Growing Pains
Learn the basics of the Farming skill from the Wise Old Man.
The farming tutorial. Crafting a wooden watering can or a wooden spade (ash logs and coarse thread) starts it, and the Wise Old Man in Bramblemead Valley walks you through one wheat crop from plot to harvest. Keep an inventory slot free for the seeds he gives you.
On the map
2- WOM NPC FTUE Farm (NPC), Bramblemead Valley
- WOM Target FTUE Farm, Bramblemead Valley
Steps
11- 1
Speak to the Wise Old Man, in Bramblemead, to learn about the Farming skill.
- 2
[TEMP] Build a Garden Plot
An ash farming plot costs ash logs; put it near a pond so the watering can is always full.
- 3
[TEMP] Plant Wheat Seeds
Dig the plot five times with the wooden spade (that gives weeds and 3 Farming XP; the weeds go in a compost bin later), then click the plot with the wheat seeds in your inventory for 5 XP.
- 4
[TEMP] Speak to the Wise Old Man to learn about watering and harvesting
- 5
[TEMP] Fully water a Gardening Plot
Fill the can at a pond (F) and water the plot five times until the watering icon shows a tick. The shoot becomes a stalk after half a game day, about twelve minutes.
- 6
[TEMP] Harvest Wheat at a Gardening Plot
Water it five times again at the stalk stage. Leave a plot unwatered for six game hours after a stage change and it gets diseased, and you can't make plant cure yet, so you'd start over. Another game day later it's harvestable.
- 7
[TEMP] Return to the Wise Old Man
- 8
[TEMP] Obtain compost from a compost bin
- 9
[TEMP] Fully treat Garden Plot with compost
- 10
Return to the Wise Old Man in Bramblemead.
Harvest the wheat before you talk to him or the quest won't tick.
- 11
Grow and harvest your first crop from a farming plot.
On completion
You learned the basics of farming.
Tips
1The reward is a pack of farmer's supplies with plant cure and the Tome of Farming volume 2, plus Farming level 3, which unlocks the plant cure recipe.
Dialogue (20 lines)
Wise Old Man: What would you like to know?
Wise Old Man: Anything else I can help you with?
Wise Old Man: Oh? You've overburdened yourself with all the random things you can cram in your pockets. Come back and see me when you've made a bit of room.
Wise Old Man: Look at you, practically master farmer already. Farming is a wonderful way to keep yourself well fed, and with access to useful materials.
Wise Old Man: First, you'll need to build a farming plot. Use a spade on it to clear it of weeds. Once it's completely clear, you're ready to plant.
Wise Old Man: Plants are like people, they need water to survive. You'll want to keep your plants nice and hydrated, so that they don't succumb to disease.
Wise Old Man: Compost improves the yield on your crops when you harvest them. They simply love to spread their roots around in the stinky stuff.
Wise Old Man: I see you've started to get a little green around the thumbs! Farming will make survival on Ashenfall a little less horrible.
Wise Old Man: Oh? You've overburdened yourself with all the random things you can cram in your pockets. Come back and see me when you've made a bit of room.
Wise Old Man: Speaking of useful, here, take this. My little gift to you. Just don't tell the others, they'll get all jealous again.
Wise Old Man: Just grab the seeds in your hand, and then whack em into the soil. No need for grace, or ceremony, just whomp them in and they'll be fine.
Wise Old Man: Grab yourself a watering can, fill it with water at a water source, and then liberally douse your patch until it's fully soaked through.
Wise Old Man: To make compost, you'll first need to build a Compost Bin. Then you'll want to fill it with compostible ingredients, like weeds, unwanted logs or irritating exes.
Wise Old Man: You'll be able to grow fruits, vegetables, and all manner of plants. Food, potion ingredients and perhaps some crafting resources too!
Wise Old Man: Make sure to water your plants every day, ideally first thing in the morning, to keep them nice and healthy.
Wise Old Man: Give it a little time for the newly added stuff to rot down into compost and then take a Compost Bucket and fill it up.
Wise Old Man: Why don't you go and give it a proper go right now? Go harvest some crops and then come back and see me. I'll give you a little something for your efforts.
Wise Old Man: Then just pour the contents of your bucket over the farming plot, making sure it's spread over it as fully as possible.
Wise Old Man: Here, take these to get you started.
Wise Old Man: Oh? You've overburdened yourself with all the random things you can cram in your pockets. Come back and see me when you've made a bit of room.