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Author Topic: Can't grow above ground  (Read 2781 times)

Zeebie

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Can't grow above ground
« on: August 27, 2011, 05:34:52 pm »

Hey folks-

I decided my dwarfs needed strawberry wine, so I went to build a farm outside - only to be told "no mud/soil for farm" by the build menu.  The terrain is grass and sandy loam (just like the inside of my fortress, where things grow fine). Looking at the wiki, the only thing I can find is that I might be in a mountain biome - is there a way to tell? I don't remember from my embark. Oh, and I'm playing the current version with the LNP.
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Darkweave

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Re: Can't grow above ground
« Reply #1 on: August 27, 2011, 05:49:43 pm »

Look for an area where trees and shrubs are growing naturally, you should be able to farm there as it won't be a mountain biome.
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BigD145

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Re: Can't grow above ground
« Reply #2 on: August 27, 2011, 07:18:57 pm »

If there's grass it should work. Just plop the field down regardless of warnings.
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Zeebie

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Re: Can't grow above ground
« Reply #3 on: August 27, 2011, 07:38:14 pm »

Ok, I plopped it down regardless.  It won't accept any plantings, though.
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franti

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Re: Can't grow above ground
« Reply #4 on: August 27, 2011, 07:43:53 pm »

It's says there isn't any mud by default. It doesn't matter.
BUT, some terrain types can't be grown on, even though you can build a plot. Sand, for example. Also, some civs don't get certain plants. I've gotten Dwarf civs that couldn't grow Plump Helmets, and my current Human civ can't grow Bloated Tubers.
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Quietust

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Re: Can't grow above ground
« Reply #5 on: August 27, 2011, 08:26:39 pm »

If there's grass it should work. Just plop the field down regardless of warnings.

Not in version 0.31.19 and later - grass grows everywhere, even on Mountains.

and my current Human civ can't grow Bloated Tubers.

Technically, nobody can grow bloated tubers - they can only be gathered via Herbalism, since they don't have any seeds.
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P.S. If you don't get this note, let me know and I'll write you another.
It's amazing how dwarves can make a stack of bones completely waterproof and magmaproof.
It's amazing how they can make an entire floodgate out of the bones of 2 cats.

Zeebie

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Re: Can't grow above ground
« Reply #6 on: August 27, 2011, 09:48:32 pm »

Ok, I set up a pump and now there is explicitly mud in the squares, but I still get the same message. Is this a known bug?
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Quietust

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Re: Can't grow above ground
« Reply #7 on: August 27, 2011, 10:40:04 pm »

Just ignore the "No mud/soil" warning - if the game lets you place the farm plot at all, it should be good unless you placed it in a Mountain biome.
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P.S. If you don't get this note, let me know and I'll write you another.
It's amazing how dwarves can make a stack of bones completely waterproof and magmaproof.
It's amazing how they can make an entire floodgate out of the bones of 2 cats.

Zeebie

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Re: Can't grow above ground
« Reply #8 on: August 27, 2011, 10:56:35 pm »

Just ignore the "No mud/soil" warning - if the game lets you place the farm plot at all, it should be good unless you placed it in a Mountain biome.

I think that must be it. How can I tell what biome I'm in?
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franti

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Re: Can't grow above ground
« Reply #9 on: August 27, 2011, 11:20:24 pm »

A good way to tell if you're in a mountain biome is to check and see if there are any mountains. Same with deserts and oceans.
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Jacos

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Re: Can't grow above ground
« Reply #10 on: August 28, 2011, 02:12:49 am »

And, as said earlier, if there are any trees/shrubs where you are trying to farm.
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Zeebie

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Re: Can't grow above ground
« Reply #11 on: August 28, 2011, 10:12:59 am »

Yep, there are trees and shrubs everywhere.
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Durin

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Re: Can't grow above ground
« Reply #12 on: January 10, 2012, 01:35:24 am »

I'm beginning to think this is an unknown bug. I built a farm plot right next to an existing farm plot. I got the aforementioned "no soil/mud" message. But the dwarfs kept suspending the new plot. I tried to cancel the plot and it left furrowed silt on the ground. I tried to build another plot on top of it but got the same message.

Will follow and let you know.
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NecroRebel

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Re: Can't grow above ground
« Reply #13 on: January 10, 2012, 02:27:42 am »

IIRC, there used to be (and may still be?) a... something... that made it so that you couldn't plant aboveground plants until you had owned at least one instance of the actual plant. So you wouldn't be able to plant, say, wild strawberries until you had actually had at least one wild strawberry in your stocks that you owned at some point in the past, even if you had wild strawberry seeds from a caravan. Perhaps that might be your problem?
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greycat

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Re: Can't grow above ground
« Reply #14 on: January 10, 2012, 10:54:55 am »

I'm beginning to think this is an unknown bug. I built a farm plot right next to an existing farm plot. I got the aforementioned "no soil/mud" message. But the dwarfs kept suspending the new plot.

Suspending the plot is a new one to me.  What's the exact message you're getting when they suspend it?

Failing that, you should take note of how big the plot is, exactly what tiles you're put it on, and if possible, what biome it's in.  One of the most common mistakes is for people to build an outdoor plot on a mountain biome (grass, but no shrubs or trees).  No crops can be grown in mountain biomes, despite the fact that wild grasses can grow there.  However, I've never heard of suspending the building of the plot as a symptom of this.  More typically, it results in a plot that simply doesn't work (can't be planted).
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Hell, if nobody's suffocated because of it, it hardly counts as a bug! -- StLeibowitz
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