The farming skill has been one of my least favorite skills since it inception. It took only a mind numbing skill like summoning to remove it from the very top spot of my list of crappiest skills. I suspect I really never gave it much of a chance when it was released, in part to how tediously boring it was, and in part because I couldn’t see any value to it. I have never been very sociable on Runescape, keeping to myself and never doing any player to player trading. As thus I would be restricted to general store prices and farming really had no value to me at the time. Plus my thieving wasn’t high enough to steal seeds from the seed stalls or master farmers. So I was often restricted to hoping for a random drop of seeds from a random monster. Thus, I tried working with farming for about a week and then spent the next couple of years ignoring it completely. It was only with the advent of the Grand Exchange that I started to notice some valuable aspects of Farming. And it wasn’t until I started to writing this blog that I researched more fully the value of farming.

For the record, as I already mentioned I haven’t spent much time training the farming skill. At the time of writing this blog I am at level 40. So take my advice with as much value as you perceive my experience dictates. But I have found a couple of techniques that truly seem to provide a nice, tidy profit. I know there are even more profitable farming techniques lurking, but, being at such a low level, the following are the only ones I have been able to use.

First things first, farming is a skill best trained dressed light weight. There can be a lot of running around (at least using my techniques), and light clothing with keep energy depletion to a minimum. Also, you should be willing to use a bunch of runes for teleportation. Don’t worry about the money, the crops should still provide a very sizable profit. It also should be used in conjunction with training another skill, like fishing or mining.

If you have at least level 27 magic I would suggest making an Amulet of Nature. Do not confuse this with an Amulet of Farming (whose features are very minimal). An Amulet of Nature will allow you to bind yourself with any one farming plot. It will then let you check on the status of that crop from anywhere within Runescape. Also, if your crop becomes diseased it will allow you to teleport directly to that patch. Amulets of Nature are non-tradable so you will need to make one. First, get your hands on a emerald amulet that is unstrung (765gp). Then buy a magic string (4500gp). If you can’t get your hands on string, buy a magic root (7200gp) and use it on a spinning wheel (there is one upstairs in Lumbridge castle). Use the magic string on the amulet. Then use an enchant jewelry spell on it. Ta-dah! BTW: This amulet is of most use while being worn. Also, on a side note that I have yet to confirm, it might be superstition more than anything else, but it seems like harvests are slightly better while wearing the amulet. Again, I have not confirmed this effect, but it is something to note.

Now, for the money makers. Lets start with Toadflax. Toadflax seeds are a fairly inexpensive herb seed at only 300gp. When grown the grimy herbs sell for around 2100gp each. Only one seed needs to be planted per herb plot, and I tend to grow an average of five herbs. You should always use supercompost with these seeds to help prevent disease and increase harvests. The general growing time is around 75 minutes. It is Toadflax herb plots that I usually bind to my Amulet of Nature. For those who suck at math, Toadflax is an 800gp investment (the seed plus 500gp for supercompost) with an average return of 10.5k. In little over an hour you have made a 1300% profit. Not too bad. I usually try to keep three Toadflax plots going at the same time (see below for which three and how).

Always near a herb patch is a flower patch. This is where I plant my next money maker, Marigold. Marigold seeds sell for 70gp, but the fully grown flowers sell for 2700gp for a profit of 2630gp, or 3800%. Marigold only takes around 17 minutes to grow and only requires one seed. I just use standard compost with Marigolds.

If Marigolds aren’t your thing, try planting Limpwurt in a flower patch (yes, I too was surprised it was a flower). Limpwurt seeds sell for 300gp but produce three roots which sell for 850gp each (or 2550gp total). Like Marigolds, Limpwurts only require one seed and grow in about 17 minutes. Here also I only use regular compost.

There are some other combinations that I can use at my current level, but the initial investments are too risky and offer a far less profitable return. Ranarr is an example of this. Ranarr seed sells for 20k. Even assuming an average harvest of five Ranarr herbs (26k), that only leaves a 6k profit or a 23% profit. Noting that harvests do have a good chance of dying, it is just too much risk for so little return.

I like to use the farming patches in Catherby. They are very close to a bank, a farm store, a general store, and prime fishing spots. I use the Camelot teleport, then walk east to Catherby. It only take a minute and on the way through I usually kill off the two unicorns that hang out just west of the farm plots. I’ll plant my Toadflax (plus supercompost) and Marigolds. My Amulet of Nature is bound to the Toadflax plot. If I harvested anything before planting I will stop off at the bank and store it. I also usually top off my watering can at the house north east of the bank. If I have time I’ll go off and kill the unicorns again (anyone who has read much of my blog knows that any unicorn near me will be having a very bad day). At this point I can do a couple of things. I can run down to the shore and do some fishing. That is a good way to make even more money and kill time while maintaining a close watch on the farming plots. Or I will teleport to Winkin’s Farm and play a little Vinesweeper (another way to pass time and make experience points while maintaining a close eye on the farming plots). Or I do some mass training of the farming skill and plant on other plots throughout the world of Runescape.

If I do mass plant I usually walk/run from Catherby southwest (killing the Unicorns on the way) to the plots just north of Ardougne. There I plant the same crops, some Toadflax and Limpwurt or Marigolds. There is a master farmer in the general area to pickpocket, but I normally just do my brief farming stint and move on to the next set of plots.

The last set of plots I attend to are those south a Falador. There are many other plots within Runescape, but these three areas are the main ones I stick to. If my Explorer’s Ring (available as a reward from the Lumbridge/Draynor achievement diary) is charged I will teleport to the cabbage patch just south of the farming plots. If I don’t have charges left I will just use the Falador teleport and walk/run to the farming patch. Of course the same crops are planted here. I then teleport back to Camelot, walk east, kill the Unicorns, and check on the Catherby plots. Wash, rinse, and repeat.

You have probably noticed I have not mentioned anything about allotment patches. That is because I have no interest in farming with the exception of making money. I don’t really care about the xp. But if I do use the allotments, I will typically plant tomatoes because they have some nominal value. The seeds sell for 16gp and each tomato sells for around 44gp. I usually harvest about nine or ten tomatoes. Three seeds are need for allotments and I will only use regular compost. The total investment is 48gp with a return of about 440gp (or little less than 1000%). But for the most part I think allotments are more trouble then they are worth.

Here are some final thoughts. Kill the unicorns. Then. Try to bring along a butterfly net and an impling jar. I see implings all the time while farming. Kill more unicorns. You might as well bring your spy notebook with you because you never know if you are going to see a penguin spy while running around. Remember to dress light and kill more unicorns. The master farmers and seed stalls are excellent sources of seeds and thieving experience, but if you want to purchase your seeds you’ll find some good prices on the grand exchange. Lastly, keep a bottle of plant cure with you (but don’t worry, the nearby farming stores also sell the potion). And that is about all I have to say on this topic.

BTW: I usually come away with 50k of unicorn horns during a day of farming.

Do you hate farming but need farming experience? Are you easily amused, even by the games that come standard with Windows? Then you are sure to enjoy Vinesweeper.

Vinesweeper is an amusing mini game within Runescape that is basically a Runeized version of the classic puzzle game, Minesweeper. I have never been a big fan of Minesweeper, but I know people who swear it is the greatest puzzle game of all time. I have even heard that JK Rowling, the writer of the Harry Potter series of books, when needing a break from writing, would turn to Minesweeper. Being a simple game and yet having such a large following made it a logical choice for a Jagex twist. Vinesweeper provides a pleasant distraction and a nice way to earn some otherwise tedious farming experience.

To get to the Vinesweeper game is very simple. Just ask any farming tool leprechaun to transport you. This makes Vinesweeper one of the most easily accessible mini games in the world of Runescape. But before you go finding a leprechaun, get a spade and a bunch of money out of your bank account. I prefer to bring 20k with me, but this is often overkill. The better a player is at this game, the less gp you will need to spend. Once you’re ready, find a tool leprechaun and have him teleport you to Farmer Blinkin’s farm. I like to use the leprechaun by the farming patch in the court yard of Varrock Castle, but any farming patch will do.

Once you are at Farmer Blinkin’s farm, read the instructions (the four signs to the east) and then find the farmer and his wife and talk to each of them. You will basically be told that you are about to par-take in a game of frigging Minesweeper, except instead of mines to avoid, you will be looking out for seeds. I am not going to go over all the different strategies to playing this game. There are thousands of Minesweeper guides on the Internet that will effectively apply to Vinesweeper.

You will initially be given 10 flags, which you are supposed to place over areas where you suspect seeds are hidden. A farmhand will come by a short while latter and dig up the spot and if seeds are there you will receive points. The amount of points is random and based partially on your farming level. If anyone is near you when you get points, they too will get some points. I don’t exactly understand why. But on the other hand I have never played a multiplayer game of Minesweeper before. But watch out, it may take a little while for a farmhand to get to you, and the moment you plant a flag, the bunnies throughout the farm will start twitching their noises and sense nearby food. If they get to your flag before a farmer does they will eat the seeds and steal the flag. You can get rid of nearby bunnies temporarily by feeding them Ogleroot, which is available for sale from Farmer Blinkin, or occasionally found while digging up his farm fields. This will also earn you 30 hunting experience.

If you plant a flag over a spot that does not contain seeds the farmhand will develop an attitude and take away the flag and not give it back. The farmhand will also take away your flag when you do find seeds, but those flags he’ll give back later.  When you’ve run out of flags return to Farmer Blinkin and ask him to sell you some. He will return any flags that were collected when seeds were found. He will then be willing to sell you more flags for 500gp each. You can have a total of ten flags in your inventory at any given time. I don’t understand the point of this flag restriction.

Once you’ve tired of the game and want to return to the greater world of Runescape, just stop by Mrs. Blinkin and exchange your points for seeds, compost potions, flags and most importantly, farming experience. Players with a farming level of 40 or more will receive the same amount of experience as the points they earned (a 1:1 ratio).  Lower level farmers will receive a lesser ratio of points to xp. You can then exit the farm via the portal in the northeast and return to the farming plot you left from. If you have flags on you when you leave, they will be returned to the farm (but will be available on your return). If you had any Ogleroot, it will be traded in at 10gp a root.

Somethings to remember: Every time you dig safely and numbers appear around your dig site, you will get the same amount of points as the numbers that appeared. If you accidentally dig up a seed you will lose points. If you are not certain that a mound contains a seed you can right click and investigate it. This takes extra time and doesn’t always return a definitive answer, but it can be helpful. If you dig and a large area opens up, every mound around the perimeter of the opening is safe to click.

If you’re not interested in getting farming experience, try to earn 1000 points. That is enough points to buy one Kwuarm seed, which retails on the Grand Exchange at 6200gp. Another good investment is Ranarr seed at 4000 points, which sells for around 21k. Kwuarm and Ranarr seeds have the best value to point ratios in the game. If you don’t want to spend the time earning all those points, try buying Limpwurt seed for 70 points. It sells on the GE for 290gp.  Poison Ivy seed is also a good investment with only a 30 point requirement and a 130gp resale.