📖 Carrot Farming 101: Never Starve in DST Again
Ultimate Carrot Farming Guide
Master the art of growing carrots in Don't Starve Together - from basic techniques to advanced strategies
Introduction to Carrot Farming
Carrots are one of the staple vegetables in Don't Starve Together, offering a reliable food source when farmed correctly. Unlike wild carrots that don't regrow once harvested, farmed carrots are renewable, making them valuable for long-term survival.
Why Farm Carrots?
- Fast growth rate (approximately 0.75 days per stage in optimal seasons)
- Versatile food source (can be eaten raw, cooked, or used in crockpot recipes)
- Useful for befriending Bunnymen and as bait for rabbits
- Perfect for vegetarian characters like Wurt
Carrot Quick Facts
Getting Started: Planting & Growing Carrots
1. Obtaining Carrot Seeds
+The most reliable way to get carrot seeds:
- Feed a carrot to a caged bird to get a guaranteed carrot seed
- Harvest mature carrot plants (with minimal stress) to get bonus seeds
- Plant generic seeds for a ~31.6% chance to grow carrots
2. Setting Up Farm Plots
+To create farm plots:
- Craft a Garden Digamajig (found under Farm tools)
- Deploy the Digamajig to create farm soil
- Each Digamajig creates 4 farm plots
- Each plot can hold 9 crop spots in a 3x3 grid
For PC players, mods like Geometric Placement or Snapping Tills can help with neat layouts. Console players need to align manually.
3. Planting Process
+Follow these steps to plant your carrots:
- Equip a Garden Hoe to till rows in the farm plot
- Plant your carrot seeds in the tilled soil
- Ensure proper spacing (9 plants per 3x3 plot is ideal)
Carrots grow best in Autumn, Winter, and Spring. They grow approximately twice as fast in these seasons compared to Summer.
4. Watering & Care
+Proper care for your carrot plants:
- Watering: Use a Watering Can once per growth stage
- Tending: "Talk" to plants or play music once per stage
- Family: Keep 4+ carrot plants near each other
- Season: Grow in Autumn, Winter, or Spring
- Weeds: Remove any weeds promptly
Efficient Farming: Maximizing Yield
Understanding Nutrients
Carrots are Growth Formula consumers. They use Growth Formula from the soil and contribute some Compost and Manure back.
A growing carrot plant:
- Consumes 4 units of Growth Formula per stage
- Produces 2 units of Compost per stage
- Produces 2 units of Manure per stage
If you plant carrots in the same plot continually, they'll rapidly deplete the Growth Formula nutrient.
Nutrient Cycle Diagram
Cycle
Self-Feeding Crop Combinations
Instead of constantly adding fertilizer, use complementary crop combinations that balance nutrients naturally:
The 4-4-2 Combo
This 10-plant setup consistently produces giant crops with no additional fertilizer needed.
Basic Rotation
If you prefer simplicity:
- Plant a full plot of carrots
- After harvest, plant potatoes in the same plot
- Return to carrots after the potato harvest
This alternating pattern requires minimal fertilizer but won't be as efficient as the 4-4-2 combo.
Speeding Up Growth
+Maximize your carrot growth speed with these techniques:
- Keep Stress Low: Fully stressed carrots can take 3x longer to grow
- Character Bonuses: Wickerbottom's Applied Horticulture books can instantly advance crop growth
- 24-Hour Growth: Place a Dwarf Star (from Star Caller's Staff) near farms to enable night growing
- Cave Farming: Underground farming bypasses seasonal restrictions
Yield & Harvesting
+What you'll get from your carrot harvests:
Perfect Carrot (0-1 stress)
Becomes a Giant Carrot
Good Carrot (2-6 stress)
Regular carrot with bonus
Stressed Carrot (7+ stress)
Basic yield only
For fast replanting on PC, hold spacebar to quickly harvest, then rapidly plant new seeds. On console, use the active item to pick and immediately replant each spot.
Wormwood's Farming Advantages
+Wormwood has unique farming abilities:
- Can see soil nutrient values without a Gardeneer Hat
- When in full bloom, automatically tends nearby plants (within 1 tile)
- Can plant seeds in untilled ground (though they'll grow with stress)
- Farmhand skill tree upgrades extend tending range and increase harvest speed
Advanced Strategies: Giant Crops & Automation
Growing Giant Carrots
Giant crops occur when a plant has at most 1 stress point throughout its life. For giant carrots, you must meet all of these requirements:
Plant in Autumn, Winter, or Spring
3+ other carrots nearby
Keep soil wet 100% of each stage
Tend once per growth stage
No weeds or rot nearby
Max 10 plants in plot area
Adequate Growth Formula in soil
Hexagonal Farm Layout
Advanced players sometimes use a hexagonal pattern to optimize farm space:
○ • ○ • ○
• ○ • ○ •
○ • ○ • ○
• ○ • ○ •
This pattern is easier to implement with PC mods like Snapping Tills, but is possible on console with careful placement.
Automation & Efficiency
Friendly Fruit Fly
+The Friendly Fruit Fly is your automated farm helper:
- Automatically tends plants (satisfies happiness requirement)
- Occasionally fertilizes with manure
- Doesn't need feeding or maintenance
How to Get a Friendly Fruit Fly:
- Let 15+ plants/weeds grow wild or rot (all fully grown)
- The Lord of the Fruit Flies boss will spawn
- Defeat the boss to get a Fruit Fly Fruit
- Pick the fruit to release your friendly helper
Character Synergies
+Certain characters excel at farming:
Wormwood
- Sees nutrients without equipment
- Auto-tends when blooming
- Plants seeds anywhere
- Farmhand skill boosts
Wickerbottom
- Applied Horticulture books
- Instantly grow crops by 2+ stages
- Great for emergency harvests
- Perfect for synchronized giant crops
Warly
- Makes special recipes with vegetables
- Gains bonuses from varied dishes
- Perfect consumer for surplus crops
Wurt
- Vegetarian diet
- Gets full benefits from veggie dishes
- No meat penalty makes carrot-based meals better
In co-op, assign farming roles based on character strengths. A Wormwood + Wickerbottom team can create an extremely efficient farm operation.
PC Mods & Tools
+PC players can enhance farming with these mods:
Sprinkler Mods
Add craftable sprinklers to automate watering of crops. Load them with water and they'll periodically water nearby plants.
Combined Status / Insight
Displays moisture and nutrient levels without requiring special equipment, saving time and letting you monitor farms at a glance.
Geometric Placement / Snapping Tills
Creates perfectly aligned farm plots and makes complex patterns like hexagonal layouts much easier to implement.
QuickPick / ActionQueue
Lets you batch actions, making planting and harvesting faster. Hold a key to pick or plant multiple crops rapidly.
Protecting Your Farm
+Keep your carrot crops safe from threats:
Summer Heat
- Keep soil wet to prevent smoldering
- Install Ice Flingomatics to cover farm areas
- Consider farming in caves during summer (no smoldering)
Giants & Hounds
- Build farms slightly away from main base
- Use walls or fences to protect crops
- Be careful of walls too close to plants (might count as killjoys)
Cave Farming
Underground farming provides several benefits:
- No seasonal overheating issues
- Giant bosses don't spawn there
- Constant temperature
Just remember to provide light for crops to grow (natural light shaft or Dwarf Star).
Platform Differences: PC vs Console
PC Advantages
- Access to mods for automation and QoL improvements
- Easier precise planting with mouse control
- External tools and planners work better
- Earlier access to updates and fixes
Console Approaches
- Stick to simpler 3x3 grid patterns
- Use Gardeneer Hat for monitoring nutrients
- Utilize Wormwood's skills if available
- Same core strategies work, just requires more patience
Farm Planner Tool
Interactive 3×3 Plot Planner
Design your carrot farm layout and check nutrient balance:
Crop Selection:
Nutrient Analysis:
Optimal Combos Reference:
| Combo Name | Composition | Best Season | Giant Yield |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4-4-2 Classic | 4 Carrots, 4 Potatoes, 2 Garlic | Autumn, Winter, Spring | All Giant |
| 5-5 Dual Plot | 5 Carrots, 5 Pumpkins | Autumn | All Giant |
| Summer Carrots | 4 Carrots, 4 Eggplants, 1 Pepper | Summer | Partial Giants |
Farm Planner Tips
Understanding Crop Stress
+Plants accumulate stress points from various sources:
| Stress Source | Points | Prevention |
|---|---|---|
| Wrong Season | 1 | Plant in autumn/winter/spring |
| Dry Soil | 1 | Water once per stage |
| Loneliness | 1 | Have 3+ other carrots nearby |
| Unhappiness | 1 | Tend once per stage |
| Killjoys | 1+ | Remove weeds & rotting plants |
| Nutrient Deficiency | 1 | Use fertilizer or crop combos |
Seasonal Planning
+Adjust your farm for each season:
Autumn
Best Crops: Carrots, Potatoes, Pumpkins
Recommended: 4-4-2 combo (carrot/potato/garlic) or 5-5 combo (carrot/pumpkin)
Winter
Best Crops: Carrots, Potatoes, Garlic
Recommended: 4-4-2 combo (carrot/potato/garlic) or focus on stored foods
Spring
Best Crops: Carrots, Potatoes, Onions
Recommended: 4-4-2 combo (carrot/potato/garlic) or add onions
Summer
Best Alternative: Tomatoes, Peppers, Dragonfruit
For Carrots: Cave farming or accept slower growth with stress
Ideally, switch crop patterns seasonally for maximum efficiency, but the 4-4-2 combo works well for autumn through spring if you prefer consistency.
Tools & Resources
External Farm Planners
Several community-made tools to help optimize your farm:
- DST Farm Planner - Browser-based tool to simulate farm plots and crop combos
- Nutrient Calculator - Spreadsheet showing nutrient balance for different crop combinations
- Giant Crop Combination Charts - Visual guides for creating optimal giant crop layouts
These tools are especially useful for planning complex farms or hexagonal layouts.
PC Mods
PC players can enhance their farming experience with these popular mods:
- Geometric Placement / Snapping Tills - For perfectly aligned farm plots
- Combined Status / Insight - Displays soil moisture and nutrient values
- Sprinkler - Automated watering systems for crops
- Quick Pick / ActionQueue - Batch harvesting and planting
- Plant Rather Resilient - Prevents immediate decay of mature plants
In-Game Farm Tools
Essential items for efficient carrot farming:
Garden Digamajig
Creates farm plots (4 per use)
Garden Hoe
Tills soil for planting
Garden Rigamajig
For advanced farm operations
Watering Can
Waters crops (essential)
Gardeneer Hat
Shows soil nutrient levels
One-man Band
Tends multiple plants at once
Fertilizers Guide
Different fertilizers replenish different nutrients:
| Fertilizer Type | Primary Nutrient |
|---|---|
| Growth Formula | Growth Formula |
| Compost | Compost |
| Manure | Manure |
| Guano | Multiple |
Community Resources & Updates
Stay updated with the latest farming strategies:
- Klei Forums - Home to detailed farming guides like the "Starver's Guide to Hexagonal Farms"
- Reddit (r/dontstarvetogether) - Regular discussions and updates on farming techniques
- YouTube Guides - Visual tutorials on farm setup and maintenance
- Discord Communities - Real-time discussions and sharing of farm layouts
The farming system occasionally receives updates or tweaks with patches, so stay connected with the community for the latest information.
Happy farming in the Constant!
May your carrots grow giant and your belly stay full.