I noticed farming is a bit more (disturbingly more) difficult and I was wondering if anyone could tell me how farming works compared to normal dwarf fortress (besides being more difficult.)
Everything takes longer to grow and therefore needs more space to be productive.
Above ground crops take one full season, so only plant in Spring and Summer. Anything planted in Autumn will wither and die before they can be harvested.
Below ground crops take a full year, but can still be planted in all seasons.
Trees, Steeloaks, Ironbarks, and Fungiwood also take a full year but can be planted in any season.
So get the above ground crops in ASAP. I plant the 3 sets of berries in the first Spring and then set Rope Reeds, Rat Weed, and Blade Weeds in the Summer. If you can quickly get the berries to the still, then you could plant them again as well.
Get your below ground crops in as soon as you can, because of the long growth time.