TruthScape.com  9  TruthScape Skill Secrets       9  TruthScape Skill Secrets - Herblore            9  TruthScape Skill Secrets - Herblore - The Best Methods for Obtaining Herbs                 9  A Brief Guide to Farming Herbs

Herb Patch Locations Additional Information and Tips for Herb Farming Success

Since a crop of herbs takes at least 75 minutes to grow, and sometimes longer, good farmers always leave their herbs to grow and then spend time doing something else, either in the game or in the real world. Once they are sure their crops are done, they visit each of their patches, harvesting herbs and other produce and planting new seeds. This is called a farming run.

There are many similar and mostly equivalent ways to do a farming run, so I’ll show you the one I like to use.

Start by taking off all unnecessary armor and bank items you don’t need; you want inventory space for items and herbs. Equip yourself with the following gear:

• Boots of lightness (if you have them).
  
  
• Spottier or spotted cape (if you have one).
  
  
• Penance gloves (from Barbarian Assault; they reduce weight further).
  
  
• Amulet of glory with at least one charge.
  
  
• Ring of duelling.
  
  
• Enchanted secateurs.

Next, take out these items:

• Spade.
  
  
• Farming rake.
  
  
• Seed dibber.
  
  
• Watering can.
  
  
• 5 law runes if doing all 5 patches, otherwise 3 law runes.
  
  
• 5 air runes.
  
  
• 2 water runes.
  
  
• 2 fire runes if doing the Troll Stronghold patch.
  
  
• 5 herb seeds of the type you want to plant, if doing all 5 patches; otherwise 4.
  
  
• 4 flower seeds.
  
  
• 3 supercompost buckets if doing the Troll Stronghold patch, otherwise 2.
  
  
• 1 regular energy or super energy potion; a bull ant pouch and a 3 to 4 Unburden scrolls; or a spirit terrorbird pouch and 3 to 4 Tireless Run scrolls.

Figure 188 shows the setup I use personally when doing a run. Note that if your leprechaun has any of these items, you can get them when you visit your first patch. If farming frequently, I find it easier to keep the tools in my bank; I also keep supercompost both in my bank and in the leprechaun for convenience.

Now, here are the steps for doing the herb run:

1. If you are doing the Troll Stronghold patch, cast Trollheim Teleport; otherwise, skip to step #4.
   
   
2. Clamber down the mountain and run to the Troll Stronghold patch.
   
   
3. Harvest herbs at the patch, fertilize and plant a new seed. Note that if you need him, the tool leprechaun here is “sunning himself” on a reclining chair south of the patch. J
   
   
4. Teleport to Ardougne.
   
   
5. Run northwest towards the patch. If your inventory is mostly full from the Troll Stronghold patch, take a side trip to the bank just to the west to store your herbs and empty bucket. If you’re sure you don’t need to bank, some people find it faster to go east and then north past the mining area.
   
   
6. Go to the Ardougne patch, harvest herbs and flowers and plant new seeds.
   
   
7. Use your ring of duelling to go to Castle Wars to bank. Store your harvest and empty buckets, take out two more supercompost and your ectophial.
   
   
8. Click the ectophial to teleport to Port Phasmatys. Use it on the Ectofuntus to refill.
   
   
9. Run to the patch, harvest and replant.
   
   
10. Go a bit west of the patch to find a water spigot. Use your watering can on it to refill.
    
    
11. Rub your amulet of glory to teleport to Draynor Village. Use the bank there if your inventory is getting full: store herbs and empty buckets, get more supercompost (unless getting from the leprechauns), and take out more run energy supplies as needed.
    
    
12. Run the to the patch northwest of Draynor. Harvest and replant.
    
    
13. Cast Camelot Teleport and run east to the patch north of Catherby. (If your inventory is nearly full from the prior patch then bank in Catherby first.)
    
    
14. Harvest and replant in Catherby.
    
    
15. Store your tools either in the bank or the leprechaun, unless you plan to log out and then log back in later to do more farming.

Congratulations, you’re done. It takes me about 7.5 minutes to do all five patches, depending on how many herbs I get and other variables.

Note that if you start out already near a different patch, you can restructure this plan to avoid unnecessary travel. For example, if at the end of this run you stay in Catherby, on the next one you might as well start with the Catherby patch! Just do it first and remove the 1 law rune and 5 air runes from your inventory.

I don’t make supercompost in all of my bins as it is too time-consuming; I just use the bin in Catherby since it is the most convenient, with both a bank and a cheap supply of pineapples near the bin. I supplement with purchased supercompost.

Finally, some of you may note that I take out a bunch of items at the start that I don’t need until the end, such as all of the seeds at once, and the runes to teleport to Catherby. This does take extra inventory space, but I do it to save time; you can certainly choose otherwise. On the other hand, if you’re using a beast of burden, you may find that you need to bank less often than I’ve called for, and maybe want to take extra supercompost all at once. Just use my route as a start and adjust it to suit your needs.

Herb Patch Locations Additional Information and Tips for Herb Farming Success