OSRS Farming Guide: Level 1-99 Training, Methods, and Profitability

Farming in Old School RuneScape (OSRS) is a unique and versatile skill that offers a blend of passive training, substantial profitability, and essential resources, especially for Ironman accounts. Whether you’re a seasoned player aiming for 99 or a newcomer seeking a relaxing yet rewarding skill, this comprehensive Osrs Farming Guide will walk you through everything you need to know to cultivate your green thumb from level 1 to 99.

Table of Contents

Why Train Farming?
Understanding How Farming Works in OSRS
Your Farming Leveling Path to 99
Getting Started: Low Level Farming Methods
Questing for Early Farming XP
Hosidius Favour for Quick Early Levels
Bagged Plants for Rapid Initial Gains
Tree Farming: The Efficient Route to 99
Tree Farming Basics for OSRS Experience
Essential Unlocks for Faster Tree Runs
Optimal Leveling Pathways for Tree Farming
Step-by-Step Guide to Tree Runs
Herb Farming: Profit and Resources
Maximizing Herb Run Efficiency
Detailed Herb Run Guide
Tithe Farm Minigame: Alternative Farming Training
Tithe Farm Strategy and Rewards
Ironman Farming Tips for Self-Sufficiency

Why Train Farming?

Farming stands out as a remarkably passive 99 in OSRS. With just a few minutes of daily “farm runs,” you can steadily accumulate substantial experience. This makes it ideal for players who have limited playtime but still aspire to achieve max level skills.

Profitability is a major draw for Farming. Herb runs, especially at higher levels, can generate significant income. For instance, a Ranarr herb run at level 90 Farming can yield an average profit of 300k gold. Even at lower levels, herb farming remains a lucrative activity.

For Ironman players, Farming is an essential skill. Herb farming becomes a primary source of herbs, crucial for Herblore training and creating vital potions for various activities.

Several important quests in OSRS have Farming level requirements. Quests like Song of the Elves, essential for account progression and unlocking endgame content, require significant Farming levels.

Achieving the Quest Cape requires level 70 Farming, while the prestigious Achievement Diary Cape demands level 91 Farming. These capes are significant milestones for any OSRS player.

For pet collectors, Farming offers the Tangleroot pet. This coveted pet has a small chance of appearing whenever you check the health of a growing plant, adding another layer of excitement to your farm runs.

The Tangleroot pet also boasts five transmogrifications, unlocked by using specific seeds on the pet, allowing for customization and further bragging rights.

Understanding How Farming Works in OSRS

The core of OSRS Farming involves planting and harvesting crops in designated farming patches scattered across the RuneScape world. There are over 60 farming patches available, offering diverse locations and crop types.

Each crop has a unique growth time, ranging from a quick 20 minutes for flowers to a lengthy 107 hours for certain trees. Trees generally require the longest growth periods, while flowers are the fastest to mature.

Crops in OSRS progress through several growth phases. These phases are crucial as they determine when you can harvest and also introduce the risk of disease.

During each growth phase, there’s a chance of disease. If a crop becomes diseased and isn’t treated before the next growth phase, it will die, resulting in lost time and resources.

Using compost is vital for reducing the risk of disease. Regular Compost halves the disease chance each growth phase, Super Compost reduces it to one-fifth, and Ultra Compost to one-tenth.

For certain patches, you can pay the gardener to protect your crops from disease. This guarantees successful growth, eliminating the risk of crop failure, though it comes at a cost.

Once fully grown, harvesting your crops yields Farming experience and produce. Tree patches provide substantial experience upon harvesting, making them a cornerstone of efficient training.

Patches like herbs and allotments have harvest lives. Herb patches, for example, start with 3 lives. Each harvest attempt has a chance to reduce a life. When lives reach zero, the patch is depleted.

The probability of depleting a harvest life is influenced by your Farming level, the use of Magic Secateurs, the Attas plant bonus, and completion of Achievement Diaries, all of which can increase your yield.

Compost not only reduces disease but also increases harvest lives. Regular Compost boosts herb patches to 4 lives, Super to 5, and Ultra to 6. Using Ultra Compost guarantees a minimum of 6 herbs per patch.

Farm runs are the most common and efficient way to train Farming. These involve strategically planning routes to visit multiple farming patches, planting, and harvesting crops at regular intervals as they mature.

While crop farming, especially trees and herbs, is the most prevalent method, this guide will explore various training approaches to suit different playstyles and goals.

Your Farming Leveling Path to 99

Reaching level 99 Farming involves a structured progression through different training methods. Starting from level 1, training solely through harvesting crops is slow. Therefore, we’ll explore faster early-level techniques.

The primary goal in the early stages is to unlock Tree Runs, which become available at level 15 Farming. Trees offer substantial experience upon harvesting and, despite their longer growth times, represent the most efficient training method to 99.

Alongside tree runs, Herb Runs should be incorporated for both profit and experience. Seaweed and Allotment runs can also add variety and extra experience. Additionally, the Tithe Farm minigame provides a different approach to training and valuable rewards.

This guide will detail low-level methods, questing strategies, tree and herb farming techniques, the Tithe Farm minigame, and specialized tips for Ironman players to effectively reach 99 Farming in OSRS.

Getting Started: Low Level Farming Methods

Let’s delve into effective training methods for the early Farming levels in OSRS. Since traditional crop farming is slow at the start, these methods offer a quicker initial boost.

We will cover three primary methods: Questing, Hosidius Favour, and Bagged Plants. Each provides a unique way to gain early Farming experience and progress towards tree farming.

Questing for Early Farming XP

Questing is an excellent way to bypass the initial slow grind of Farming. Certain quests offer substantial Farming experience, allowing you to quickly reach higher levels.

Completing the Fairytale Part 1 quest is highly recommended, as it instantly boosts you from level 1 to level 17 Farming. This single quest provides enough experience to begin tree farming. If you enjoy questing, completing quests like The Garden of Death, an easy quest rewarding 10,000 Farming XP, can propel you to level 38 Farming from level 1 through quest rewards alone.

Hosidius Favour for Quick Early Levels

Gaining Hosidius Favour in Kourend is another rapid method for early Farming levels. This method combines favour progression with Farming experience gains.

Initially, ploughing fields to reach 5% Hosidius Favour grants some Farming experience.

The primary Farming XP comes from making fertiliser by combining saltpetre and compost, and then using it on the fields until you reach 100% favour. Creating 950 fertiliser and applying it will take you from level 1 to 13 Farming.

To reach level 15 Farming for Oak Tree planting, you can use a Garden Pie to temporarily boost your level. Garden Pies are available on the Grand Exchange and are useful at various Farming levels to plant crops you might not normally have the level for.

Bagged Plants for Rapid Initial Gains

For extremely fast initial Farming experience, bagged plants offer a unique method. This is one of the fastest ways to get to level 15 Farming in OSRS.

This method requires a player-owned house, filled watering cans, and bagged plant sets. In building mode, you repeatedly plant and remove regular plants in your portal room.

Approximately 78 bagged plant sets are needed to go from level 1 to 15 Farming using this method. While you can purchase them from the Grand Exchange, buying them from the gardener in Falador or the Farming Guild is typically cheaper.

For a more detailed guide on this fast-leveling technique, you can refer to this Bagged Plants Farming Guide.

Tree Farming: The Efficient Route to 99

Now, let’s move into Tree Farming, the backbone of efficient OSRS Farming training. We’ll cover the fundamentals, essential unlocks, leveling pathways, and step-by-step tree run guides.

We will explore a low-level tree run suitable for beginners, a tree-only run focusing on regular trees, and a complete tree run incorporating regular, fruit, and special trees for maximum experience.

Tree Farming Basics for OSRS Experience

Tree Runs are widely regarded as the most time-efficient Farming method in OSRS. Spending just 10 minutes on a tree run can yield upwards of 100,000 experience, translating to an effective rate of 600k XP per hour. This makes tree farming incredibly fast relative to the time investment.

As you level up your Farming skill, you unlock different tree types to plant. Fruit trees become available at level 27, hardwood trees at level 35, and a variety of other specialized trees unlock at level 72 and above.

There are 24 tree patches across RuneScape, including 6 for regular trees, 6 for fruit trees, 5 spirit tree patches (not typically used for training), 3 hardwood tree patches, and single patches for Calquat, Celastrus, Crystal, and Redwood trees.

Regular tree patches take up to 8 hours to grow, allowing for at least two tree runs per day. Oak trees grow much faster, in about 3 hours, enabling more frequent runs. Fruit trees require approximately 16 hours, making them suitable for daily runs. Redwood trees have the longest growth time at 4.5 days.

A practical tree run strategy involves doing a complete tree run encompassing all tree types each morning, followed by a regular tree run focusing on faster-growing trees like oaks in the evening.

Keep in mind that some tree patches have unlock requirements. For instance, Bone Voyage quest completion is needed to plant hardwood trees on Fossil Island. Access to the Farming Guild, which hosts numerous tree patches, requires 60% Hosidius House Favour and specific Farming level tiers.

Essential Unlocks for Faster Tree Runs

Scrolls of Redirection, purchasable from the Nightmare Zone, significantly speed up tree runs. They allow teleportation to house portals even if your house isn’t located there, providing quick access to various tree patch locations.

Completing the Tai Bwo Wannai Trio quest unlocks the Tai Bwo Wannai teleport scroll, offering direct access to the Tai Bwo Wannai tree patch.

If you choose to compost patches instead of paying gardeners for protection, investing in a Bottomless Compost Bucket is highly recommended. It stores up to 10,000 compost of any type and doubles the amount added, significantly reducing compost costs over time.

Optimal Leveling Pathways for Tree Farming

There are two primary pathways to consider for 99 Farming via tree runs: a fastest pathway and a low-cost pathway. Your choice will depend on your budget and desired training speed.

The fastest pathway aims for 99 Farming in approximately 70 days.

The low-cost pathway takes around 200 days but significantly reduces expenses, costing approximately 10 million gold.

Fastest Pathway Details

For the fastest pathway, you will plant the highest-level trees available to you, performing two runs per day. This involves progressing to Magic Trees for regular tree patches, Dragonfruit Trees for fruit tree patches, and Mahogany Trees for hardwood patches. You’ll also incorporate Calquat, Crystal, Celastrus, and Redwood trees as you unlock them.

To maximize speed, always pay gardeners for protection, even though it’s more expensive. Doing two daily runs of the highest level trees will get you to 99 Farming in about 70 days, but at a cost of approximately 120 million gold.

Cheap Pathway Details

The cheap pathway focuses on cost-effectiveness. For regular trees, you’ll plant Willow trees, and for fruit trees, Papaya trees. However, you will still plant hardwood, Calquat, and Redwood trees as you unlock them since they offer good experience for their type.

To save money, compost your patches instead of paying for protection. Ultra Compost is essential when not paying for protection to minimize disease risk.

Doing one complete tree run per day using this method will take approximately 200 days to reach level 99. You can accelerate training by adding a second or third daily run focusing solely on Willow trees.

Step-by-Step Guide to Tree Runs

Let’s now detail the practical aspects of tree runs. We’ll cover inventory setup, essential items, and provide step-by-step guides for three different tree run types.

Your inventory setup for tree runs should include a spade, a rake (if it’s your first time at a patch), coins, teleports to reach each patch, tree saplings, and payment items for gardener protection (noted for convenience).

To determine the specific payment items needed for protection, consult the Farming skill guide in-game and find the tree you intend to plant.

At each tree patch, follow this routine: 1. Check the health of your previous tree for the large experience drop. 2. If it’s a fruit or special tree, pick the produce for extra experience.

3. Pay the gardener to chop down the tree and clear the patch. Right-click the gardener and select “Pay”.

4. Plant a new sapling by using it on the cleared patch.

5. Pay the gardener for protection or use Ultra Compost if you’re not paying for protection. Paying for protection is generally recommended for tree runs as it guarantees successful growth and experience gain.

Your First Tree Run (Low Level)

This low-level tree run is designed for beginners using Oak trees. It utilizes easily accessible tree patches and teleports.

The tree patches for this run are located in Lumbridge, Varrock, Falador Park, and Taverley.

For this run, you’ll need 4 Oak saplings, 4 baskets of tomatoes (for gardener payment), and Lumbridge, Varrock, and Falador teleport tablets.

Starting the Run: 1. Teleport to Lumbridge using a Lumbridge teleport tablet. 2. Run west, exiting Lumbridge Castle, and find the tree patch slightly north. 3. Rake the patch if it’s your first time. 4. Plant an Oak sapling. 5. Pay the gardener with tomatoes for protection.

6. Teleport to Varrock and run north, then northeast to the Varrock tree patch. Repeat the planting and payment routine.

7. Teleport to Falador, run to Falador Park, and repeat the routine.

8. Head to Taverley by running northwest from Falador Park, follow the wall to the gate, enter Taverley, and go south to the tree patch. Repeat the routine.

For subsequent runs, instead of raking, you’ll check the tree’s health before paying the gardener to remove it.

Regular Tree Run

The regular tree run should be performed once a day, ideally opposite to when you do a complete tree run. This run focuses on regular tree patches for consistent experience.

The route includes tree patches in Lumbridge, Falador Park, Taverley, Varrock, Gnome Stronghold, and the Farming Guild.

Use Lumbridge Teleport, Falador Teleport, Scrolls of Redirection (for Taverley house portal), Varrock Teleport, Spirit Tree (to Gnome Stronghold), and Skills Necklace (to Farming Guild) for efficient travel.

Performing the Run: 1. Lumbridge Teleport -> Lumbridge patch. 2. Falador Teleport -> Falador Park patch. 3. Scrolls of Redirection (Taverley House Portal) -> Taverley patch. 4. Varrock Teleport -> Varrock patch.

5. Run west then north to Grand Exchange Spirit Tree -> Gnome Stronghold Spirit Tree -> Gnome Stronghold patch. 6. Skills Necklace -> Farming Guild -> Western wing Farming Guild patch. Follow the standard patch routine at each location: check health, pay gardener, plant sapling, and pay for protection.

Complete Tree Run

The complete tree run includes regular, fruit, and special trees, maximizing your experience per run. This is the most comprehensive tree run for dedicated Farming training.

This run covers patches in Lumbridge, Falador Park, Taverley, Catherby, Brimhaven, Varrock, Gnome Stronghold (two patches), Tree Gnome Village, Fossil Island (hardwoods), Lletya, Tai Bwo Wannai, Prifddinas, and Farming Guild (four patches).

Utilize Lumbridge Teleport, Ring of Wealth (Falador Park), Scrolls of Redirection (Taverley), Catherby Teleport, Brimhaven House Portal (redirected tablet), Varrock Teleport, Spirit Tree (Gnome Stronghold & Tree Gnome Village), Digsite Pendant (Fossil Island), Teleport Crystal (Lletya & Prifddinas), Tai Bwo Wannai Teleport Scroll, and Skills Necklace (Farming Guild) for optimal route efficiency.

Performing the Run: 1. Lumbridge Teleport -> Lumbridge patch. 2. Ring of Wealth -> Falador Park patch. 3. Scrolls of Redirection (Taverley) -> Taverley patch. 4. Catherby Teleport -> Catherby fruit tree patch. 5. Brimhaven House Portal -> Brimhaven fruit tree patch.

6. Varrock Teleport -> Varrock patch. 7. Grand Exchange Spirit Tree -> Gnome Stronghold -> Gnome Stronghold regular tree patch. 8. Run northeast -> Gnome Stronghold fruit tree patch. 9. Spirit Tree -> Tree Gnome Village -> Tree Gnome Village fruit tree patch. 10. Digsite Pendant -> Fossil Island Mushtree -> Mushroom Meadow -> Fossil Island hardwood patches (3).

7. Teleport Crystal -> Lletya -> Lletya fruit tree patch. 12. Bank in Lletya for more saplings and payments if needed. 13. Tai Bwo Wannai Teleport Scroll -> Tai Bwo Wannai Calquat patch. 14. Teleport Crystal -> Prifddinas -> Prifddinas Crystal tree patch. 15. Skills Necklace -> Farming Guild -> Farming Guild regular tree patch -> Farming Guild fruit tree patch -> Farming Guild Celastrus patch -> Farming Guild Redwood patch.

Optionally, defeat Hespori in the Farming Guild after completing the tree run. For a more in-depth visual guide, check out this Complete Tree Farming Guide for OSRS.

Herb Farming: Profit and Resources

Herb farming is a highly profitable and resource-rich aspect of OSRS Farming. Herbs take 80 minutes to grow and can be combined with allotment runs like Snape Grass for extra experience.

There are 9 herb patches in RuneScape, with 5 requiring unlocks. Three patches are unlocked via quests like Priest in Peril or the Ardougne/Kandarin Arm Diaries. One is in the Farming Guild (Tier 2), and the final one requires the Elite Morytania Diary.

Disease-free patches significantly boost herb run profitability. The Kourend and Kandarin Diaries increase herb yield, further enhancing profit and experience. The Explorer’s Ring and Ardougne Cloak 2 are highly recommended for their teleports close to herb patches. The ectophial from Ghosts Ahoy is another useful unlock for herb runs.

Always use Ultra Compost for herb runs to guarantee at least 6 herbs per patch. Ultra Compost can be bought on the Grand Exchange or made by Ironmen by adding Volcanic Ash to Super Compost.

The best herb to plant depends on your level and unlocks. Ranarrs are most profitable with disease-free patches and diary boosts. Toadflaxes become more profitable than Ranarrs at level 38 on regular patches. Avantoes are currently the most profitable herb on regular patches at level 50. However, with disease-free patches and diary boosts, Ranarrs surpass Avantoes in profit at level 80. Torstols, unlocked at level 85, offer the best experience and decent profit, but less than Ranarrs or Avantoes.

Use a Garden Pie to boost and plant herbs you haven’t yet unlocked. You can start farming Ranarrs as early as level 29 with a boost.

Detailed Herb Run Guide

Let’s outline the inventory setup and step-by-step process for an efficient herb run.

Your inventory should include a seed dibber, spade, rake (for first-time patch clearing), herb seeds, teleports, and Ultra Compost. Store Ultra Compost at a Tool Leprechaun for easy access. Consider a Bottomless Compost Bucket for compost saving. Wear Magic Secateurs and the full Farming outfit for yield and XP bonuses.

The herb run route includes Catherby, Ardougne, Cabbage Patch (Explorer’s Ring), Xeric’s Glade, Morytania (Ectophial), Farming Guild, Troll Stronghold, Weiss, and Harmony Island.

Herb Patch Routine

At each patch: 1. Rake weeds if it’s your first visit.

2. Harvest herbs by clicking the patch. Spam-clicking for 3 seconds doubles the harvest rate.

3. Note herbs using the Tool Leprechaun.

4. Withdraw Ultra Compost from the Leprechaun’s storage. 5. Plant a new seed and apply Ultra Compost. 6. Teleport to the next patch.

Full Herb Run Walkthrough

Starting the Run: 1. Catherby Teleport -> Catherby herb patch. 2. Ardougne Cloak teleport -> Ardougne herb patch. 3. Explorer’s Ring teleport -> Cabbage patch -> run north to herb patch. 4. Xeric’s Talisman -> Xeric’s Glade -> run southwest to herb patch. 5. Ectophial -> Ectofuntus -> run west to Morytania herb patch.

6. Skills Necklace -> Farming Guild -> Western wing herb patch. 7. Stony Basalt -> Troll Stronghold -> Troll Stronghold herb patch. 8. Icy Basalt -> Weiss herb patch. 9. Harmony Island teleport -> Harmony Island herb patch (south). Follow the herb patch routine at each location. For more details, see this Complete Herb Farming Guide.

Tithe Farm Minigame: Alternative Farming Training

The Tithe Farm minigame, located in southeastern Zeah, offers an active alternative to traditional Farming methods. It requires 100% Hosidius favour and 34 Farming.

Three seed types offer varying XP rates (28k to 110k Farming XP per hour), depending on your Farming level (level 34 to 74 seeds).

Most players use Tithe Farm primarily for its rewards: Herb Sack, Seed Box (250 points each), and the Farmer’s Outfit.

Recommended gear includes the full Graceful outfit and the Humidify spell from the Lunar Spellbook.

Tithe Farm Strategy and Rewards

The goal is to grow plants without letting them die from dehydration. Plant seeds in a zigzag pattern, aiming for 20 plants at once (16 is also viable).

Plant and water each seed in a zigzag, then loop back to re-water plants until harvest.

It’s possible to manage 25 patches simultaneously for even higher XP rates. Tithe Farm complements tree and herb runs as an additional XP source. Tree runs combined with Tithe Farm offer the fastest route to 99 Farming.

A more detailed Tithe Farming Guide is forthcoming.

Ironman Farming Tips for Self-Sufficiency

Ironman accounts can generally follow the same Farming methods, but self-sufficiency in seed acquisition is key.

Pickpocketing Master Farmers is a reliable source for most seeds except tree seeds.

Bird nests from woodcutting and birdhouse runs provide tree seeds.

Slayer tasks, like Aberrant Spectres, can drop significant quantities of seeds.

Farming Contracts in the Farming Guild are the most consistent tree seed source for Ironmen. Wintertodt also provides some seeds, though less frequently.

Ironmen should prioritize Tithe Farm for the Seed Box and Herb Sack rewards.

Incorporate allotments into herb runs for Prayer Potion ingredients and Super Compost materials. Allotment patches are often near herb patches.

Farm Giant Seaweed for Crafting experience, a valuable resource for Ironman accounts.

This concludes the comprehensive 1-99 Farming guide for Old School RuneScape.

We hope this OSRS Farming guide has been informative and helpful on your journey to 99 Farming. For any questions or further discussion, join the Theoatrix friend chat in-game. Thank you for reading, and happy farming!