🌱 Don't Starve Together — Complete Farming & Gardening Guide
This guide covers the Gardening system introduced in the 2022 QoL update.
Farming in Don't Starve Together underwent a major overhaul in 2022. Gone are the simple "plant and wait" days — the new system adds soil nutrients, crop families, plant stress, and giant crops as rewards for optimal care.
🧮 Farming Basics
The 3 Core Resources
Every crop you plant consumes and produces three nutrients:
| Resource | Effect | Depleted By |
|---|---|---|
| 🟤 Compost (Grey soil) | General growth nutrient | Leafy crops |
| 🔵 Manure (Manure pile) | Root development | Root crops |
| 🔴 Growth Formula (Bubbles) | Stem/fruit growth | Fruiting crops |
Think of it like this: Each crop family depletes its own nutrient type while replenishing the other two.
Crop Families
| Family | Examples | Consumes | Produces |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🥬 Leafy | Cabbage, Kale, Onion | 🟤 Compost | 🔵 Manure + 🔴 Growth Formula |
| 🥕 Root | Carrot, Potato, Radish | 🔵 Manure | 🟤 Compost + 🔴 Growth Formula |
| 🌽 Fruiting | Corn, Tomato, Eggplant, Pumpkin | 🔴 Growth Formula | 🟤 Compost + 🔵 Manure |
Family Rotation Strategy
The key to healthy soil is rotating crop families:
Season 1: Plant Leafy → Season 2: Plant Root → Season 3: Plant Fruiting
This rotation keeps all nutrients balanced without needing fertiliser.
🌾 All Crops Database
| Crop | Season | Growth Time | Family | Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥕 Carrot | Any | 10 days | Root | Food, bait, Crock Pot |
| 🌾 Corn | Summer/Autumn | 12 days | Fruiting | Crock Pot, feedingbirds |
| 🥬 Cabbage | Any | 10 days | Leafy | Crock Pot (Pierogi, Waffles) |
| 🍆 Eggplant | Any | 12 days | Fruiting | Crock Pot (Stuffed Eggplant) |
| 🌿 Kale | Any | 8 days | Leafy | Crock Pot (Banana Pop) |
| 🧅 Onion | Any | 10 days | Leafy | Crock Pot (Moqueca, Cream of Mushroom) |
| 🌶️ Pepper | Summer/Autumn | 10 days | Fruiting | Crock Pot (Spicy Chili) |
| 🥔 Potato | Any | 10 days | Root | Crock Pot (Knuckle Sandwich) |
| 🎃 Pumpkin | Any | 12 days | Fruiting | Crock Pot, hat, lantern |
| 🌱 Radish | Any | 8 days | Root | Crock Pot (Salsa Fresca) |
| 🍅 Tomato | Summer/Autumn | 10 days | Fruiting | Crock Pot (spaghetti, salsa) |
| 🌿 Garlic | Any | 10 days | Root | Crock Pot (Garlic Mashed Potatoes) |
| 🌻 Sunflower | Any | 10 days | Leafy | Seeds (Snack) |
| 🫘 Asparagus | Spring/Summer | 10 days | Fruiting | Crock Pot (Asparagus Soup) |
Data source: Don't Starve Wiki — Farming
🌟 Giant Crops
When you plant 4+ of the same crop in a 3×3 grid and meet all conditions perfectly, crops can merge into a Giant Crop — yielding 3–6 regular crops when harvested with a Pitchfork.
Giant Crop Requirements
| Crop | Nutrient Balance | Water Requirement | Family Neighbours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🥬 Giant Cabbage | Balanced or high Compost | Fully watered | ≥4 Leafy nearby |
| 🌽 Giant Corn | Balanced or high Growth | Fully watered | ≥4 Fruiting nearby |
| 🥕 Giant Carrot | Balanced or high Manure | Fully watered | ≥4 Root nearby |
| 🍆 Giant Eggplant | Balanced or high Growth | Fully watered | ≥4 Fruiting nearby |
| 🌶️ Giant Pepper | Balanced or high Growth | Fully watered | ≥4 Fruiting nearby |
| 🥔 Giant Potato | Balanced or high Manure | Fully watered | ≥4 Root nearby |
| 🎃 Giant Pumpkin | Balanced or high Growth | Fully watered | ≥4 Fruiting nearby |
| 🍅 Giant Tomato | Balanced or high Growth | Fully watered | ≥4 Fruiting nearby |
| 🧅 Giant Onion | Balanced or high Compost | Fully watered | ≥4 Leafy nearby |
| 🌿 Giant Garlic | Balanced or high Manure | Fully watered | ≥4 Root nearby |
How to Guarantee Giant Crops (Step by Step)
- Plant 9 seeds of the same crop in a 3×3 grid
- Tend each plant twice — once mid-growth, once near harvest
- Water every day if no rain
- Use a Gardeneer Hat to see plant health indicators
- Check Family Pressure — keep 4+ of the same family in range
- Harvest with a Pitchfork for 3–6x yield
💡 Pro Tip: Giant crops do NOT spoil when left on the ground. You can leave them as emergency food reserves!
📅 Seasonal Crop Planting
Spring
| Best Crops | Reason |
|---|---|
| 🥬 Cabbage | Rain reduces watering need |
| 🥕 Carrot | Good all-purpose |
| 🌱 Radish | Fast growth (8 days) |
| 🫘 Asparagus | Seasonal favourite |
Summer
| Best Crops | Reason |
|---|---|
| 🌽 Corn | Summer-optimised |
| 🍅 Tomato | Summer-optimised |
| 🌶️ Pepper | Summer-optimised |
| 🌻 Sunflower | Decoration + seeds |
Autumn
| Best Crops | Reason |
|---|---|
| 🎃 Pumpkin | Autumn-optimised (good for lanterns) |
| 🌽 Corn | Autumn-optimised |
| 🌶️ Pepper | Autumn-optimised |
| 🥬 Cabbage | Great for Pierogi (healing) |
Winter
| Best Crops | Reason |
|---|---|
| 🥕 Carrot | Can grow in winter |
| 🥔 Potato | Can grow in winter |
| 🥬 Cabbage | Can grow in winter |
| 🧅 Onion | Can grow in winter |
⚠️ Winter Note: Crops grow 2× slower in winter unless protected by a Greenhouse or insulating structures. Plant indoors or near a heat source.
💧 Fertiliser & Soil Management
Fertiliser Types
| Item | Compost | Manure | Growth Formula | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 💩 Manure | 0 | +16 | +2 | From beefalo/koalefant |
| 🌿 Rot | +8 | 0 | 0 | Spoiled food |
| 🌺 Guano | 0 | +12 | +4 | From birds/pigs |
| 🧪 Growth Formula Starter | +8 | +8 | +8 | Crafted (nitre + ash + rot) |
| 🚫 Compost Wrap | +24 | 0 | 0 | Crafted (papyrus + rot + manure) |
| 🪱 Mushroom Planter | Used for mushrooms | — | — | Underground |
Soil Nutrient Reader
Craft a Gardeneer Hat (3 × Silk, 1 × Grass Suit, 1 × Any Crop Seed) to see: - Current nutrient values for each plot - Plant health indicators (happy, neutral, stressed) - Growth stage progress - Moisture level
🐝 Automated Farming
Bee Farm Integration
- Place Bee Boxes near your farm
- Bees pollinate crops, increasing growth speed
- Crops within 15 tiles of 4+ bee boxes grow ~15% faster
Thresher + Brimstone Trap Automation
Advanced players can: 1. Plant crops inside a walled pen 2. Use Brimstone Traps (from Wagstaff's skill tree) for early warning 3. Let Pigs/Bunnymen tend crops (they reduce stress)
🍳 Best Crop Recipes
| Recipe | Ingredients | Health | Hunger | Why It's Great |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥟 Pierogi | Cabbage + Egg + Fish + Filler | +40 HP | +37.5 | Best healing food |
| 🧇 Waffles | Egg + Butter + Berries + Filler | +60 HP | +37.5 | Massive heal |
| 🥣 Banana Pop | Kale + Banana + Filler | +20 HP | +12.5 | Easy sanity |
| 🌮 Salsa Fresca | Tomato + Radish + Filler | 0 | +12.5 | Spring staple |
| 🥧 Pumpkin Cookies | Pumpkin + Honey + Egg | 0 | +18.8 | Good filler |
| 🥗 Spicy Chili | Pepper + Veggie + Meat | +5 HP | +37.5 | Warmth in winter |
| 🥔 Knuckle Sandwich | Potato + Meat + Ice + Filler | +37.5 HP | +37.5 | Balanced meal |
🔟 Farming Tips Summary
- Rotate families — Leafy → Root → Fruiting avoids fertiliser dependency
- Plant 9 of the same crop in a 3×3 grid for giant crop potential
- Talk to your plants — hovering near them with the Gardeneer Hat on reduces stress
- Use Rain Collectors — rain provides free watering
- Store Giant Crops — they never spoil when left in the ground
- Bee Boxes nearby — free pollination boost
- Don't overcrowd — keep ≥4 tiles of spacing for other plant families
- Craft Gardeneer Hat first — you cannot see nutrient values without it
- Plant season-appropriate crops — they grow faster and with less stress
- Grow Cabbage + Tomato — Pierogi + Salsa Fresca covers HP and hunger basics