Paddy Fields, Trellises, and Planting Boxes

Overview

Not all crops in Starsand Island grow on regular farmland. Paddy fields are required for water-based crops like Rice and Water Caltrop, while trellises support climbing plants like Grapes, Tomatoes, and Cucumbers. Both structures are unlocked through farming profession quests with Graminova and expand what you can grow as you progress through the certification tiers.

Trellises

What they are

Trellises are vertical structures that climbing plants grow on. They are crafted at the Worktable using planks. Without a trellis, seeds for climbing crops simply cannot be planted.

How to unlock

The Trellis blueprint is a reward from the "Natural Delicacies" quest, part of the Apprentice Farmer quest chain with Graminova. The quest requires you to:

1. Purchase 3 Cucumber Seeds from the Happiness Seed Shop

2. Craft 3 Trellis structures at the Worktable

3. Plant and harvest 6 Cucumbers, then deliver them to Stella at the Pet Shop

Placement rules

There is a common mistake with trellises: do not till the soil first. Place the trellis on raw, flat ground. It automatically tills the soil underneath, saving you stamina. Seeds are then planted directly onto the trellis.

Also watch out at the Worktable: there are two items both called "Trellis." The correct one is under the tools tab and has a description mentioning "Planting equipment." The other one is in the decoration tab and is purely cosmetic.

Trellis crops

The Junior Farmer trial requires harvesting 30 Grapes total (Green or Red) from trellises.

Pest interaction

If you raise chickens, they eat bugs attracted to trellis crops. This is free pest control, no manual intervention needed.

Watering note

Area-of-effect watering cans only water a single trellis node at a time, which makes trellises slower to water by hand compared to regular farmland. Sprinklers help, but their coverage per trellis is limited too.

Paddy fields

What they are

Paddy fields are waterlogged farming plots for crops that grow in standing water. These crops cannot be planted on regular farmland or in planting boxes.

How to unlock

The Paddy Field blueprint is unlocked through farming profession quest progression with Graminova. The Paddy Field blueprint becomes available through farming profession progression with Graminova.

Paddy field crops

Comparison with regular farmland

Regular farmland handles most standard crops and requires tilling with a hoe (which costs stamina). Trellises auto-till on placement but only support climbing plants with a typical yield of 2 per harvest. Paddy fields handle water crops with a typical yield of 4. Planting Boxes (unlocked at Junior Farmer) let you grow standard crops indoors, but do not support trellis or paddy crops.

In practice, most farms end up using all three types. Regular plots for your main income crops, paddy fields for Rice and Water Caltrop (good for cooking), and trellises for Grapes, Tomatoes, and other climbing plants needed in recipes.

Tips

• Water Spinach is one of the cheapest and fastest crops in the game at 1-day growth. Cook it into Stir-Fried Water Spinach to more than triple its sell value.

• Place trellises on raw ground, not tilled soil. This is the number one mistake new farmers make.

• Grow Sugarcane early if you unlock it. Lemonade made from Sugarcane via the Juicer is one of the highest-value processed items in the game.

• Chickens provide free pest control for trellis crops. If you have both, position them near each other.

• The Junior Farmer trial needs 30 Grapes. Plant Green and Red Grapes early in the season to have enough by the time the quest appears.

Related articles

Planting Boxes

What They Are

Planting Boxes are portable containers that let you grow specific crops anywhere on your property, including inside buildings. Unlike regular farmland which must be tilled outdoors, Planting Boxes can be placed indoors, on decks, rooftops, or anywhere you have space. They do not require tilling; you plant seeds directly into them.

How to Unlock

The Planting Box blueprint unlocks at the Junior Farmer certification tier. The blueprint is purchased from the Happiness Seed Shop (Graminova's shop). After buying the blueprint, craft Planting Boxes at your Worktable.

Which Crops Require Planting Boxes

Certain crops can only be grown in Planting Boxes and cannot be planted on regular farmland, trellises, or paddy fields:

Placement Tips

• Planting Boxes can be placed inside your house for convenient indoor farming

• They do not take up outdoor farmland space, making them ideal for maximizing your crop area

• Since they do not require tilling, they save stamina compared to regular farmland (tilling costs 15 stamina per plot)

• Place them near your cooking stations for quick ingredient access

• Note: Planting Boxes have had placement bugs reported by some players. If you cannot place a box, try moving to a flat surface or restarting the game