Managing your food in Minecraft will ensure you can explore longer without needing to worry about your hunger. The last thing you want to do is stop a journey early because you forgot to feed yourself. To make sure you’re always prepared, you may want to take up farming. Here is a beginner’s look at getting into farming in Minecraft.
What can I grow in Minecraft?
Before you can begin making a farm in Minecraft, you need to have the proper items and be set in the right area. First, you need seeds to plant. Here are the different kind of seeds available in Minecraft:
- Wheat seeds
- Pumpkin seeds (a full pumpkin can be converted into seeds at a crafting table)
- Melon seeds (watermelon slices can be converted into seeds at a crafting table)
- Beetroot seeds
- Torchflower seeds
- Pitcher pods
Additionally, these items can be planted to grow more of that item:
- Carrots
- Potatoes
- Nether wart (only grows in soul sand, does not need a hoe to plant it)
How to gather supplies to make a farm in Minecraft
There are various ways to find seeds and other food items. You can gather wheat seeds from breaking tall grass or finding it in a Village alongside other food sources. These items can also be found in Chests in various structures you find around the world. You can gather torchflower seeds and pitcher pods from a Sniffer digging them up, and nether wart is only found in The Nether, usually in Nether Fortresses.
After you have the item you want to plant, you need to create a Hoe at a Crafting Table and find an area to create farmland. Farmland can only be made by using the Hoe on top of a dirt or grass block. Now, you can plant your seed in the dirt to let it start growing.
Maintaining your farm
While your crops are growing, be sure to protect them from damage. Place light sources around the area to prevent hostile mobs from spawning in, and put up fences or other structures to keep unwanted mobs from wandering into the crops and breaking them early.
Place some water next to your crops so they can grow and to keep your farmland from drying up. As long as a water source is within four blocks of your farmland, your crops will grow.
As you watch your plants grow, you will notice a few visual changes. Carrots, potatoes, and nether wart will multiply, wheat will get longer, and melons and pumpkins will grow a block. If you have bone meal, you can use it on the crop to instantly make it grow and be ready for harvest. When it is time to harvest your crops, strike them with your hand to make them drop on the ground.
That is about all you need to know to get started farming in Minecraft. For more beginner’s tips, check out this page or consider getting started in another area of the game, Redstone.