If you’re looking to build a successful plant farm in Dwarf Fortress, you will need to get the proper seeds. At first, it might be super confusing as there is no “gather seeds” task you can set for your aspiring Dwarven horticulturalists. Luckily, players can find seeds in various other ways.
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How to Get Seeds in Dwarf Fortress
Seeds are produced at the Farmer’s Workshop by Processing plants or at the Quern by Milling Plants. Seeds can also be acquired by trading for them at the Trading Post.
To collect the initial plants needed for milling and processing, hit the Gather (g) icon at the bottom of the screen, then select available plants on the map. Plants can also be acquired through farming.
The plants that you process will determine which seeds will be produced. Seed quantities can be viewed at the top toolbar.
See our guide on how to farm in Dwarf Fortress for more tips and tricks on running a plant farm.
Building a Farmer’s Workshop & Quern
The Farmer’s Workshop should be one of the first structures that you build for your base, as it also contains other useful tasks like extracting milk from animals or shearing them for their wool.
To build a Farmer’s Workshop:
- Click Build (b).
- Select Workshop (o).
- Click Farming (f).
- Select Farmer (f).
Left-click to place the structure.
Querns must be built at the Stoneworker’s Workshop before it can be placed.
To build a Quern:
- Click Build (b).
- Click Workshop (o).
- Select Farming (f).
- Select Quern (q).
Place the Quern with left click.
Like other supplies in Dwarf Fortress, you must keep an eye on your Fortress’ seed quantities. As your seed count starts dwindling, you should process more plants at your Farmer’s Workshop.
Use Work orders to help automate this process, so a portion of your plants are going toward seed generation, and another portion of your plants are going towards creating meals in the Kitchen.
More Dwarf Fortress guides on Gamer Digest:
How to Upgrade Rooms in Dwarf Fortress | How to Raise and Train Animals | How to Craft Jewelry | How to Transfer Save Files in Dwarf Fortress | How to Equip Weapons and Armor in Dwarf Fortress | Dwarf Fortress Beginners Guide