We should not put 1X11 crop plots down next to each other instead of using a regular 11x11 crop plot that will waste about 50% space on the map?
I currently have 30 1x11 crop plots next to each other and they alternate what they need to produce
this makes for a very tight farm and at the end i put small storage lockers so the farmer doesn’t need to go far to drop off his crops
i would like to hear others speak about their farms and setups
I know efficiency isn’t the god of all things but it helps a lot
Well, it’s up to you in the end what you prefer. You can also go for 3x11 or 5x10. I also don’t see why 11x11 is less efficient then 1x11. If you put 11 1x11 carrot fields on the ground or 1 11x11 carrot field, the result should pretty much be the same. The only reason to use smaller fields is, if you don’t want to produce to much of one kind. I usually use smaller fields for flowers, since they flood my storage at some point if I have 2 11x11 flower fields. But when it comes to food, I most often use 11x11.
I think it is all up to how you prefer to work things. If you live by the “variety is the spice of life” concept, then yeah, 1x11 plots next to each other would give you the flexibility to change and manage the crops on a more finite scale.
I think my only question is more along the lines of why there is such a concern for farm space on the map…there is a lot of space available. So are you approaching things from the “keep it compact and efficient” side of the coin? Either way, you will still produce 1x11 of that crop type at the rate of growth regardless of any other factor. Now, if you stagger your growth cycles to make the farmer constantly busy, then sure, I can see how keeping everything compact could be more beneficial. One thing I am planning on testing in the future is a tiered farm approach (think 10x10 plots, but going underground a few levels)
I go with a lot of 11x10 plots so that they “join up” neatly; but now that you’ve mentioned this, I think I’ll be able to double my farming output and keep things nice and tightly packed around my “communal area”.
The only reason that occurs to me may be future water requirements. A lot of us are hoping they introduce water/irrigation and soil quality as a farming mechanic. It’s possible that eventually planting crops too densely would have the realistic effect of faster depleting the soil. This is all baseless speculation, but I could see it working within probable future game parameters.
Or it could have just been a purely aesthetic choice on the part of the devs. For now, if you’re tight on space, the technique outline @kasimirtlw is a clever idea.
For me, the aesthetics do play a role as well. I like the look of large fields around my settlement and smaller ones (flowers, vegetables) in the gardens of some houses. Pure efficiency is rarely my primary reason. At least after I got my settlement running.