Ironman guide/Efficient herb run guide
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Please note – this is a guide for those looking to make their farming runs more efficient – not a guide for someone who has never done any farming before.
This guide assumes you have the Farming level for watermelons. If you do not have the level for watermelons, use charter ships to buy pineapples and use them to fill compost bins.
Recommended gear
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- Magic secateurs
- Herb seeds (5+), limpwurt seeds (4), watermelon seeds (12)
- Rake, spade, seed dibber (stored on tool leprechaun)
- Explorer's ring 2+
- Ectophial
- Ardougne cloak 2+
- House located in Hosidius (or Xeric's talisman)
- Full graceful or farmer's outfit (optional)
- Teleport runes (air, earth, law, fire if using Trollheim Teleport)
- Amulet of bounty to save some allotment seeds.
Advanced
- Dust battlestaff / Rune pouch to save inventory space.
- Icy basalt if you have completed Making Friends With My Arm.
- Bottomless bucket.
- Gricoller's can for watering Limpwurt roots.
Preparation
Fill the tool leprechaun's storage with buckets, this makes refilling easier. This is easily done with noted buckets.
Volcanic ash is very beneficial; mine some at Fossil Island. This requires the Bone Voyage quest, and ash can be found at the central volcano. This is stackable, so bring your best pickaxe and a charged amulet of glory if you have one for extra gems. Volcanic ash is also useful for turning supercompost into ultracompost, especially when using the big compost bin at the Farming Guild. It is recommended to use the ultracompost towards the big compost bin which will only cost 50 volcanic ash, compared to using 60 volcanic ash on buckets of supercompost.
Seeds
Seeds can be acquired largely through Master Farmers, Slayer and some bosses. Seed box from Tithe Farm is convenient for seed gathering. When thieving Master Farmers, make sure to wear full rogues set for twice the seeds. Ardougne cloak 2 bonus does not apply here, so having the Ardougne hard diary done is beneficial if you do not have 99 thieving.
Low level seeds, such as guam, marrentill and tarromin seeds are rarely worth farming.
Overview
For this strategy we will be planting herbs in all available herb patches and limpwurt plants in all available patches, except the patch in Catherby where a nasturtium will be used to protect watermelons. Each herb run will involve two compost bins with watermelons planted in the allotment spaces (Hosidius because it is disease free, second compost location is down to preference). 2 Compost bins are done to provide a sustainable source of compost, and some extra for all your tree/seaweed runs.
As for compost used for each type of crop:
- All herbs and limpwurts are treated with ultracompost
- Watermelons are not treated at all (unless you want maximum xp/yield and have some compost stockpiled)
Limpwurts are farmed for their uses in herblore – feel free to skip altogether if you have stacks from bossing. There is little difference between super and ultracompost for limpwurts, therefore supercompost is advisable. However because you are doing two ultracompost bins to cover herbs, seaweed and tree runs, it is not necessary to make supercompost just for limpwurts, you can use the excess ultracompost for limpwurts.
Once you have a few hundred ultracompost stocked, you can adjust when you do your compost bins as necessary. Unlocking the upgraded Fertile Soil spell can also be useful.
Routine
All compost should be taken from the tool leprechaun as needed.
An example herb run from start to finish is as follows:
Hosidius patch
- Teleport = Xeric's talisman > Vinery Fairy Ring AKR > PoH teleport and run
- Use volcanic ash on compost bin and empty the bin – store in leprechaun
- Harvest watermelons and fill/close the compost bin, note the leftovers
- Replant watermelons using no compost unless going for maximum possible xp
- Harvest limpwurt, note, replant (you do not need to compost this patch since compost does not affect limpwurt yield)
- Harvest herb patch, replant using ultracompost
- Note any remaining drops, take 15 empty buckets for the next area
Catherby patch
- Teleport: Camelot teleport
- Use volcanic ash and empty compost bin, store – only do this bin if you need compost for tree runs
- Harvest watermelons, refill compost bin
- Do herbs (no limp as nasturtium should be planted in this patch to protect watermelons)
- Note remaining drops and take out 2-4 ultracompost depending on inventory space
You can do the last patches in any order you like, simply harvest herbs and limps and replant.
Trollheim
Teleport = Upgraded Trollheim portal in PoH > Stony basalt > Trollheim teleport (If using the trollheim teleport, 73 agility is advised for the shortcut to the patch)
After completion of the quest Making Friends With My Arm, your POH Trollheim teleport can be upgraded using the relevant salts to give a teleport directly to the herb patch (on the roof requires 73 agility)
Ardougne
Teleport = Ardougne cloak
Morytania
Teleport = Ectophial or fairy ring ALQ
Falador
Teleport = Explorer's ring
Remember to store your tools and buckets once done.
The benefit of using this method is eliminating the need to do compost runs which can be tedious – this way a little bit of compost making is incorporated into each run with the added bonus of the experience from watermelons.