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[dorfstep]

How do I go about clearing land for farming above ground? I managed to throw down some 5x5 plots but they're a little scattered. I like it when the plot is perfectly filled, not full of gaps because of pebbles or saplings or dead monarch remains or whatever else is around 

[HammerHand]

On pebbles, you may be screwed.  For other things, though, you have a bit of control.

A proper graveyard might remove those monarch remains quickly enough, plant gathering will get rid of bushes and woodcutting for trees.
For other things, like random stone spots, you'll have to dampen it with an active pond zone, or otherwise irrigate it (look up agriculture or irrigation on the wiki, it may have more details - I always just plant on regular soil, so i've never had to really worry about irrigation).  I don't know if pebbles can be irrigated or not.  If they can, you're set.  Otherwise... well, farms rarely work out as you'd expect, anyway.

[dorfstep]

I'll just plop down what I can, and hope for the best. Thanks though :]

[Starver]

How do I go about clearing land for farming above ground? I managed to throw down some 5x5 plots but they're a little scattered. I like it when the plot is perfectly filled, not full of gaps because of pebbles or saplings or dead monarch remains or whatever else is around 

Saplings/plants: cut and gather them, accordingly
'Pebbles' (boulders?): Smoothing out a boulder gives you rock, not sure you can do anything with that.
Other dead remains: Not sure if I've ever had a problem with 'stuff' on the ground, especially cat-caught stuff.  It'll most likely be a problem with the underlying ground.

When it comes to farms, these days I tend to make them all at Z-1, where the soil allows with the "open air" ones built via channelling[1] and/or ramps/ramp-removal, then the appropriate communications made with the underground part of the complex (from the field side if the ramp removal dwarf has trapped himself down there, which is a good incentive to getting the job done )

With the exception of having to make sure you don't create undue cave-ins, it streamlines things quite well.

Alternately, use any old rock surface that doesn't have problematic features (without boulders, or boulders that have been smoothed) and wet it by one of a number of possible methods (suitable water supply allowing) to make it a viable field across the whole


Better Solutions Are Probably Available.



[1] Usually by designating:

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,_,_,
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,_,_,
,,,,,
..then

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,,,,,
,._.,
,_._,
,._.,
,,,,,
That's for 3x3, adjust as appropriate for bigger intended fields.  i.e. designated the 'cross', formed by the two major diagonals then the remaining 'edge' 4 from the central nine, then the remaining 'edge' 12 from the 5x5's outer 16, so that at all times you're able to access the channellable squares from adjacent spots and (if you've already dug underneath) you don't leave any cave-in potentials.  There are other ways (e.g. 'stripe'-mining it) but I tend to like this method.

[Muz]

Irrigation. IIRC, Water + rock = fertile land.

A quick solution I do is dig out the bottom of the pond to a potential location for a farm. The area should be flooded, but then it becomes fertile for farming. Just don't do it with rivers.

[Quietust]

Note that if you have saplings blocking the way, you should be able to build floors on top of them and then remove them, leaving a soil tile underneath.

As for pebbles, irrigate them by temporarily placing a Pond activity zone 1 Z-level above each applicable tile - in order to get to them, either build a scaffold or remove some tiles from the roof of your greenhouse (you do have a greenhouse, right?).

[Puck]

In case of doubt you can always construct and remove floors over boulders, no? If not, and the smoothing thing turns em into rocks, just haul em off or dump em after smoothing.

Plants can be gathered, trees can be cut, I dont see much else that can be in the way.

also, I believe, above ground you dont actually need to be one z level higher to pondstyle-irrigate. you can just pour those buckets on the floor.

[Quietust]

also, I believe, above ground you dont actually need to be one z level higher to pondstyle-irrigate. you can just pour those buckets on the floor.

I actually just tried this, and placing the pond zone directly on the ground gave job cancellation notices about "Inappropriate building" - when I built stairs next to the pebbles and placed the pond zone 1 Z-level up, it was promptly muddied.

[Skorpion]

Well, if you can't find a nice 5*5 spot of grass or sand by the entrance, I suggest channeling down to the soil layer from above (or some muddy rock), and building a wall around the hole at the top to keep out any errant wanderers. A wall around the plot itself should keep out any fliers.
Of course, this means that anyone harvesting who happens to be cave-adapted will hurl all over the farm.

[Puck]

I actually just tried this, and placing the pond zone directly on the ground gave job cancellation notices about "Inappropriate building" - when I built stairs next to the pebbles and placed the pond zone 1 Z-level up, it was promptly muddied.

That's weird. I KNOW it works under some circumstances. Have to find out what I did. Because it worked above ground for me, and when I tried to do that trick 10 z levels below, because I didnay wanna hole in my farm roof, it didnt.

[ronin]

I could be wrong, but I think if you build a floor, then remove the floor it leaves the base layer soil/stone type on the square instead of any "special" feature.  So try building a floor the size you want your plot, then remove it and dump the stone and you should have a nice farm plot.

[Quietust]

I could be wrong, but I think if you build a floor, then remove the floor it leaves the base layer soil/stone type on the square instead of any "special" feature.  So try building a floor the size you want your plot, then remove it and dump the stone and you should have a nice farm plot.

I tried this with my own aboveground farm plots, and while it did remove the dead saplings and replace them with sand, the chalk pebbles just turned into chalk floors which need to be irrigated.

[Hyndis]

Enclose the farming area with a temporary wall. Use a simple dwarf powered screw pump to irrigate the enclosed area. Once each tile has at least 1/7 water on it, turn off the pump and start tearing it all down.

You can now build your farms anywhere you want to in that muddy area.

[durt101]

My current layout. Note that this is an old save, my new save of this region was baleeted so I can't so you it in action, only how it will turn out.
See how when I dug into the clay there were no pebbles left behind?
Also note that a square that you've channeled around will collapse, hurting any dwarf on it when it falls. Sometimes it'll just stun them but my mason broke his hand once, so be careful. Diagonals do not count as support.

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[awdball]

Simple way to clear most things off an outdoor plot for farming is to build a dirt road over the area first. But the best way to get pristine plots, if you have a layer of soil, is to dig one z level down, like others have suggested. I recommend ramps then remove as opposed to canals though for the excavation to avoid cave-ins. NOTE you must still get rid of the trees to avoid all cave-in chances.