horses. Though, members are encouraged to make their own shops selling their own animals or unique animals (like ducks, ostriches, pigs). All livestock give some sort of produce that can be sold for profit (minus horses). Below is a list of what each animal gives:

• Cows give Milk.
• Chickens give Eggs.
• Sheep give Wool.

Just like crops, produce is based on a Quality System. The quality of produce that your animal gives you depends on how many 's they have. Next, we'll go over 's , raising them, what heart level produce quality goes up, as well as animals tools that can be used to boost how quickly their hearts go up.

First thing you should know is that all livestock start out with zero hearts. And they can advance in hearts all the way up to ten, which is the maximum.

Chicken Heart Rates
Chickens go up one every eleven days. There are no animal tools or techniques that can be used to make their heart rates go up quicker.

1 - 3 = Small Egg (worth 50G)
4 - 7 = Medium Egg (worth 70G)
8 - 10 = Large Egg (worth 100G)

Cow Heart Rates
Cow go up one every eleven days. However, if you have a Regular Brush, they go up every nine days. If they are adult, and you also milk them every day with a Regular Milker then they go up ever six days.

1 - 3 = Small Milk (worth 150G)
4 - 7 = Medium Milk (worth 200G)
8 - 10 = Large Milk (worth 250G)

Sheep Heart Rates
Sheep go up one every eleven days. However, if you have a Regular Brush, they go up every nine days. If they are adult, and you also shear them every five days with Regular Shears then they go up ever six days.

1 - 3 = Small Wool (worth 200G)
4 - 7 = Medium Wool (worth 400G)
8 - 10 = Large Wool (worth 600G)

Special Events?
From time to time, you may actually see an Event pop up or a farming centered festival come up where the prize will be a boost to your livestock hearts or even unlocking a brand new Quality of Produce (such as Extra Large quality or even Golden!). Events can also sell special items to boost heart rates or quality (maybe a special fodder that temporarily boosts the quality of milk a cow gives for so many IC days, etc). So, keep an eye out!

*~Produce List~*

The Key Guide
DQ = Decent Quality
Decent quality crops are common in poor soil.
GQ = Good Quality
Good quality crops are rare in poor soil,
somewhat common in decent soil,
and common in good soil.
PQ = Perfect Quality
Perfect Quality can only be found in good soil,
but is uncommon.
1 bag of seeds = 9 squares

Spring Crops

Turnip
Purchase Price: 60G
Growth Time: 6 days in poor soil, 5 days in decent & good soil.
Multi-Harvest: No
Sale Price: 50G DQ / 60G GQ / 70G PQ

Strawberry
Purchase Price: 600G
Growth Time: 13 days in poor soil, 11 days in decent, 9 days in good soil.
Multi-Harvest: Yes
Re-Growth: 7 days in poor soil, 5 days in decent & good soil.
Sale Price: 130G DQ / 210G GQ / 290G PQ

Potato
Purchase Price: 75G
Growth Time: 4 days in poor soil, 4 days in decent & good soil.
Multi-Harvest: No
Sale Price: 60G DQ / 70G GQ / 80G PQ


Cabbage
Purchase Price: 135G
Growth Time: 9 days in poor soil, 7 days in decent, 6 days in good soil.
Multi-Harvest: No
Sale Price: 80G DQ / 130G GQ / 180G PQ

Peach
Days to grow: They grow every day on a full-grown peach tree.
Quantity: 6 a day
Price: 55G

Summer Crops

Tomato
Purchase Price: 225G
Growth Time: 7 days in poor soil, decent, & good soil.
Multi-Harvest: Yes
Re-Growth Time: 4 days in poor soil, decent, & good soil.
Sale Price: 90G DQ / 110G GQ / 130G PQ

Corn
Purchase Price: 210G
Growth Time: 11 days in poor soil, 9 days in decent, 8 days in good soil.
Multi-Harvest: Yes
Re-Growth Time: 5 days in poor soil, 4 days in decent & good
Sale Price: 100G DQ / 120G GQ / 140G PQ

Onion
Purchase Price: 75G
Growth Time: 5 days in poor soil, decent, & good soil.
Multi-Harvest: No
Sale Price: 60G DQ / 70G GQ / 80G PQ

Pineapple
Days to grow: 20
Regrow: 8
Price: 500G

Banana
Days to grow: They grow every day on fully-grown banana trees.
Quantity: 6 bunches a day
Price: 40G

Orange
Days to grow: They grow every day on fully-grown orange trees.
Quantity: 6 a day.
Price: 50G

Autumn Crops

Carrot
Purchase Price: 60G
Growth Time: 8 days in poor soil, 6 days in decent & good soil.
Multi-Harvest: No
Sale Price: 80G DQ / 120G GQ / 200G PQ

Eggplant
Purchase Price: 200G
Growth Time: 10 days in poor soil, 6 days in decent & good soil.
Multi-Harvest: Yes
Re-Growth: 5 days in poor soil, 4 days in decent & good soil.
Sale Price: 100G DQ / 140G GQ / 240G PQ

Bell Pepper
Purchase Price: 100G
Growth Time: 8 days in poor soil, 6 days in decent & good soil.
Multi-Harvest: Yes
Re-Growth: 4 days in poor soil, 3 days in decent & good soil.
Sale Price: 60G DQ / 70G GQ / 140G PQ

Pumpkin
Purchase Price: 200G
Growth Time: 10 days in poor soil, 8 days in decent & good soil.
Multi-Harvest: No
Sale Price: 130G DQ / 160G GQ / 200G PQ

Yam
Purchase Price: 130G
Growth Time: 10 days in poor soil, 7 days in decent & good soil.
Multi-Harvest: Yes
Re-Growth: 5 days in poor soil, 4 days in decent & good soil.
Sale Price: 50G DQ / 90G GQ / 120G PQ

Spinach
Purchase Price: 75G
Growth Time: 6 days in poor soil, 5 days in decent & good soil.
Multi-Harvest: No
Sale Price: 60G DQ / 80G GQ / 100G PQ

Apple
Days to grow: They grow every day on fully-grown apple trees.
Quantity: 6 a day
Price: 50G

Grapes
Days to grow: They grow every day on fully-grown grape vines. (Grape vines look exactly like trees for some weird reason.)
Quantity: 6 bunches a day
Price: 75G

Winter Crops

Buckwheat
Purchase Price: 150G
Growth Time: 6 days in poor soil, 5 days in decent & good soil.
Multi-Harvest: No
Sale Price: 50G DQ / 80G GQ / 110G PQ

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Dairy List

Small Egg
From a fully-grown chicken.
Price: 50G

Medium Egg
From a fully-grown chicken.
Price: 70G

Large Egg
From a fully-grown chicken.
Price: 100G

Small Mayonnaise
Made from a small egg and the mayonnaise maker.
Price: 100G

Medium Mayonnaise
Made from a medium egg and the mayonnaise maker.
Price: 150G

Large Mayonnaise
Made from a large egg and the mayonnaise maker.
Price: 200G

Small Milk
From a fully-grown cow.
Price: 150G

Medium Milk
From a fully-grown cow.
Price: 200G

Large Milk
From a fully-grown cow.
Price: 250G

Small Cheese
Made from a small bottle of milk and the cheese maker.
Price: 300G

Medium Cheese
Made from a medium bottle of milk and the cheese maker.
Price: 400G

Large Cheese
Made from a large bottle of milk and the cheese maker.
Price: 500G

Small Wool
From a fully-grown sheep.
Price: 200G

Medium Wool
From a full-grown sheep.
Price: 400G

Large Wool
From a fully-grown sheep.
Price: 600G

Small Yarn
Made from small wool and the yarn maker.
Price: 300G

Medium Yarn
Made from medium wool and the yarn maker.
Price: 600G

Large Yarn
Made from large wool and the yarn maker.
Price: 900G