Compost
Mix spare seeds, plants and food into Compost, then use it to advance immature crops by one stage. Farming remains possible without Compost or watering.
Craft a Compost Bin from seven planks in a U shape at a Workbench. Open it with right-click or Interact.
The basic bin is manual-only: it takes no fuel or electricity and cannot connect to pipes or Blue Signal.
Use the Add organics target in the bin interface:
- Left-click to deposit the stack held by your cursor.
- Right-click to deposit one item.
- Shift-click an inventory stack to deposit it directly.
Accepted items disappear immediately and increase the shared compost level. Mix different items in any order; you do not need a matching stack or a recipe batch. Search #compostable in the item browser.
| Progress per item | Accepted items |
|---|---|
| 4.17% | Leaves, wheat/flax/carrot/berry seeds, flax fibre |
| 8.33% | Saplings, apples, potatoes, grain, carrots, berries, mushrooms |
| 16.67% | Baked potatoes, bread, roasted carrots, vegetable stew, cooked mushrooms, fruit porridge |
The displayed percentages are rounded; the bin retains exact values. At 100%, it immediately produces a random 1–4 Compost. Excess progress carries into the next level, and a large stack can complete several levels. Finished Compost pops out above the basic bin for pickup. There is no waiting timer.
Craft an Autocomposter at the Machinist's Bench using one Compost Bin, one Machine Casing, two Cogs, two Item Pipes and one Gold Ingot.
It uses the same mixed inputs and random yields, but stores finished Compost in its output slot. It requires electricity: 160 W charging, 8 J per input item. Its small 512 J reserve can process up to 64 items after charging; once that runs out, it needs power again.
Connect power cables on any face. Configure an item-pipe Input end to feed organics and an Output end to collect finished Compost. Either can use any face. The selected Wrench changes pipe direction; Pipes explains the arrows. A front Blue Signal connection can optionally stop operation.
If charge or output capacity is insufficient, the unaccepted items stay in your hand or source storage. Partial level, stored output and unused charge survive pauses and save/load. Output retries do not reroll the yield.
Hold Compost and right-click an immature potato, wheat, flax, carrot or berry plant. One successful click spends one Compost and advances one stage. This works on wild and cultivated plants. Holding the button does not repeatedly spend it.
Plants still need valid support and enough sky or placed light; see underground farms. Mature plants, mushrooms and saplings do not accept Compost. Failed uses spend nothing. Creative keeps the stack. The next natural stage receives its full normal growth interval.
Save/load retains accumulated progress and the output sequence; it also preserves the autocomposter's charge. Mining returns the machine and any stored finished output, but loses unfinished organic progress and internal charge. Finish a level and collect output before moving a bin.
Bins from older saves stay basic manual bins. Opening one returns its old finished Compost and feeds its old queued inputs into the new mixed level. Previous attached pipes no longer transfer to the manual bin; craft the autocomposter for automation.
Images show actual September 14, 2026 review-player gameplay. See Farming and cooking for growing food and keeping planting stock.