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Though there’s already plenty to see and do inMy Time at Sandrock, gardening at your Workshop is essential to creating hearty dishes at your Cooking Stations. The mechanic doesn’t unlock until a little way into the story, but helping repair the Moisture Farm in Sandrock brings your builder into the world of farming.
Stick down straw grids, choose your seed, and harvest your crops to improve your soil quality at the Workshop and broaden your culinary horizons as you do. With several different seeds offering several different ingredient, our guide teaches you how to farm effectively in the desert.
When Does Farming Unlock?
Since you’re doing more building than anything else in My Time at Sandrock, farming is alater-game addition. After you and Mi-an haverepaired the stageat the Blue Moon Saloonand helped the townsend Mason offin style, you’ll get a morning visit at your Workshop fromMatilda.
She explains thatZekelives up at theMoisture Farmin the northernmost part of Sandrock, and directs you to go pay him a visit. you’re able to either run up there, take your trusty mount, or try out the conveniently locatedYakmel stationat the Moisture Farm.
This is your introduction to the Yakmel stations if you haven’t used them already on your own, too.
When you arrive at the Moisture Farm, though, you’ll find itunder attack by Geeglers.Come prepared to fight- you’ll need tohelp Zeke fend off a few Geeglersbefore he’s got time to talk.
Once the monsters have been dispatched, Zeke explains to your builder and the Civil Corps that they’vebroken the hydrogelthat’s been keeping the Moisture Farm going, and that without it, growing produce in Sandrock will be all but impossible.
Zeke tells you tocommission blueprints fromDr. Qifor new parts, which will run youfive Data Discs. We have a full guide on how torebuild the hydrogel componentsat your Workshop, so once you’ve done this,bring theHydrogel Core and Hydrogel Doorback to Zeke.
He asks for some time to tidy up, and the following day, he sends you theblueprint for a Basic Planting Kit.
You can make the Planting Kitat your Worktableat your workshop for:
Once you’ve got your tools all set, goback to Zekeat the Moisture Farm for a brief farming tutorial. Zeke gives you afarming guideof his own and someSandrice seedsto get you started.
He tasks you withgrowing Sandricefor a quest calledThe Grass is Greener. It’s a main story quest to force your hand in learning to garden in My Time at Sandrock, sogrow your Sandrice and bring it to Zeketo conclude the arc.
From here, both theFarm Storeat the Moisture Farm andWater Worldby the Oasis in Sandrock will begin tosell seedsyou can plant at home.
More seeds unlock as you progress in the story, so keep checking back to see what you’re able to grow next.
How To Plant Crops
Plant And Water Seeds In Straw Grids
Planting your garden in My Time at Sandrock is a bit more convoluted than other games like it. To begin gardening, simplyuse your Basic Planting Kit while at your Workshopto begin farming.
After you use the kit for the first time, the gardening function becomes available from the Quick Menu.
The first thing you’ll need to do isbuild a straw grid. Straw is available from both Zeke and Burgess' shops, so be sure you’ve got some on hand. It’sone piece of straw per gridyou place.
Once your grid is plotted, select theseed bag on the menu at the bottom of the screen. When you’ve got multiple types of seeds, you’re able tocycle through seeds you have on hand or in storageto find the one you’d like to plant.
Choose a seed andplant within the straw grids, but be mindful thatsome larger crops require more than one straw grid to grow. Items like trees are larger and will need more space at your Workshop.
Depending on the newness of the soil plots, you may immediately see a blue icon above the new plant. This is your reminder thatyour plants need water. However, you’re growing crops that are pretty stable for a desert, meaningcrops don’t need to be watered every day.
Instead, when you check on your plants, you’ll see ablue meteron the plant’s info panel. This ishow hydrated the soil is, so be sure there’s always some water in the gauge, or your plants willdry out and wither.
Check your plants regularlyto keep an eye on their water levels and growth progress, potentiallyadding Fertilizeralong the way. Before you know it, you’ll be ready toharvest your crops when they’re fully grown.
If the crop is asingle-use croplike Sandrice and Wheat, you’re guaranteed to receiveat least one crop, but you’ve also got a50 percent chance to receive a seedfor that type of plant as well, helping save money for your next planting cycle.
Most crops are harvested completely, which means you’ll need toreplant a straw grid on that plotto plant there again.
However, if you’re harvestingtree crops, you don’t need to worry - thesecontinue to regrow every few daysonce the tree is fully grown, which continues until you uproot the plant.
Soil Quality And Biocrust
Though you start with dry, desert soil, you canincrease the soil quality by planting in the same plot multiple times in a row. When you harvest a fully-grown plant, it will leave behind some of its nutrients, which improves the soil for the next plant.
Better soil retains water and Fertilizerbetter than lesser soil, so it’s a huge benefit toreplant in the same spotwhen possible to continue improving the soil for later harvests.
After your soil reacheslevel fourin soil quality, that plot will turn intoBiocrust.This vastly improved soil allows you tofarm without needing straw gridson that particular plot, and it can safely bedug up and replanted elsewhereon the Workshop grounds, if you need to move your garden.
Zeke is also pretty prone to asking for Biocrust on the Commissions Board, but he appears to be the only townsperson who does.
You cansave any Biocrust you’re not using, either for future farm builds or for Zeke’s commissions.
Complete Crop List
Below isevery seedyou can plant in My Time at Sandrock, as well ashow long it will take to growandwhich cropsyou can hope to obtain upon harvest.
It’s important to note, though, thatcrops have seasons during which they grow the best. They’ll still grow outside of these seasons, but the growth rate will be much slower. This guide lists the growing time during their optimal season.
Seed Price and Location
2 Data Discs/1 Seed(Farm Store or Water World)
1 Data Disc/3 Seeds(Farming Store or Water World)
5 Data Discs/1 Seed(Farming Store or Water World)
Initial Growth:23 Days
Regrowth:5 Days
Prices marked with an asterisk are charged in Gols instead of Data Discs and are therefore subject to market price fluctuations. These are the average prices for these seeds.
