There are a variety of things to consider when trying to decide what the best crops are in Rimworld. The length of the growing season, soil fertility, your tech level, and more all play into what crop you should grow. There are essentially three main crops for you to pick from when it comes to growing food – potatoes, rice, and corn. Each crop has its own place in Rimworld and it’s important to know which one you should be growing! By picking the wrong crop, you could be sentencing your colony to an early grave!

If you’re interested in other Rimworld content, check out our guides on the best mods for Rimworld and the nutrient paste dispenser!

Best Crops for a Desert Colony/Poor Soil Colony

If your colony is in a desert, or really anywhere where there is poor soil, your only option is the potato. Potatoes are the least affected by soil fertility making them the best for colonies surrounded by gravel.

Potatoes

Medium growing period (10.55 days)

Best for poor soil

Medium yield upon harvest (11)

Potatoes are great at growing in bad conditions and have a medium growth time. They’re not as fast as rice or strawberries but are your best option for the soil you have. Potatoes can also be eaten raw by colonists, but they will suffer a slight mood debuff for eating raw food. If they’re not refrigerated, they will spoil in a couple of days so make sure you get them in your freezer as soon as possible. Don’t leave them out in the fields after harvesting for too long! Potatoes are a great way to ensure that your desert colony doesn’t have to rely solely on meat and your hunter to sustain itself.

Best Crops for Starting Colonies

From here on out, we are going to imagine that your colony has good soil for growing food. If your colony has poor soil, go back to the above section and plant potatoes. If your colony has rich soil and is just starting out plant rice!

Rice

Quickest growing period (5.54 days)

Can be grown in hydroponic basins

If grown in soil with less than 100% fertility, may die at random

Smallest yield upon harvest (6)

Rice is a great starting crop. This crop is the fastest growing crop in the game on this list and is also the most sensitive to soil fertility making it a terrible choice for deserts. While harvesting rice yields less food than corn or potatoes, this crop is a consistent source of food since it grows so quickly.

However, since it grows so quickly it is extremely labor-intensive and can oftentimes tie up your grower for a day or two depending on the size of your farm. They spend all day cutting and hauling the rice every time it is ready to harvest. You don’t get a lot of nutrition for the work done, but it is your best option for an early or even mid-game colony. Rice can be eaten raw, but your colonists will suffer a mood debuff so it’s better to turn it into pemican or cook it into a meal.

Best Crops for the Late Game

Corn

Longest growing period (20.86 days)

Needs minimum soil fertility of 50%

Largest yield upon harvest (22)

The crop that dominates the late game is corn. Corn is by far the best crop for your late game colony. After you have all your other basic needs setup and your defenses can take on everything and anything, corn is what you should start growing. While it can’t be grown in hydroponic basins, it yields the most nutrition on harvest than any other crop in the game. It also has a very long shelf life which can prove useful during solar flares.

One downside of corn is that it’s long growing period can make it an inconsistent food source. Blight, fires, and cold snaps can get rid of all your corn putting your colony is a dangerous position if you were relying on the next harvest. One benefit of its long growing period is that it is less labor-intensive on your growers, unlike rice.

If you’re wondering why hay grass didn’t make our list of the best crops in Rimworld, its because hay grass is only edible when turned into kibble and kibble gives a mood debuff. Hay grass is great for your animals, not for your colonists! That should be pretty self-explanatory. Out of all the crops in Rimworld, the best crop truly depends on your biome and the stage of the game that you are in. What might be the best crop for one colony, is not always the best crop for another. It is important to analyze your colony and its need when trying to determine what to grow.