After spending countless hours playing the game for over a decade, I’ve come to appreciate the art of farming.

If you just started playing this game, everything might initially look too overwhelming. However, you need to know it isn’t only about survival; it’s about creating a sustainable and efficient system that keeps you stocked with resources while adding life to your builds.

You need food to survive your everyday life in the game. Whether it's your first day here or your 1000th day, it doesn't matter. Starting off, you can go by killing off some animals you see on the site, but as you move further in the game, it's only advised to set up proper farms that can give you a constant supply of food.

Other than this, you will also need some resources like iron, gold, bamboo, and a lot more. You can set up some basic farms for all these to start with, learn the art, and then turn all the farms into their automated version.

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Let’s check out all the types of farms you must have in your world.

What is Farming and Why It Is Essential in Minecraft

As mentioned above, Farming is one of those things that makes the game feel alive. It is all about turning your little patch of land into a reliable source of resources. Whether it’s growing crops like wheat and carrots, raising animals for food and materials, or even creating elaborate systems for sugarcane or bamboo, farming adds a layer of strategy to the game I’ve always loved.

The real question why do you need to farm in the game? Here are a few things that farming makes easier.

1. You’ll Never Go Hungry Again

You simply cannot go hungry for a long time in the game, and it can be a real pain if you’re deep in a cave or building something massive.

Farming will ensure you never go hungry again and find a constant and reliable food source, whether it’s bread from wheat, baked potatoes, or cooked meat from the friendly animal mobs.

2. All the Available Resources

It isn’t just about the food you will be farming and needing in the game, but other resources, such as Coal, Wool, Leather, Iron, etc. You can set up a farm for each of these and save a ton of your time hunting or gathering these resources throughout the game, which can be tedious.

3. Animal Breeding

By now, you might know that farming isn’t all about growing crops; it’s also the foundation for breeding animals. To breed animals in Minecraft, you’ll need specific types of food, most of which come from farming, such as Wheat, carrots, Potatoes, and seeds for the chickens.

4. Trading With Villagers

If you’ve ever tried to get emeralds, you know that trading with villagers is the way to go. With a farm, you can grow crops like carrots, potatoes, and melons, which are perfect for trading. Before you know it, you’ll have enough emeralds to buy enchanted gear or rare items.

Farming Preparation- Take the First Steps

Now that you know all about Farming and why it is important, let’s start with some baby steps and gather resources and the necessary tools.

Before planting the trees and crops, you need a few essential tools and items.

Hoe: It is one of the most essential tools for farming in the game. You can craft it by using two sticks and two materials, such as wood, stone, iron, gold, diamond, or netherite.

You can start with a wooden hoe, but getting at least a stone hoe that will last much longer is recommended. The major function of a hoe is ​​to till dirt or grass blocks, turning them into farmland.

Water: The next resource you will need for farming is water, obviously. For this, you need to craft a bucket of water using iron ingots.

Then, place the water source within 4 blocks of your farmland. A single water source block can hydrate up to a 9x9 area of farmland (with the water in the center).

Lighting: Another important factor that allows the crops to grow much faster is lighting. Natural sunlight is the best source, but artificial light works, too, which is especially useful for underground or nighttime farming.

During the day, you will have sunlight for the crops; however, during the night, you can craft multiple torches and use them to light up the farm. It is easy to craft and provides a light level of around 14.

Location: This might be ignored by many, but it does play a crucial role in making or breaking your farm. Farming on flat terrain is much easier, especially for beginners. It’s simpler to till the soil, manage water, and expand your farm later. Look for flat areas like plains or open grasslands for your first farm.

Also, make sure it is near your base and has a reliable water source around you if needed. The best biome for farming or even your base is the Plains. It works well whether you are building your first base or your 5th.

Crop Farming

Let’s first talk about crop farming and all the crops you can grow in the game for food, trading, and also for breeding animals. Considering you have the tools with you for farming and the land is prepared.

Here is a list of all the crops you can grow.

1. Wheat

Wheat is the most versatile and beginner-friendly crop to grow in Minecraft. All you need are the wheat seeds, which you can collect by breaking tall grass.

These are mostly found in grassy biomes like plains, forests, and deserts. Use a hoe to cut the grass and collect the seeds. Then, plant these seeds on your farm and wait until they go through 8 stages, each looking progressively taller and fuller. The final stage is golden in color.

Furthermore, when broken and collected, these wheat plants yield 1 wheat and about 2-3 seeds too. These wheat crops can then be used to craft bread, breed cows and sheep, and trade with villagers for emeralds.

2. Potatoes

Next up, you can plant potatoes. They are also the easiest to grow; you can find potato plants in multiple instances, such as in loot chests, village farms, and sometimes even Zombies drop these plants.

These can be used as a food source by eating them raw and cooking them, too. Like Wheat, you can trade Potatoes for Emeralds with the farmers and add the excess potatoes to a composter to produce bone meal.

3. Carrots and Beetroot

You can also plant carrots and beetroot along with potatoes and wheat on your farm. Speaking of carrots, you can get the plant through Zombie drops, village farms, and multiple chests spread across the Minecraft world.

Once you are done planting the carrots and they are fully grown, you’ll receive 2–5 carrots per block. Since they do not need seeds, you can use the carrots to grow more.

Likewise, you can use Carrots as a food source and even for breeding animals on your farm. Further, these carrots and gold nuggets can be used to craft a golden carrot, used as high-saturation food for long adventures, and to brew Night Vision potions.

Moving on, we have Beetroot. You will need the respective seeds for this, which may not be as easy as others. These are obtainable in village farms, loot chests, and other wandering traders. Each harvest will give you one beetroot and 0-3 beetroot seeds.

Eating beetroot has huge advantages; it restores 1 hunger point when eaten raw. Likewise, you can combine 6 beetroots with 1 bowl to craft beetroot soup. It restores 6 hunger points, making it a decent mid-game food source.

4. Pumpkin and Berries

Other than all these crops, you can also grow Pumpkin, which can further be used to make Pumpkin pie that restores 8 hunger points.

If you want a much simpler crop to grow, try out Sweet Berries. They require no water or tilling—just plant them on the ground. Although they restore only 2 hunger points per berry, they are still good for the early game.

Prepare for Animal Farm

Just like crop farming, we will also need a few other sets of resources for animal farming. Here is everything you need to set up.

1. Fences and Gates: Collect wood from the trees around you and craft fences and gates. You can then create pens for the animals with gates that will help you enter and exit if needed.

2. Animal Bait: Now, if you are new here, it is important to note that each animal is attracted to a specific food. For example: Cows and Sheep- Wheat, Carrots, Potatoes and Beetroots- Pigs, Seeds- Chickens, etc.

3. Location: Make sure the animal farms are close to your base or your crop farms for easy supply of food to the animals. Ensure proper lighting to prevent mobs from spawning near your animals.

Animal Farming- List of Must-Have Animals

Now, let's look at the list of all the animals you will need for leather, wool, food, and all the other sources.

1. Cows

This is one of the most important and must-have animals for your farm. They are not only needed as a food source but also for crafting materials.

Cows drop raw beef, which can be cooked into steak. It is one of the most efficient foods, restoring 8 hunger points and a high level of saturation. Likewise, you can milk cows using a bucket to obtain milk, which cures negative status effects like poison.

They also drop around 0-2 Leather, an essential resource in the game. It is used in crafting books, Leather Armor, and more. You can also use a Looting enchantment on your sword to increase leather drops.

2. Sheep

Sheep are yet another essential addition to your farm. They commonly spawn in grassy biomes like plains, hills, and forests.

You can use Sheep to extract wool which is essential in making beds, banners, and paintings. Similarly, you can also dye the sheep to get colored wool for decorative purposes. Once you start an automated sheep farm, you can kill the sheep for mutton, restoring 6 hunger points.

Tip: Breeding dyed sheep results in lambs that inherit one parent’s color or a mix of both. For example, a red and blue sheep might produce purple offspring.

3. Chicken

A lot of users prefer having Chickens on their farm since they are the easiest to maintain. You get eggs from Chickens used to make cakes and pumpkin pies. They also drop feathers essential for crafting arrows, which are crucial for ranged combat.

Similarly, Chickens are a great source of raw chicken that restores 6 hunger points. As mentioned, you can create an automated farm with chickens for egg, feather, and meat production, making them one of the easiest mobs to farm.

4. Hoglins

Hoglins are hostile mobs native to the Crimson Forest biome in the Nether. They are the only renewable source of food in the Nether; hence, you will need them to survive in the dimension.

These hostile mobs drop raw pork chops, which can be cooked to restore hunger and saturation. Likewise, they also drop leather, a versatile material for crafting armor, books, and more.

There are other animal farms that you can set up, such as pigs and horses. All of these are great sources of food and leather, and they can even be used to transport goods around your base. Remember to have proper lighting around the farms to keep the hostile mobs away and protect them.

Tree Farming- Why You Need It?

You might be wondering why you would need to set up a tree farm when there are hundreds of trees around Minecraft. Having a proper farm will save you loads of time in the game. Instead of collecting wood and traveling long distances, you can get all the resources at your base.

Wood is one of the most essential resources in Minecraft for crafting some very important tools and also for building structures around you every step of the way. Whether you are building your bed or crafting pens for the farms, you need wood.

How to Start a Tree Farm

Here is a step-by-step guide to get started with a tree farm.

Step 1: Gather the Saplings

To grow trees, you’ll need saplings, which can be obtained by breaking the leaves of trees after cutting them down.

The game has different types of trees, and each drops its respective sapling, such as Oak, Birch, Spruce, Jungle, Acacia, etc. Simply chop down the trees, break down the leaves, and collect the saplings for harvesting.

Step 2: Location

If you have collected enough saplings, choose a location for your tree farm. Considering you have already set up a crop or animal farm and have enough space to set up the tree farm, go for it. The closer it is to your base and other farms, the better it is.

Furthermore, ensure that the sapling has enough spacing to grow. Small trees such as Oak and Birch should be planted 2 blocks apart, while large trees such as Spruce should have a 4x4 area for giant versions.

Step 3: Light It Up

Just like crops, trees need light to grow. During the day, the sunlight will take care of the light source. However, if you are farming underground or at night, place torches, lanterns, or glowstones nearby to provide light.

Step 4: Plant and Grow

Now, place the saplings on dirt or grass, ensuring proper spacing between them. To speed up the process, bone meal is used on the saplings. These can be crafted from bones dropped by skeletons.

Furthermore, once the trees are grown, you can collect wood, saplings, apples, etc. from them. Replant saplings immediately to maintain a consistent tree supply.

There are multiple tutorials on YouTube that you can follow to build your tree farm. You can go for Oak trees, Birch, Spruce, Mangrove, Nether trees, etc. Each has its own unique properties and steps to grow. Make sure to follow those to have the desired yield.

What's Next?

As a beginner, you can start with these farms that will give you a constant supply of food and other resources. However, as you move further in the game, you might also need other resources such as Gold, Iron, Villagers, Enderman, Sugarcane farms, etc.

We will cover some more sets of farms in the next guide.

Do you want to play Minecraft on your own Minecraft server? Get your own Minecraft server via the following link: Minecraft server hosting