Farming

[Terex 108]

I'd like to know if there is any way to prevent crops from popping off the ground when temperature is below zero by e.g. building a solid or glass roof over the farmland, or farming near a lava source or hot spring. For the latter, I can see the apparent temperature rise in the debug screen, but maybe farming is not affected. If anyone has tips and tricks for farming in TFC, I'd be glad to hear about them.

[gufferdk 7]

My tricks are:

1. Place torches next to the plants (helps keeping the temperature up).

2. If there are several biomes in your vicinity find the one with the hottest average biome temp. (not sure if this works but it's worth trying).

3. Wait until late April to plant (optimal time where i am, may vary depending on your z-coordinate).

4. Travel towards the equator (Z=0) for higher temperatures.

[Terex 108]

Thanks gufferdk. I understand moving towards the equator of course solves the problem of winter. Do torches help? Perhaps a dev can explain if "apparent temp" does anything at the moment.

[Kittychanley 1,002]

The "apparent temp" value in the debug screen is for the eventual body temperature system. The actual temperature value that crops use when calculating growth is different than any of the temp values on the debug screen, but it's closest value is to "temp" with the difference that it isn't affected by light level.

 

It should also be noted that the temp decrease from lower light levels is only for areas that aren't affected by sunlight. So since crops need direct access to the sky, they are already in areas that are affected by sunlight, so torches will do absolutely nothing to affect temperature. If the area is only dark because it's night out, it is already at the highest temperature possible.

 

Long story short, there is absolutely nothing you can do to keep crops warmer in 78.17.

[Terex 108]

Ok thanks for the info.

[dunkleosteus 2,425]

To add to what kitty said, large-scale green-housing wasn't feasible with the materials and technology of the time period^{[citation needed]} and so most likely won't find it's way into a future build either.

[Terex 108]

In the future though, can crop growth/stability be affected by proximity to lava for instance? Decay is already affected by hot lava, so why not crop growth.

 

(Of course getting too close to lava will realistically burn everything)

[TonyLiberatto 364]

I dont know about lava but maybe we could have hot springs heat up and area enough to prevent crops popping out.

I have never seen a hot spring in a snow place in real life.

Can anyone tell me how do plants behave close to a hot spring IRL?

[Palisight 34]

If you are asking if plants grow naturally near hot springs. Very few would (presumedly nothing in the mod)

 

If you are asking what would happen if they were manually planted. Well to keep them alive you'd probably need extreme measures. What exactly that would require I have no idea.

 

The idea really isn't practicle if you have to worry about winter (I'm assuming your idea is to farm in the winter)

[TonyLiberatto 364]

To be honest I hate snow so much in real life that i cannot stand to it even in the game.

The only good snow is the one around my beer in the fridge.

The first thing I do when starting a new world or server is to travel closer to the equator so I don't have to deal with it.

My question was about hot springs in real life, like the ones in Yellowstone park. I have never seen a hot spring in a snow environment in real life.

So can anyone tell me if they heat up an area around that makes possible for plants to survive the winter? Again I am talking about Real Life.

I hear so many people complaining about losing their crops to snow winter, It happened to me once. The next winter found me a lot closer to the equator.

[Palisight 34]

Many plants do survive the winter

 

Your crops won't however

 

Think about it, if what you were saying was true, wouldn't the area now known as Yellowstone historically been used as farmland?

[dunkleosteus 2,425]

Talking to my grandfather last month and he mentioned that onions are planted in fall and harvested in spring. It's not something I'd really thought about before, and I'm sure people who have more experience growing vegetables would know, but it certainly opens the possibility to change how certain crops grow.

[dutchraptor 20]

Depending on where you live. If you live in Ireland, or southern England then some winter crops are feasible.

 

The winter crops I know of are Asparagus, onions, garlic, broad beans, pea's, some forms of lettuce, cabbage or spinach.

I'm not really sure about leeks and parsnips though I know that wild parsnips can grow through winter.

 

I only just got into my own vegetables so I'm not all too well informed.

 

I think a better diet for winter could include mushrooms. chanterelles, winter chanterelles and hedgehog fungi grow right up through the Christmas and provide a bountiful supply of food.

For the next 6 months you can literally pick a basket of mushrooms every single day if you know where to look.

[TonyLiberatto 364]

Many plants do survive the winter

 

Your crops won't however

 

Think about it, if what you were saying was true, wouldn't the area now known as Yellowstone historically been used as farmland?

Yeah you right. Like I said I live in Florida no snow here.

I was thinking on a way for people to be able to keep their crops warm in the winter maybe by diverting water from hot springs to wet and heat up the crops.

But the more I think about the more I realize that it is not believable.

What we need is better storing for the food that we already produce so we can survive the winter.

What if tie to the decaying system a maximum time of 1 year or 6 months 

So whatever you stockpile for one winter will not be good for the next.

I think it would be a way to achieve believable with game play balance.

[Tsuarok 47]

I dont know about lava but maybe we could have hot springs heat up and area enough to prevent crops popping out.

I have never seen a hot spring in a snow place in real life.

Can anyone tell me how do plants behave close to a hot spring IRL?

 

I visited some hot springs in Colorado during the winter some years ago.  The heat seems to just go straight up; snow went right up to the edge of the water.  Of course, if they stuck a glass house over it, the plants would easily grow.