Growing Plants in Minecraft

26th Jan, 2023

Farmland

Farmland is required for many types of plants. With a hoe, you can create farmland by digging dirt blocks or grass. Farmland is similar to dirt but the blocks aren't as tall.

Farmland that is left unplanted for too long or that is jumped upon (by players, mobs), will revert back to dirt.

Irrigation

Farmland within 4 blocks will be irrigated or "hydrated" if it has water. Most crops do better on irrigated farmland that is dry.

Lighting

Light is essential for most crops to grow. They will grow outdoors, but they will also grow indoors if there is enough light.

You must provide artificial light to grow crops indoors and underground.

Bone Meal

Bone Meal can be fertilised to increase the growth of many crops. Bone Meal is made of skeleton bones and can be applied to your crop by right clicking.

Wheat

Wheat is the most common crop that you will grow.

Seeds

You will first need seeds. These can be obtained by breaking down blocks of long grass. You will also get more seeds if you harvest your wheat. Therefore, you only need a handful to start.

Planting your first crop

First, make a hoe.

...and make sure to add water. Plant your seeds and watch them grow. To ensure that your crops grow at night, place a torch near them so they are ready for harvest sooner.

This is how your first wheat farm will look.

Make Bone Meal if you have bones and fertilize your crops. Two applications are usually enough to fully ripen your wheat. If your wheat is not fully ripe, you will need to wait.

It is ready when it turns gold:

You will receive the wheat item, which can be used to feed sheep or cows, and more seeds when you harvest your wheat. You'll be able to plant a larger farm next time.

Larger fields

One block of water can irrigate 80 blocks farmland.

TIP: Place a lily pad in the water to prevent you from falling in while harvesting or replanting your wheat.

TIP: You can harvest wheat faster by pouring water on your field. However, replanting must be done block-by-block.

Melons and pumpkins

Melons can be used to make potions and are a useful food source. Although pumpkins are not edible, they can be used as helmets to protect against Endermen. You can also make Jack'o'Lanterns from pumpkins. This decorative lighting fixture is used to create snow golems.

Seeds

Both pumpkin seeds and melon can be found in abandoned mine shafts and dungeon chests. Sometimes, pumpkins can be found wild while melon seeds may be available from NPC villager.

You can make melon and pumpkin seeds from melon slices or pumpkins.

Planting

You must plant seeds on farmland, preferably irrigated. The seeds will then turn into a pumpkin or melons plant in between 10 and 30 minutes. Once the plant is mature, a pumpkin or melon will appear next to it on a farmland or dirt block.

Apply bonemeal to accelerate the growth of the seeds. The seed must be planted on farmland. However, the fruit will appear on dirt or farmland.
After harvesting, the plant will produce another fruit every 1-30 minutes.
The plant can only produce one fruit at a given time.
A pumpkin harvester's best friend is an axe, but melons can be harvested with any tool.

Farm Layouts

There are many ways to lay out farms. Here are two:

Lily Pads

To stop melon slices from falling in your farm's water, place lily pads on top.

Carrots and Potatoes

Zombies can sometimes drop potatoes and carrots, but they can also be found at NPC villages.

They are similar to growing wheat except that there are no seeds. Place carrots and potatoes in farmland. If possible, keep them hydrated. Wait. The process can be accelerated by using bonemeal. You will get more from your crops when you harvest them.

Both carrots and potatoes can be eaten raw. However, it is better to bake the potatoes first.

Beetroot

Another crop that can be found in villages is beetroot. You will receive both Beetroot Seeds and Beetroot Root when you harvest beetroot. These can be replanted.

Beetroot can either be eaten raw or made into Beetroot Soup. You can also make Rose Red dye from it.

Cocoa Beans

Cocoa beans can also be found in dungeon boxes or on trees in the jungle. You can grow them by planting the beans on the side or a Jungle Wood log. Either use a living tree or take a piece from the tree and place it where you like. They will grow through many stages and can be harvested once they are ripe.

Nether Wart

Nether Wart is only available in Nether Fortresses. However, once you have some, it can be grown anywhere. It can be planted in Soul Sand and harvested when it is fully grown.

It doesn't require light, but it can't be accelerated by bone meal. You can only grow it in soulsand, not regular dirt.