nocware
Quick answer
- Crops need light level 9 or higher to grow.
- Farmland stays wet if there's water within 4 blocks.
Bone meal skips 2 to 5 growth stages at once.
Food is easy once a farm runs well. These rules apply to Wheat, 
Carrot, 
Potato and beetroot crops.
Farm Output CalculatorCalculate Minecraft farm production, items per hour and required shulker boxes and chests→
Water
Till dirt with a hoe to make farmland. It needs water within 4 blocks sideways, on the same level or one above.
The 9×9 plotOne water source in the middle of a 9×9 square keeps all 80 farmland blocks wet.
Light
Crops grow at light level 9 or more. Sunlight works in the day. Place a Torch or other light to keep them growing at night and underground.
Layout
Crops grow faster when the rows next to them are a different crop, or bare farmland. Plant alternating rows of wheat and carrots instead of one big block of wheat.
8growth stages for wheat
~31 minfor wheat to grow in a good layout
Bone meal
Use Bone meal on a crop to push it forward 2 to 5 stages. Get it from bones, or turn spare plants into bone meal in a composter.
Don't jump on itJumping on farmland turns it back into dirt. Cover your water source with a slab so you don't fall in and trample the crops climbing out.
Crops only grow while you're nearby, in loaded chunks. Build your farm close to where you spend time.
Cheat sheet
- Light level 9+
- Water within 4 blocks
- Alternate crop rows
- Bone meal skips 2 to 5 stages
Farm Progress TrackerTrack popular Minecraft farms by world, using item icons and saved completion progress→
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