Crops (Harvest Moon: 3 GBC)

There is a lot to know about planting crops, and it requires a lot off information to know how to raise your crops and sell them. If your playing as the girl you should note that the boy isn't skilled enough to take on the full job of raising crops in the beginning. If you tell him to do something, for the first while, you should make sure the job gets done (you might have to do a little extra work that the boy missed). Eventually he'll be really skilled at raising crops and you won't have to do anything... but to do this you should raise the affection he has towards you this will help a lot!

At first you should have 120g. To get a little extra money, check in the fireplace for 1000g for the secret savings. The day you start, you are able to go to the mainland ...so do this.

Around nine or ten, the mall should open. When it opens, go purchase your seeds on the first floor from a Lukia (guy in the left corner on the first floor). Every season except winter there should be three different seeds there so you can choose what to buy.

Basics
To plant crops, these tools are mandatory: hoe, watering can, and a sickle. The hammer and the ax can be used for clearing the field.

Ok first clear a small piece of land and make sure you can have a 3x3 square to till and nothing surrounding it. If something like a big rock is surrounding it you may not be able to collect all your crops, so be sure your character can walk all the way around the square. Once you have cleared that small piece of land, till the soil using the hoe. Once you have tilled the soil in a 3x3 square, you are ready to plant your seeds. To plant seeds, go in the center of the square, select your seed, then press the A button. (you can tell if you've successfully planted your seed by the little black dots on your square).

Be sure to water them every day. To water, select the watering can, go near a section of water (to the right of the field) press the A button you should here a gurgling sound. That sound means it's full, or at least has some water in it. All you have to do is go to where you planted, then you get out the watering can, and go right beside where you planted, then press the A button. The color of soil where the seeds were planted should turn a shade darker.

There are a couple stages of each plant, and after a few days or a week you should have a fully grown crop. If you play as the girl, in the morning tell the boy what to do; then in the afternoon check your fields just in case he missed something. When the season is done, use your sickle (equip it then go to the crop and press A) so you can grow new crops for the following season.

Special Crops
Flowers and grain are considered special crops. The flowers will take around the same time as the average produce to grow (about seven days). They are essentially grown to be used as gifts. However, they do sell for quiet higher but should be primarilly used for gifts. Some flower's seeds can only be obtained by your pet.

When your pet brings you seeds (depending on the season) it will be a special type of flower. Grain is bought in the second year. Wheat or rice can be bougth for 600g. It will take some time to grow (around two seasons) so plant it early in the spring, if you can. Rice will sell for 150g, and wheat will sell for 100g.

For rice you will need to use your shovel and dig from the water's edge and make a 3x3 square. Then you can plant your rice over that 3x3 square, and in two seasons it shall be fully grown and ready to harvest.

After you have enough money, your partner will tell you they have seen an ad on the T.V. for a compost bin. It will cost around 50,000g but it's worth it. Tell your partner to purchase it. It will arrive a couple of days later you can now throw food, weeds (I think) and miscellaneous items into it. A while later you can go to your compost bin, press the A button, and a couple bags of fertilizer will come out. The fertilizer will shorten the growth period of you plants so they will grow a lot faster!

Crop Chart
Planting crops is vital to this game. If you are playing as the boy farmer, your main responsibility is to tend to the crops, while the girl farmer takes care of the crops until the male counterpart becomes the farmer and takes care of it for you.

Buy seeds from Lukia in the Shopping Mall and plant them on your farm. To begin, the boy gets one bag of Turnips, Potatoes, AND Asparagus seeds to get started. The girl, however, doesn't get anything to start with and must purchase her first seeds.