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Overview[]

A small functional farm
Farming allows a player to generate both food and useful materials in a sustainable fashion with very small energy inputs. In addition, farming gives a substantial amount of xp (100xp for planting, 200xp for harvesting), which helps new players level up faster.
The farming mechanic in Empyrion is fairly complex, and this guide is intended to help both new and experienced players get the most out of their farming operations.
Some useful links:
Requirements[]
At minimum, the following are needed:
- a functioning Base that can be left running continuously for at least 35 minutes (real time).
- a
Plant Grow Light
- a
Growing Plot
- a Sprout of some kind
The last three items can be found in the starting Escape Pod when playing easy start.
Basic Setup[]
In order to start farming:
- Place one or more Growing Plots with the dirt side up (default orientation) on either a Base or Capital Vessel.
- Place the Plant Grow Light on the ceiling above the Growing Plot.
- Make sure that there is a two block gap between the Growing Plot surface and the ceiling; one block is occupied by the Plant Grow Light, and the other will be occupied by the plant growing in the Growing Plot.
- Place a Sprout on top of the Growing Plot; a seedling will appear.
- Use the interaction key (default 'T') to harvest the plant once it is mature (see Farmable Plants for images).
Mechanics Notes[]
- One Plant Grow Light illuminates a 3x3 grid of blocks under it; therefore, a maximum of nine plants can be grown simultaneously from one Plant Grow Light.
- Currently (as of Pre-Alpha 5.2.1), unharvested food does not spoil, even with the Plant Grow Light turned off. Also, the Base/Capital Vessel need not contain an active Oxygen Station (CV,BA).
- Warning : Your plant will die if the temperature is under 0 °C.
- Walking on the plant doesn't seem to have any effect.
Planting Layouts[]
Depending on your food/material needs, and available space and power, there are a number of ways to efficiently plant a 3x3 farm. Note that the layouts detailed below are neither exhaustive nor optimal for every situation; use them as a starting point for your own farming setup:
Maximize Total Food[]
To maximize food points with or without additional processing, plant:
If eaten raw, total 360 food points, and if processed into Space Fries, total 675 food points per 30 minutes (real time).
Balance Food and Large Medikit Production[]
To have balanced production of food and Aloe Vera for creating
Large Medikit, plant:
Balance Food and Emergency Ration Production[]
To have balanced production of food and Pearthing Fruits,
Wheat, and
Corn for producing
Emergency Ration, plant:
Note that most of the time you will be eating the Corn by processing it into
Popcorn (except when using it to produce
Plastic Raw Material).
Balance Food and Canned Vegetables Production[]
To have balanced production of food and Tomatoes, and
Pearthing Fruits for producing
Canned Vegetables, plant:
Balance Food, Large Medikit, and Canned Meat Production[]
To have balanced production of food, and Aloe Vera for
Large Medikit and
Tomatoes for
Canned Meat, plant: