A practical early food crop that turns Dirt and seeds into Meal Lice without irrigation.
PC / Global, base game; Spaced Out and planet packs are DLC
WHERE & HOW TO FARM
Where to farm
Use a Farm Tile or Planter Box in a room where the plant can stay at 10–30 °C and the atmosphere remains between 150 g and 10 kg of pressure. Oxygen, Polluted Oxygen, and Carbon Dioxide…
Mealwood is a straightforward domestic crop for an early colony. Its main tradeoff is a continuing Dirt cost: each plant needs 10 kg per cycle. The harvest is Meal Lice, which can be collected for food processing or eaten according to your colony’s available options. Domestic plants grow faster than wild ones, but only while their species conditions are met.
Use a Farm Tile or Planter Box in a room where the plant can stay at 10–30 °C and the atmosphere remains between 150 g and 10 kg of pressure. Oxygen, Polluted Oxygen, and Carbon Dioxide are all acceptable gases.
Before you go
Mealwood seed and a Farm Tile or Planter Box.
10 kg of Dirt per plant per cycle for domestic growth.
Room conditions within the crop’s temperature and pressure ranges.
Choose a room that stays within Mealwood’s temperature range; check the temperature overlay before installing a large farm.
Build Farm Tiles or Planter Boxes with access for duplicants to plant and harvest.
Select Mealwood on each farming station and plant available seeds.
Set up a Dirt supply route or storage point near the farm so fertilizing errands can be completed.
Check the plant status panel for temperature, pressure, or fertilizer warnings, and correct any blocked condition.
When plants mature, allow duplicants to harvest Meal Lice and move the food to your normal food storage or processing route.
Farming tips
No irrigation or light requirement is listed for Mealwood, so spend attention on Dirt and environmental conditions.
Keep a reserve of Dirt for the farm before assigning more tiles; increasing plant count increases the recurring fertilizer demand.
Repeat, collect and use
This is a repeatable harvest while seeds, Dirt, and suitable room conditions remain available. Collect Meal Lice after each mature harvest and maintain the Dirt supply for the next growth cycle.
Common mistakes
Letting the room drift outside 10–30 °C; use the plant status panel and adjust the room before adding more plants.
Assuming any available gas is acceptable at any pressure; keep pressure between 150 g and 10 kg even though several gas types work.
Planting more crops than the Dirt supply can support; reduce the planted count or restore fertilizer delivery.
When to stop or switch
Expand only while Dirt reserves and food demand justify the recurring cost. Switch crops or food sources when the farm’s Dirt demand competes with higher-priority colony needs.
Use a Farm Tile or Planter Box in a room where the plant can stay at 10–30 °C and the atmosphere remains between 150 g and 10 kg of pressure. Oxygen, Polluted Oxygen, and Carbon Dioxide are all acceptable gases.
Mealwood seed and a Farm Tile or Planter Box.
10 kg of Dirt per plant per cycle for domestic growth.
Room conditions within the crop’s temperature and pressure ranges.
Rate not listed
Related guides
More guides for gathering materials and making progress.