Farming

Farming is a feature all game modes possess which involves planting, growing, and harvesting crops. It can also refer to the act of taming and/or breeding animals.

Villager farm.

Pig farm in a desert.

Overview

Plants grow slowly from seed or immature plant, into their respective fully-grown plant, which can then be harvested by a player. Most crops can be planted on farmland and harvested by left-clicking the fully grown plant. When harvested, a plant (wheat, beetroot, pumpkins, and melons) drops seeds in addition to their crop, which can be planted to grow more of that plant, continuing the cycle. You can also bonemeal the crops to make them grow quicker.

Animals are typically tamed and bred by feeding the animal a particular food. Breeding requires the animal to be in close proximity to another adult of its own species.

When bees are nearby, they can have the effect of bonemeal, allowing a plant to increase the growth stage by 1.

Crop Farming

The types of plants that can be cultivated and reproduced include:

• 
  Wheat - The most basic plant in Minecraft. Wheat seeds can be obtained by destroying tall grass, harvesting existing wheat, or continuously tilling grass with a hoe. Wheat is essential in the making of cakes and bread, as well as in the breeding and luring of cows, sheep, and mooshrooms.

• 
  Melon - Arguably the most reliable food source, although they can be difficult to obtain initially. Melons can be found in chests in mineshafts (and, occasionally, growing in the wild, especially in jungle biomes), and their seeds are obtained by crafting a melon slice. A single seed can produce an infinite amount of melons as long as the stalk remains intact and there is dirt, farmland or grass next to the stalk.

• 
  Pumpkin - Pumpkins can be found naturally growing in spread-out groups. Pumpkin seeds can be found in chests in abandoned mine shafts. Four pumpkin seeds are produced by crafting a single pumpkin. Pumpkins grow the same way Melons do, making them extremely renewable. However, when harvested, pumpkins will only produce 1 unit of food, rather than 3-7 for melons. Pumpkins themselves are not edible, but they can be made into pumpkin pie which is edible. They can also be crafted into Jack o' lanterns, or carved and worn as a helmet. When worn, pumpkins produce a unique visual effect and prevent Endermen from becoming aggressive toward a player who is wearing the pumpkin.

• 
  Nether Wart - A fairly rare plant that can only be found and cultivated in the Nether. Nether warts have no seeds. Instead, the item can be planted and reproduced. Nether warts can be found in Nether fortresses, and can only be grown on soul sand. Nether warts do not need light, water, or any other conditions other than soul sand to grow. Nether wart is an essential item in the brewing process. Bone meal does not work on nether warts.

• 
  Cocoa Pods - Cocoa pods can be seen growing on jungle trees. The beans themselves can be planted on the side of a jungle tree (or any jungle log) to produce a cocoa pod. Cocoa beans are required to craft cookies, and they can also be used as brown-colored dyes.

• 
  Potato- Potatoes can either be obtained as a rare drop from zombies or harvested from village farms. Potato plants, when harvested, produce 1-4 potatoes (and occasionally, 1 poisonous potato, which is of no value). Potatoes can be cooked in order to produce baked potatoes, which have significantly more food value. Potatoes can be used in breeding pigs and can be sold to villagers.

• 
  Carrot- Carrots can either be dropped (rarely) from zombies, harvested from village farms, or found in shipwreck chests. Carrot plants, when harvested, produce 1-4 carrots. Carrots can be used to breed pigs and rabbits and can be used to craft golden carrots, a carrot on a stick, and rabbit stew.

• 
  Sugar Cane - Sugar cane can be obtained by searching around the shores of lakes, rivers, and oceans. In order to grow, sugar cane must have water next to the stalk. Sugar cane is useful for crafting paper and sugar. Sugar can be used to craft cakes, pumpkin pies, fermented spider eyes, and brew potions of Swiftness.

• 
  Beetroot - Beetroots are a less common crop used for farming. Their seeds can be obtained in village farms, and in treasure chests in naturally generated structures. Beetroot can be eaten by itself, but it can be instead used in creating beetroot soup, which will give more nutrition. They can also be used in breeding pigs. Farmer villagers also use beetroot seeds in farming and will buy beetroot for emeralds.

Animal Farming

The types of animals that can be tamed and/or bred are:

• Chicken - The only breedable and passive mob that can "fly". Chickens do not take fall damage, as they will "fly" safely to the ground instead. They drop raw chicken and occasionally feathers, upon death. Every so often, a live chicken will lay an egg.
  • Two chickens close to one another can be bred by feeding them each 1 seed.

• Cow - A less-common mob that will drop the most valuable meat, steak, when killed. They also occasionally drop leather when killed. Milk can also be gathered from a cow by right-clicking it while an empty bucket is equipped.
  • Two nearby cows can be bred by feeding each one wheat.

• Horse - Horses offer the quickest, non-mechanical method of traveling across the surface of the Overworld.
  • Two horses can be bred by first taming each of them and then moving them within close proximity of each other. While they are standing next to one another, feed each horse a golden carrot or golden apple. This will produce one baby horse.

• Mooshroom - A rare, cow-like mob found almost exclusively in the rare mushroom fields biome. They can be sheared which will turn them into a regular cow as well as dropping three mushrooms. Mushroom stew can also be gathered from Mooshrooms by right-clicking them with a bowl equipped.
  • Two nearby mooshrooms can be bred by feeding each one wheat.

• Cats - a useful mob that acts as excellent creeper-deterrents.
  • Two tamed cats can be bred after being fed raw cod, raw salmon, or tropical fish.

• Pig - A very common mob, which produces 1-2 raw porkchops when killed.
  • Two nearby pigs can be bred by feeding each one a carrot, potato, or beetroot.

• Sheep - Another fairly common mob. When killed, they drop wool and raw mutton but will produce more wool when sheared. If the sheep has grass to eat, its wool will grow back.
  • Two nearby sheep can be bred by feeding each one a piece of wheat.

• Rabbit - Small, fast mobs that drop raw rabbit meat when killed. They may also occasionally drop rabbit hide (used to craft leather) and very rarely, a rabbit's foot (used in brewing Jump Boost potions).
  • Two nearby rabbits can be bred by feeding each one a carrot, golden carrot, or dandelion.

• Tamed Wolf - These are produced by taming wild wolves, which can be performed by right-clicking a wolf with a bone equipped until hearts appear above its head. Once a wolf has become tamed, it will be wearing a collar and attack any mob that its owner attacks. Tamed wolves will follow a player who tamed them, if not told to sit. Tamed wolves can be bred by right-clicking on two nearby tamed wolves with raw or cooked meat equipped.

List of Naturally Occurring Crops

• Wheat
• Beetroots
• Carrots
• Potatoes
• Nether warts
• Cacti
• Chorus fruit
• Cocoa
• Sugar cane
• Melons
• Pumpkins
• Grass blocks
• Mycelium blocks
• Vines
• Mushrooms (brown and red)
• Trees (oak, birch, jungle, acacia, dark oak, and spruce)
• Sea pickles
• Sea grass
• Kelp
• Exp
• Flower

Tips and Advice

• Experienced players may opt to do their farming in an underground chamber. Torches, glowstone, and redstone lamps will provide sufficient light to keep hostile mobs from spawning, as well as allowing farmed crops to grow. A second option is to make a skylight protected by glass. This will allow the farming area to be well lit while minimizing the use of torches. However, this option is not feasible in the End because there is no sunlight in that biome.
  • While the skylight allows a player to have a completely lit chamber during the day, torches and glowstone will be needed to ensure hostile mobs don't spawn in the chamber after nightfall.
• It is possible to farm trees underground, but this requires a sufficiently large chamber to allow the trees to grow to their full height. Using a skylight, as mentioned above, will allow the player plenty of vertical room to grow their trees, provided the chamber is far enough underground.
• Harvesting crops with a tool enchanted with Fortune will increase the number of crops a player will obtain.

A farm before sowing

Preparing

In order to create a farm, first, a player must dig a hole in the center of the area they want their farm to be. Then, from the center, till the grass/dirt blocks around the hole in a 4x4 block area which can be done by right-clicking on a block of dirt with a hoe equipped. Finally, place water in the hole, and then right-click on the farmland with seeds or spores of a player's choice.

Gallery

Video

Minecraft How to make a Farm