Revision 14

Overview

Gardening is a skill in inZOI that covers growing plants, tending crops, and pruning decorative bonsai trees. It becomes available from the Teenager life stage onward (Teenagers, Young Adults, Adults, Middle-Aged, and Elders can all use it) and can be leveled from 0 to 10. Gardening is one of the most versatile skills in the game, providing ingredients for Cooking, sellable goods through the Pocket Market, and a peaceful gameplay loop for players who enjoy tending to their Zoi's home and yard.

The skill governs proficiency at cultivating vegetables, fruits, bonsai, and (as of the March 2026 Update) farmable flowers. Higher Gardening levels unlock new seed varieties, advanced bonsai designs, and the ability to produce higher-quality harvests that sell for more Meow. Because homegrown ingredients bypass the cost of buying them on the Pocket Market, Gardening pairs especially well with the Cooking skill for self-sufficient households.

Plant Categories

Plants in inZOI fall into three distinct categories, each with different purposes and price ranges. Only the third category, Growing Plants, interacts with the Gardening skill.

Flowerpots (8-270 Meow)

Decorative indoor plants like heart hoya, aloe, and variegated monstera. They can be watered to stay fresh but do not grow, do not produce anything, and do not interact with the Gardening skill. They are purely aesthetic and come in small, medium, large, and hanging varieties.

Flowers and Flowerbeds (10-120 Meow)

Outdoor decorations including grass patches, marigolds, rose shrubs, boxwood arrangements, and flower arches. These grow automatically without any player intervention and are visual-only. No watering needed, no harvest possible.

Growing Plants (5-25 Meow)

The only plants that actually interact with the Gardening skill. These grow over time, require daily care, and produce harvestable crops. All Gardening skill progression comes from working with these plants. Find them in Build Mode under Furniture > Outdoor > Growing Plants. This category also includes saplings (Elm, Bamboo, and Orange) priced between 140 and 160 Meow, which grow into full trees over time.

Growing Crops

Crops are planted in garden plots purchased through Build Mode. Different crops unlock at different Gardening levels. Seeds and saplings are purchased from the Build Mode catalog. Once planted, crops take approximately two or more in-game days to fully mature. During this time, they require daily watering and fertilizing for optimal results.

At Level 6, the Lettuce Hydroponic System (35 Meow) lets you grow crops indoors. This is particularly helpful for Zois living in apartments without yard space.

Growth Mechanics

Each planted crop has three key metrics that determine its health and harvest quality:

Weeds appear around planted crops and reduce overall quality if left unattended. Regularly weeding the garden plot ensures the best harvest quality. Neglecting watering or fertilizing will produce lower-quality crops that sell for less Meow. In severe cases of neglect, crops can become bug-ridden or wither entirely, yielding nothing.

Crop Care Action Timing

Each gardening action takes a specific amount of in-game time to complete. Planning around these durations helps keep multiple plots running efficiently:

These times are approximate and measured at default game speed. At higher Gardening levels, some actions complete slightly faster because the Zoi works more efficiently.

Fertilizer

Three tiers of fertilizer are available for purchase from the Build Mode catalog:

Higher-quality fertilizer improves crop Nutrient Intake more effectively per application. For budget-conscious players, Normal Fertilizer at 3 Meow is a perfectly acceptable choice for early crops like Tomato and Blueberry. Switching to Premium Fertilizer becomes more worthwhile once you unlock high-value crops at Level 6, since the quality improvement translates directly into better sell prices.

Growth and Daily Care

Plants take roughly two or more in-game days to reach maturity, depending on the crop type. Shorter day-length settings in the game options mean faster real-time growth. Setting the day length to 48 or 96 minutes can noticeably speed up the gardening cycle in real time.

Daily maintenance involves two actions:

• Watering : click the plant and select "Water." Unwatered plants grow slower and produce lower-quality harvests.

• Fertilizing : click the plant and select "Fertilize." Improves quality alongside watering.

Both actions together give the best results. When the plant is fully grown, a visual indicator appears (foliage forms around the crop). Click it and select "Harvest" to collect the produce. The produce goes into the Zoi's inventory and can be used for cooking or sold.

You can also interact with plants by selecting "Share Feelings," which gives a small amount of Gardening XP and can improve the Zoi's mood. Another interaction, "Appreciate," lets the Zoi admire plants in a short animation that provides a minor mood boost.

Crop Harvest Values

A single farming plot can yield both normal-sized and special (large) crops in the same harvest. Normal crops sell for less, while special or large crops command a premium. The exact mix depends on how well the crop was maintained during growth.

A typical non-tree plot harvest yields roughly 12 normal crops and 7 special or large crops, for a total of about 140 Meow in revenue after subtracting seed and fertilizer costs. While this is modest income on its own, the real value of crops often comes from using them as free Cooking ingredients rather than selling them raw.

Harvested Produce

Crops harvested from the garden do not spoil while in the Zoi's inventory. This means you can stockpile ingredients for cooking without time pressure. Produce can also be sold outright for Meow through the Pocket Market on the smartphone.

Harvested crops can be used directly as ingredients in Cooking recipes. For example, Tomatoes harvested from the garden can be used to make Tomato Pasta (requires Cooking Level 3), and Carrots can go into stews and other dishes. Growing your own ingredients is significantly cheaper than purchasing them through the Pocket Market, making Gardening an excellent companion skill for any Zoi pursuing the Cooking path.

Bonsai System

Starting at Gardening Level 2, Zois can purchase a Bonsai Pot Stand (100 Meow) and begin pruning decorative bonsai trees. Each pruning session costs 15 Meow for materials. Bonsai pruning is a lucrative creative activity, as finished bonsai can be sold on the Pocket Market for significant Meow, especially at higher skill levels.

Higher Gardening levels unlock more complex and valuable bonsai styles:

Bonsai Pruning Speed

The time it takes to prune a bonsai decreases significantly as the Gardening skill increases:

Bonsai Quality and Sell Prices

Bonsai quality depends on the Zoi's Gardening level and their emotional state during pruning. Each finished bonsai receives a quality rating: Bad, Medium, Good, Excellent, or Perfect. Higher-quality bonsai sell for substantially more on the Pocket Market. The base price is set by the quality tier, and the Pocket Market then adds a markup that varies slightly.

The following table shows approximate Pocket Market sell prices for bonsai at Gardening Level 8 and Level 10 (after the Pocket Market markup):

After subtracting the 15 Meow pruning material cost, a Perfect bonsai at Level 10 nets approximately 1,265 to 1,480 Meow in pure profit. This makes bonsai pruning one of the most profitable activities in the game. Even Good-quality bonsai at Level 10 are worth around 180 to 208 Meow net, which adds up quickly.

Mood and Skill Progression

A Zoi's emotional state directly affects how quickly the Gardening skill levels up and the quality of bonsai produced during pruning. Positive moods like Elated, Concentrated, and Joyful accelerate experience gain, while negative moods like Bored or Uncomfortable slow it down.

Community testing has found that an Elated Zoi levels Gardening faster than one who is merely Content or Joyful. Before starting a long pruning or farming session, it can be worth taking a few minutes to raise the Zoi's mood through social interactions, a good meal, or entertainment. This is especially useful for the Level 9 to 10 push, which requires the most experience.

How to Level Up

The following activities contribute experience toward the Gardening skill:

Approximate Leveling Times

The following times are approximate and assume regular gardening activity at default game speed. An Elated mood speeds these times up:

In total, reaching Level 10 from scratch takes roughly 10 to 12 hours of active gameplay. Combining bonsai pruning with crop care is the most time-efficient approach, since bonsai pruning gives significant XP and can be done while waiting for crops to mature.

Cahaya Farming

The Cahaya island (part of the Island Getaway DLC) introduces an expanded farming system. Cahaya uses dirt plots that hold up to 4 crops per plot simultaneously, making it more space-efficient than home lot gardening. Island residents receive a free farming kit with a pitchfork and watering can. Additional tools can be purchased at the local agriculture shop.

Six seed types are available at the Cahaya farming supply store:

Banana and Mango trees are unique because they remain planted after harvest if the Nutrient Intake stays above 80%. When this condition is met, the tree produces another harvest roughly half a day later, making them a recurring source of income. Each tree yields 4 to 5 fruits per harvest: normal fruits sell for 8 Meow, while special or large fruits sell for 20 Meow.

Cahaya also features a market stall system where Zois can sell their harvested produce directly to customers. A Wider Sales Stall upgrade costs 330 Meow and allows the Zoi to display and sell more items at once. Seed prices on Cahaya can fluctuate based on availability and events like natural disasters.

Both DLC farming and base-game gardening use and level the same Gardening skill.

Flower Farming and Bouquets

The March 2026 Update (v0.7.0) added flower farming to the Gardening skill. Six new farmable flower varieties can now be cultivated, harvested, and used for crafting. This expansion connects Gardening to the new Flower Shop business type and the Florist career path.

Key additions in this update:

Flower farming uses the same Gardening skill as crop farming and bonsai pruning. Activities related to flower cultivation, such as watering and harvesting flowers, provide Gardening XP.

Farm Helper Service

For Zois who do not have time for daily garden maintenance, the Farm Helper service is available through the Pocket Market app on the smartphone. Hiring a Farm Helper provides 4 hours of automated crop care: the helper waters and fertilizes all plants on the property. This is especially useful for busy Zois with full career schedules who still want to maintain a garden.

The Farm Helper does not weed or harvest crops, so you still need to handle those tasks manually. Weeds can accumulate during the helper's active period, so check the garden after the 4-hour window ends.

Plant Lover Ambition

The Plant Lover Ambition rewards Zois who dedicate themselves to gardening:

Completing all three tiers of the Plant Lover Ambition demonstrates mastery of the Gardening skill and provides satisfaction points toward the Zoi's Desired Life goals. Notably, reaching Level 3 of this ambition grants the "Instantly Grow Plant" ability, which allows the Zoi to make any planted crop reach maturity immediately. This is one of the most powerful gardening perks in the game.

Level Unlocks

New crops, equipment, and bonsai designs unlock as the skill increases:

Available Crops

Crops are planted on the home lot outdoors. Each takes roughly two or more in-game days to mature with daily watering. Skipping a day risks wilting and lower harvest quality. Weeds also appear and must be pulled.

Island Getaway DLC Farming

The Island Getaway DLC adds a dedicated farming system on Cahaya island. DLC farming uses dirt plots that hold up to 4 crops per plot simultaneously, making it more space-efficient than home lot gardening. Island residents receive a free farming kit with a pitchfork and watering can.

Two exclusive crops are available only on Cahaya: Banana and Mango tree seedlings. These tree seedlings occupy an entire plot on their own but can produce multiple harvests if maintained properly. DLC farming plots show a status display with moisture content, nutrient intake, and time remaining until harvest.

Both DLC farming and base-game gardening use and level the same Gardening skill.

Tips

• Start with Lettuce, Tomato, and Blueberry seeds at 5 Meow each. These are the cheapest way to begin leveling Gardening and they mature relatively quickly.

• Water and fertilize daily. Skipping even one day can reduce crop quality and slow growth.

• Invest in a Bonsai Pot Stand as soon as you hit Level 2. Bonsai sales on the Pocket Market are one of the best income sources in the game for creative players.

• Grow ingredients you use frequently in Cooking recipes. This eliminates the need to buy them and saves Meow over time.

• Remove weeds promptly. They appear between watering sessions and will lower your harvest quality if left unchecked.

• If you have access to Cahaya, take advantage of the unique tropical seeds. Banana and Mango crops are exclusive to the island and can be sold at the market stall for premium prices.

• At Level 6, the Lettuce Hydroponic System lets you grow crops indoors. This is one of the few options for Zois living in apartments without yard space.

• Pair Gardening with Cooking. Homegrown ingredients save you the Meow cost of buying them through the Pocket Market.

• Keep your Zoi in a positive mood before long pruning sessions. Elated Zois earn experience faster and produce higher-quality bonsai.

• For maximum bonsai profit, aim for Perfect quality at Level 10. A single Perfect bonsai can sell for over 1,200 Meow on the Pocket Market.

• Adjust the day-length setting to 48 or 96 minutes if you want crops to mature faster in real time.

• On Cahaya, keep tree Nutrient Intake above 80% so Banana and Mango trees stay planted and produce a second harvest roughly half a day later.

• Once you reach Level 10 and complete Plant Lover ambition Level 3, you unlock the ability to instantly grow any plant. This completely removes the waiting period from crop farming.