There are eight types of vegetable, all of which are grown through seed-planting: cabbages, carrots, cucumbers, eggplant, garlic, leeks, onions, and peppers (Note: cucumbers, eggplants and peppers are technically fruits). Only one type of fruit is growable from seeds thus far, watermelons. (Dates and coconuts are harvested wild from palm trees; grapes and citrus fruits are cultivated in special buildings.)
Vegetables and Watermelons are grown from seeds. Every University of Worship will give each citizen (paid accounts only) one packet of four seeds of a random type of vegetable (eggplant and peppers are not included in this list). You may visit as many universities as you wish to accumulate many seeds (see this page for a map). Watermelon seeds were given out in a one-time event and there is currently no known natural way to get more. Pepper seeds were distributed to people taking part in a Phoenix race event. Eggplant seeds were made avaialable to recipients of mentor shrines over a 2 week period in August 2005. Under normal circumstances, one seed is returned for every one planted. By using a growing method unique to each plant, you can get more than one seed back - not all of these methods are known. Another way to get extra seeds is to be blessed by a Priest of Amun, which gives you 1 extra seeds for the first planting you do after the blessing.
Almost all vegetables are grown in the same fashion: Plant a seed in the appropriate terrain, and water the plant that appears. Every time the plant grows larger, water it again. After the fourth watering, the plant will reach maturity and may be harvested. If a plant is not watered, it will shrink; if it shrinks too far, it will die leaving behind a single seed. If any plant other than onions is overwatered (watered twice before it grows), it will die (going back to a seed). In another slight deviation, Peppers, Cucumbers and Watermelons allow you to specify the amount of water (all over veggies default to using one water).
Base vegetable yields from 1 to 25 per harvest have been reported. Vegetable harvests vary based on location, time, avatar, and possibly other factors. In this Age, vegetables do not appear to be shy -- they grow as well with several people nearby as in the middle of the desert. Vegetable yields tracking and analysis can be found at Vegetable Yields. Importantly, if you are looking for a good growth spot in your own location, you will do well to check at 200-600 coordinate intervals. Find a spot and add to the info!
Note that with Egypt having built 7 Pyramids of the Fertile Land, there is a +7 boost to all base yields, meaning the range goes from 8 to 32.
Some Aqueduct Water Towers, built for The Test of Life aqueducts, provide the possibility of tripling normal vegetable yields.
Below are details and exceptions specific to each vegetable.
Cabbages are grown on grassy soil. Yield varies by place, but is consistent between people. Base yield varies from 1 to 25 cabbage per seed. In many locations, cabbage and leek yields are the same.
Nia reports a yield of 24 cabbages at a spot near 39, -1900. Other cabbage yields can be found on the Vegetable Yields data page. *This was not me, but i won't delete it untill I check it out :) Nia
In Lower Nubia next to a lake at approximately -85, -3875 or so, cabbage yields are 31 per crop
The Aqueduct at -20, -3291 in LN gives a cabbage yield of 84.
Props to Akhmet for figuring out the trick to cabbage seeds. In order to duplicate cabbage seeds, you need to grow 51 sets of them without killing any by overwatering. You may grow these sets at different locations, and you may grow other vegetables with them. At 26 sets, you'll begin collecting 3 more cabbages per harvest. Once you get up to 51, you'll gain an extra seed, but your cabbage yield will reset. It is possible that you will gain additional seeds on harvests after 52.
Note: After 52 harvests without overwatering you will not gain additional cabbages per harvest any longer. In order to once more gain additional cabbage per harvest you must overwater 1 cabbage to restart the cycle, then grow 26 sets without overwatering.
As a historical note, Ahkmet first reported that the cabbages needed to be grown "perfectly" -- without any shrinkage or overwatering -- to benefit from increased yield and extra seeds. Trucidation reports that he had success in getting the increased cabbage yield despite some of his cabbages shrinking. Gimli verified this, and additionally reported that letting a plant go back to a seed by under-watering does not affect yield.
I grew 60 cabbage plants in a row without overwatering yesterday, and didn't get any increased yield or extra seeds. This only happens right by my camp, though, so there's probably some sort of pollution interfering with it. -Knives
Aqueduct tower at 1760,5885 (SWW) sometimes yields extra cabbage seed (approx. every 15th plant).
Carrots are grown on grassy soil. Carrot yields go up at certain times of day, in one or more bands that sweep across Egypt. These bands do not repeat on a strict 24 Egypt-hour cycle. Additional research is required to understand carrot growth bands. Further data and a graph showing how carrot yield rose and fell in one location over a full Egypt day is at CarrotGrowth.
A reliable method of reproducing carrot seeds has been found by Coug and Suma. BIG FAT WARNING: You may easily lose your beetles this way. Beetles disappear when dropped much more quickly then other items. You have been warned.
Extra Seeds:
Extra Carrots:
This method works if the base carrot yield is 8 per seed and even if the carrot "wave" is passing your location.
How to Abuse a Bug to Keep Your Beetle Still
Cucumber seeds were awarded as prizes to those who participated in the mutton-cooking event held over Labor Day weekend in 2005.
Cucumbers are planted in grass and, much like watermelons and peppers, it is possible to pour more than 1 water per watering step.
Eggplant seeds were given to people who received mentor shrines over a 2 week period corresponding to the Fileplanet promotion in late August 2005. Eggplant seeds are planted in Dirt or Mud and grow very much like onions.
Garlic is grown on sandy soil, with the yield varying by location and avatar. Two avatars may not have the same yield of garlic at the same place.
Garlic yield seems simply location dependant, I tested in a line along the nile; from 875,7075 to 880,7165 gave 9+1seed, <7075 gave 8+1, >7165 gave 6+1. I couldn't test east/west well due to lack of sand, but there was no junction at 795,7075/7076. All tests done with only me in speaking distance, varying numbers of people in the distance. Testing done 11pm-1am Egypt Time. I will test some more after some sleep. --Nhimdahl
[Testing done with garlic at approx. 5-7 PM Egypt Time:
22 people around, Male planting and harvesting, 1+1 yield.
22 people around, Female planting and harvesting, 1+1 yield.
22 people around, Female planting, male harvesting, 1+1 yield.
2 people aroun, Male planting, female harvesting, 1+1 yield.
2 people around, Male planting and harvesting 4 seeds, female planting and harvesting 4 seeds, 1+1 yield on all. - JoshuaNighthawk]
I managed to grow some extra garlic seeds. I was growing some onions right next to the nile during the high yeild period for them. Next to them I had a couple of garlic plants growing. They managed to provide me with extra seeds for each garlic plant. This occured twice in succession. After that the higher yield for the onions ended and I got no more garlic seeds. I am not sure if this was just a co-incidence. But will try next time I can. .... Jodpar
Esme was planting garlic with a yield of 5. When one person (male or female) got within 50 coords, she got a yield of 8 (+3). Two people in 50 coords returned the yield to 5. This is highly reproducible (many tests over ~30mins and multiple days). She also gets 2 seeds sometimes while planting like this (the cause is uncertain). -- FaceAnkh
Leeks are grown on sandy soil. Yield varies by location only and is the same as for cabbages.
No method for reproducing leek seeds has been publicly described.
[Testing done with leeks at approx. 5-7 PM Egypt Time:
22 people around, Male planting and harvesting, 3+1 yield.
22 people around, Female planting and harvesting, 3+1 yield.
22 people around, Female planting, male harvesting, 3+1 yield.
2 people around, Male planting, female harvesting, 3+1 yield.
2 people around, Male planting and harvesting 4 seeds, 3+1 yield on all. - JoshuaNighthawk]
Onions are grown on sandy soil. Onions grow at a steady pace, in the order in which they are watered. Onions will not die if they are accidentally watered before growing. Onions grow in the order in which they are watered. Yield varies by place and time. Like garlic, onion yields increase at certain times by a fixed amount, above the base yield. The amount of the fixed increase seems to be region based, with reported increases of 3 to 7.
1 extra onion seed can be obtained from the first onion planting anytime in a 30-60 game minute window after the time of increased yields falls off back to normal. It seems that only 1 seed can be obtained per person for any particular cycle.
| Boost Times | Seed Times | Coords | Output | |||
| Date | Start | End | Start | End | Coords | Output |
| Akhet I-27 | ? | ~10:05 AM | 11:00 AM | 12:00 PM | ||
| Akhet II-22 | 2:45 AM | 3:45 AM | 4:45 AM | 5:30 AM | ||
| Akhet II-28 | ? | 11:21 AM | ?? | ?? | ||
| Akhet III-6 | 6:59 AM | 8:25 AM | ?? | ?? | 740,-7739 | 7+1 |
| Akhet III-29 | ? | 1:49 AM | <2:29 AM | ?? | 1528,-792 | 7+1 |
| Akhet IV-13 | ? | ? | <8:59 AM | ?? |
[Note: on Akhet III-29, seed time started less than an hour after boost time - Sharrow]
Data on onion times should be placed here so we can make an effort to determine a pattern. It appears that seed times appear exactly one game-hour after a boost. As near as can be determined right now, onions depend mainly upon this 'boost' period and the geographical location, with 'bands' of onion growth looking to be distributed fairly randomly. For example, it appears that Sinai is an inefficient place to grow onions; with the exception of the lower Nile coast, one only gains 6 per harvest normally.
Yes all they are real. Seeds were handed out at about 9PM EST on Sept. 24.
Known Facts
Here's a table describing the typical watering cycle you'll go through using this method:
| G1 | G2 | G3 | G4 | Yield |
| 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 |
| 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 9 |
| 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 12 |
| 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
| 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 15 |
| 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 12 |
| 3 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 18 |
| 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 15 |
Note: Last night a guild member(male)and I(male) planted garlic, onion, then garlic, we recived no seeds. The guild member told me that another person found they gained seeds out of one of the vegtables(I assume garlic) when a female character was planting onions near by. Can anybody confirm this?
Note: I have heard rumors that planting seeds near naturally growing mushrooms provides higher seed outputs. No comment on vegie output. Kileran This was the case in T1 - carrot seeds were reproduced by growing them next to natural mushrooms. ~Wikt
I was growing 2 garlics and 1 onion and managed to produce two onion seeds and the regular yield (2 garlics, 4 onion) =) I will try to repeat this.(Sekhemkare)
UWorship of Karnak - asked for seed packet got 4 leek seeds then got a message in my main window about an odd scientist in a green hat snuck up and gave me an additional packet ended up beign 4 watermelon seeds - Happened on 8/28/05 about 15min after paying for my account. - Alerik