Best Crops to Grow in Project Zomboid (B42)
For food, grow Watermelon: one plant at full health gives about 8,808 kcal, more than three times the next crop (Pumpkin, 2,626). For speed, Radishes are ready in 30 days, but a radish is only 1 kcal.
- Most food per plant8,808 kcalWatermelon
- Fastest harvest30 daysRadishes
- Winter-proof food crops2Cabbages and Kale
- Crops in the files55all rated on the farming page
A farm is worth the water only if you grow the right thing. This guide picks one crop per job from the 55 in the Build 42 files.
On this page
How we ranked them
Four numbers decide, all from the game's own files.
- Food per plant: the mean harvest at plant health 100 times the item's calories (item script). Watermelon: 5–8 × 1,355 kcal.
- Days to harvest: from the growth code at Farming Speed 1, which is the default in the standard modes.
- Shelf life: days an item stays fresh (item script).
- Season: the months a crop may be sown, and whether it is cold-hardy (farming code).
What the files cannot tell you
Which crop is "easiest" is not a number in the files. Watering, pests and mildew are the same rules for every crop; see the farming rules.
The best crop for each job
Watermelon: most food. 5–8 × 1,355 kcal per plant, about 8,808 kcal, in 90 days. Sow Mar–May; best in Apr. It wants the most water of the common crops (80). Seeds: kitchen (4,877 on our map), living room (4,728 on our map), closet (2,953 on our map).
Pumpkin: the cheap second. 5–8 × 404 kcal, about 2,626 kcal in 90 days. Sow Mar–May.
Radishes: fastest. 30 days and 9–14 per plant, but 1 kcal each: a filler between bigger crops. Sow Feb–Aug.
Kale: comes back. 5–8 × 178 kcal (about 1,157 kcal) in 60.8 days, then it regrows every 37 days. It is also cold-hardy. Strawberry Plant regrows too, but at 4 kcal it is a treat.
Potatoes: keeps. Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes and Turnip stay fresh 28 days, the longest of any food crop. Potatoes: 5–9 × 70 kcal in 90 days, sow Feb–Apr.
Pro tip
A seed packet holds 5 seeds, and a seed-bearing plant gives seeds back when you harvest it, so one packet can be the start of the whole farm. Full seed sources are on the farming page.
What survives winter
Outdoors in winter, only the cold-hardy crops keep growing: Cabbages, Garlic and Kale. Of those, Cabbages (6–8 × 180 kcal, sow Feb–Jul) and Kale (sow Feb–Aug) give food; Garlic is slow (240 days). A greenhouse or indoor planting is not covered here. The season rules apply only when the Plant Growing Seasons option is on.
The five crops with the most food
After Watermelon, the gap is large: Pumpkin gives 30% of it.
| Crop | Per plant | Days | Sow months |
|---|---|---|---|
 Watermelon | 8,808 kcal | 90 | Mar–May |
 Pumpkin | 2,626 kcal | 90 | Mar–May |
 Cabbages | 1,260 kcal | 60.8 | Feb–Jul |
 Kale | 1,157 kcal | 60.8 | Feb–Aug |
 Corn | 616 kcal | 90 | Mar–May |
Common mistakes
- Sowing out of season. Outside a crop's sow months the plant is cursed, and a cursed plant loses health twice as fast (farming code).
- Planting for speed only. Radishes are 30 days but 1 kcal; Watermelon takes 90 days for 734 times the food.
- Forgetting the water. Each crop has a water need; a late watering delays the stage, a missed one stalls it.
What to sow, month by month
Every edible vegetable by the months it may be sown.
Open the sowing calendar
| Month | Sow |
|---|---|
| Jan | — |
| Feb | Broccoli, Cabbages, Carrots, Cauliflower, Green Peas, Kale, Lettuce, Onions, Potatoes, Radishes, Spinach, Strawberry Plant, Sugar Beet |
| Mar | Broccoli, Cabbages, Carrots, Cauliflower, Corn, Cucumber, Green Peas, Kale, Lettuce, Onions, Potatoes, Pumpkin, Radishes, Soybeans, Spinach, Strawberry Plant, Sugar Beet, Sunflower, Tobacco, Watermelon, Zucchini |
| Apr | Bell Pepper, Broccoli, Cabbages, Carrots, Cauliflower, Corn, Cucumber, Green Peas, Kale, Lettuce, Potatoes, Pumpkin, Radishes, Soybeans, Spinach, Strawberry Plant, Sugar Beet, Sunflower, Tobacco, Tomato Vine, Watermelon, Zucchini |
| May | Bell Pepper, Broccoli, Cabbages, Carrots, Corn, Cucumber, Kale, Pumpkin, Radishes, Soybeans, Spinach, Sugar Beet, Sunflower, Sweet Potatoes, Tobacco, Tomato Vine, Turnip, Watermelon, Zucchini |
| Jun | Bell Pepper, Broccoli, Cabbages, Carrots, Kale, Radishes, Spinach, Sugar Beet, Sweet Potatoes, Tobacco, Tomato Vine, Turnip |
| Jul | Broccoli, Cabbages, Carrots, Garlic, Kale, Lettuce, Radishes, Spinach, Sugar Beet, Sweet Potatoes, Tobacco, Turnip |
| Aug | Barley, Flax, Garlic, Hemp, Hops, Kale, Lettuce, Radishes, Rye, Turnip, Winter Wheat |
| Sep | Barley, Flax, Garlic, Hemp, Hops, Lettuce, Rye, Turnip, Winter Wheat |
| Oct | Barley, Flax, Hemp, Hops, Rye, Turnip, Winter Wheat |
| Nov | — |
| Dec | — |
Pages to keep open
Related pages
Sources
Thanks to The Indie Stone for making Project Zomboid. PinDrop is fan-made and not affiliated with The Indie Stone.