Horticulture is a game mechanic of the DayZ Standalone that concerns the growth and harvest of plants. While it is possible to sustain yourself entirely on food that is looted from buildings or by hunting for meat, growing your own fruits and vegetables is one way of supplementing your diet. Growing crops also makes it possible to survive in the wilderness while avoiding contact with other people if that is what you so desire. As of right now, you will still need to gather materials for farming somewhere civilized however, as there is no way to make the necessary tools for gardening out of natural resources. You'll also need to gather seed packets or already-grown fruits & vegetables in order to harvest seeds from them to use in growing new plants. Fertilizer, in the form of garden lime or plant material, can be used to speed up the growth process if so desired.
Plants can be grown in patches of fertile soil, either on their own or in a greenhouse (which can hold up to 11 plants). It is also possible to create a 3x3 plot of fertile soil just about anywhere using a Farming Hoe or a Shovel, as long as it is not on steep terrain. Oddly enough, plants will grow at night despite normally needing sunlight to grow.
How to Grow Plants
- Clear patches of fertile soil by digging them up, either with your Shovel, Farming Hoe, Pickaxe, or Ice Axe. Repeat for each slot.
- Use Garden Lime to fertilize the soil in the patches. This is optional, but it will decrease the grow time. Fertilizing will use 5% of a bag of lime per slot fertilized.
- Plant seeds (e.g. Tomato Seeds) in each patch of the greenhouse or dirt plot.
- Water the patches where you have planted seeds and watch them grow. Watering each patch takes ~200 mL of water (5 per PET Bottle, 4 per Canteen, 10 per Cooking Pot, 100 per Gasoline Canister). Plants exposed to rain will be watered on their own. Plants will disappear after some time if they're left unwatered.
- Spray plant with Diluted Disinfectant Spray to keep them pest free.
- Once your plant is fully grown you may harvest its fruits, which will be added to your inventory or piled at your feet if you don't have room.
Growth Time
Every plant grows at different rates. Depending on what fertilizer you use, you can speed up the progress of growing.
| Name | Without Fertilizer | Plant Material | Garden Lime |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pepper Plant | 16.5 Minutes | 13 Minutes | 11 Minutes |
| Potato Plant | ?? Minutes | ?? Minutes | ?? Minutes |
| Pumpkin Plant | 17.5 Minutes | 15 Minutes | 12 Minutes |
| Tomato Plant | 16.5 Minutes | 12 Minutes | 10 Minutes |
| Zucchini Plant | 16.5 Minutes | 13 Minutes | 11 Minutes |
Harvested Resources
Just as you would expect, not all plants yield the same amount of fruit. They also don't grow at the same rates. In addition, plants yield other resources such as plant material and seeds, which can then be used to grow more plants. When you harvest a plant, it will produce a certain number of fruit as well as plant material (from leaves and stems); in order to harvest seeds from your fruits they must be cut open with a knife. The process of harvesting seeds will use up the fruit you are cutting them from, so consider that when making the choice. The exception to this is the Pumpkin, which is cut into slices and yields seeds without wasting the fruit.
Plant Yields
- Pepper Plants = 3x Green Pepper + 1x Plant Material
- Potato Plants = 3x Potato + 1x Plant Material
- Pumpkin Plants = 2x Pumpkin + 2x Plant Material
- Tomato Plants = 7x Tomato + 1x Plant Material
- Zucchini Plants = 3x Zucchini + 1x Plant Material
Fruit Yields
- Green Pepper = 5x Green Pepper Seeds (raw)
- Potato = N/A
- Pumpkin = 46x Pumpkin Seeds (raw)
- Tomato = 5x Tomato Seeds (raw)
- Zucchini = 6x Zucchini Seeds (raw)
- Notes
- Potato does not currently yield seeds. Instead it is used as a "seed".
- Fruits other than the Tomato also do not yield seeds, and cannot be grown as plants by players.
Gallery
Plants beginning to grow
Young plants growing
Fruits available to harvest
