Basic Retaining Soil

Basic Retaining Soil is a Fertilizer that can be crafted or purchased from Stone's General Store starting on Spring 15 of year 1. Its purpose is simple: it gives tilled soil a chance to remain watered overnight, reducing the need to water crops by hand every day.

It can be applied to tilled soil before or after planting a seed, and it may also be applied at any stage of crop growth. This makes it flexible for both planned planting and mid-season adjustments. The soil has about a 33% chance to retain water, so it is not guaranteed to save watering time every night, but it can still be useful early in the game or on fields where consistent watering is inconvenient.

Basic Retaining Soil has a sell price of 4g. It is a crafting item unlocked at Farming Level 4.

• It is not used in any bundles.
• It is not used in any quests.
• It can be used in the Sewing Machine spool to create the dyeable High-Waisted Shirt.
• It can also be used for dyeing, where it acts as an orange dye ingredient at the dye pots in Emily's and Haley's house at 2 Willow Lane.

Because the water retention effect is based on chance rather than certainty, it is most helpful when used on large crop patches where even occasional water retention adds up over time. Since it can be placed after crops are already growing, it also works as a late improvement to a field that was originally planted without fertilizer.