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Gardening System

Cultivate the land and manage livestock through New Dawn's comprehensive Gardening system. Grow crops, harvest resources, and maintain sheep for wool production in this agricultural addition to the classic UO experience.

Overview

The Gardening system allows players to engage in agricultural activities beyond simple farming. Collect seeds from animals, cultivate plants, grow cotton and flax, and manage sheep for wool production. This system adds depth to resource gathering and provides alternative methods for obtaining crafting materials.

Plant Cultivation

Obtaining Seeds

Seeds are obtained from animals that naturally eat seed-bearing plants:

  • Animals like bears drop seeds based on their diet
  • Seed drops are chance-based when animals are killed
  • Different animals drop different seed types
  • Higher-level animals may drop rarer seeds

Seed Types:

  • Crop seeds for farming
  • Decorative plant seeds
  • Special resource-bearing plants

Fertile Dirt

To plant seeds, you need fertile dirt:

  • Source: Animals that spend time in dirt (boars, etc.)
  • Chance-based drop when animal is killed
  • Required for planting seeds
  • One fertile dirt per planting

Planting and Growth

  1. Use fertile dirt in a location you want to plant
  2. Target the prepared soil with your seed
  3. Wait for the plant to grow
  4. Growth time varies by plant type
  5. Harvest when mature

Location Matters

Indoor plants may have different growth rates and requirements than outdoor plants. Experiment with placement.

Cotton and Flax Farming

Wild Cotton and Flax

Cotton and flax can be found growing naturally throughout the world:

  • New cotton and flax fields are sprouting across Britannia
  • Harvestable by all players
  • Resource captcha checks may occur during farming
  • Renewable resource that regrows over time

Young Player Cotton

Special cotton fields exist specifically for young players:

  • Only harvestable by players with young status
  • Helps new players get started with tailoring
  • Located in protected young player areas
  • Cannot be harvested by veteran players

Farming Mechanics

When harvesting cotton or flax:

  • Use appropriate tool on the plant
  • Receive cotton or flax in your pack
  • Resource captcha may trigger (answer correctly to continue)
  • Plant respawns after a delay
  • Skill gains possible in related skills

Sheep Farming

Wool Production System

Sheep produce wool over time, but their production is affected by their environment and hunger level:

Outdoor Sheep:

  • Produce wool every 2 hours
  • Natural environment is optimal
  • Can graze and maintain health

Indoor Sheep:

  • Wool production depends on hunger level
  • Stacking sheep stops wool production entirely
  • Must be properly maintained

Hunger-Based Production

Indoor sheep wool production scales with hunger:

Hunger Level Food Points Production Time
Well-Fed 18-20 1.5 hours
Satisfied 10+ 2 hours
Peckish 5+ 6 hours
Hungry 2 8 hours
Starving <2 12 hours

Feeding Your Sheep

To maintain wool production:

  • Feed sheep regularly with appropriate food
  • Monitor hunger levels
  • Keep sheep in proper conditions
  • Don't overcrowd (stacked sheep don't produce wool)

Sheep Farms

Simply stacking sheep in your house like "cordwood" won't work. You need to provide proper space and feeding to maintain wool production.

Optimal Sheep Management

Best Practices:

  • Keep sheep outdoors when possible (2-hour production)
  • If indoors, maintain feeding schedule
  • Don't stack multiple sheep in one tile
  • Provide adequate space for movement
  • Monitor hunger levels regularly

Poor Practices:

  • Overcrowding sheep
  • Ignoring hunger levels
  • Indoor stacking without feeding
  • No space for sheep to exist properly

Farmers and NPCs

Farmer NPCs

Farmers can be found in agricultural areas:

  • Sell farming supplies
  • Buy agricultural products
  • Provide farming advice
  • Random banter about farming life
  • Some may sell seeds or fertile dirt

Interactions

  • Talk to farmers for tips
  • Sell excess crops and materials
  • Purchase farming supplies
  • Learn about new farming techniques

Resource Captcha

To prevent automated resource gathering:

  • Captcha checks can trigger while farming cotton, flax, or other resources
  • Answer the captcha correctly to continue
  • Failure to answer prevents further gathering temporarily
  • Gradually increasing chance rather than fixed timers
  • Applies to various resource gathering activities

Strategy & Tips

Plant Cultivation Tips

  • Hunt animals in diverse locations for varied seeds
  • Keep fertile dirt stocked for planting opportunities
  • Plant in accessible locations
  • Mark rune to your garden locations
  • Experiment with indoor vs outdoor growth

Cotton/Flax Farming Tips

  • Farm during off-peak times for less competition
  • Keep bags organized for mass gathering
  • Watch for captcha prompts
  • Mark good farming locations
  • Young players should utilize young-only fields

Sheep Management Tips

  • Outdoor is best: 2-hour wool production without feeding
  • Indoor requires work: Keep them fed and happy
  • Space matters: Don't overcrowd
  • Monitor hunger: Check regularly
  • Plan feeding routes: Efficient feeding schedule

Common Mistakes

  • Overcrowding indoor sheep
  • Forgetting to feed indoor sheep
  • Not checking hunger levels
  • Expecting stacked sheep to produce wool
  • Ignoring resource captchas (get timed out)

Integration with Crafting

Tailoring

  • Cotton and flax for cloth production
  • Wool from sheep for various items
  • Resource for creating clothing and equipment

Other Crafts

  • Some seeds may provide resources for alchemy
  • Decorative plants for housing
  • Special resources for unique recipes

Future Expansion

The Gardening system may expand to include:

  • More crop varieties
  • Advanced farming techniques
  • Irrigation systems
  • Seasonal crops
  • Agricultural achievements

Patch History

The Gardening system was introduced in Patch 0.44:

  • 0.44: Initial plant/gardening system implementation
  • 0.44: Seed drops from animals
  • 0.44: Fertile dirt system
  • 0.44: Cotton and flax fields added
  • 0.44: Sheep wool production with hunger system
  • 0.45: Cotton/flax farming captcha added
  • 0.45: Farmer NPC banter added
  • 0.45: Young player cotton fields

For detailed changes, see the patch notes.