Staple food crops
Corn
A bulk food crop that can also provide trade surplus when the colony has time to wait for a longer growing cycle.
WHERE & HOW TO FARM
Corn
A large, fertile, unroofed growing zone near food storage, with a local growing season long enough for corn to mature.
Before you go
- Viable outdoor soil and a zone configured for corn.
- A Grow-assigned colonist meeting the crop’s minimum skill requirement.
- A growing period and temperature that allow the crop to mature.
- Food storage with room for a bulky harvest.
Farming steps
- Place a growing zone on accessible, fertile soil near the colony; do not choose a distant patch just for richer ground.
- Select corn in the zone’s inspect pane and check the local growing period and temperature before sowing.
- Assign Grow work and keep animals out with an allowed-area restriction or a barrier.
- Monitor the crop as the season changes. If conditions stop growth or threaten the plants, reassess rather than assuming the harvest will finish.
- Harvest mature corn and haul it promptly to a freezer or dry food stockpile.
- Reserve colony meals and animal feed before designating the remainder for sale; bulk goods traders and faction bases may be more suitable buyers than other traders.
- Use corn for work-efficient bulk production when you can wait; rice is a more stable choice when an earlier harvest matters.
- Keep separate fields or a backup food source so one fire or blight does not remove the whole planned harvest.
Repeat, collect and use
Resow after harvest while the local growing period allows. Each corn crop is a single harvest; do not count on an outdoor field producing through winter or other unsuitable conditions.
Common mistakes
- Sowing late in a short season: check the zone’s growing period and plant information first, and switch to a faster crop if maturity is doubtful.
- Putting all food production into one exposed corn field: retain another food source and protect the crop from animals and fire.
- Treating the harvest as guaranteed trade income: first account for colony food needs and confirm a trader accepts the goods.
When to stop or switch
Pause corn planting when the remaining season is too short, food stores are adequate, or field protection and hauling are competing with essential work.
Sources & fact checks
What you can get here
Open a guide to find other locations and see what the item is used for.