Fruit trees, bushes, using roadside stand - questions from a not-so-new newbie

Hi everyone,

Some of these questions may be a bit silly or obvious! I am at level 31 and have played the game on and off for nearly two years, though I am still clueless about some seemingly simple things, maybe because I've just been content to poke along on my own and not too interested in becoming a turbo-farmer or joining neighbourhoods.

Having visited a couple of the higher level farms in the newspaper, I've noticed many of them have rows and rows of various ripened fruit trees and bushes. Dozens and dozens of them which are always bearing fruit. How do they manage this? Do the owners just let the trees and bushes alone without harvesting the fruit, to be used as decoration? In which case, do they designate certain trees as 'pickable' ones? And if so, why does it seem like I am one of the very few who regularly asks to have their dead trees regenerated by picketing them and enlisting others' help? It seems nearly all of the farms requesting help in the newspaper are for boat orders but hardly ever for trees/bushes.

My second question: is using the roadside stand more profitable than filling truck orders? From what I've read, that seems to be the case and the method of selling that most people prefer. Funny thing is I don't like selling that way. It's all about the hassle of pricing, and call me silly but I don't like selling things at full price because 1) they sit there longer (which makes me feel bad) and 2) if they get sold, I feel greedy and vaguely guilty. LOL! Certainly not everyone suffers the same qualms of conscience; I know I'm definitely not cut out for the business side of things. But still, is there something about using the stands that makes it more appealing than truck orders or selling to the little people?

Finally, is hiring Tom worth your coin? That little bugger costs me 15 diamonds a pop and I usually only get about 3 uses out of him, at the most, since I can't check the game regularly enough to make the most out of him. I use him exclusively for help filling boat orders. On that note, how is it that some people are able to fill large boat orders of white sugar or other time-intensive goods all at once? They must have gigantic barns.

Thanks for the answers!

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Originally Posted by Jackitty

Hi everyone,

Some of these questions may be a bit silly or obvious! I am at level 31 and have played the game on and off for nearly two years, though I am still clueless about some seemingly simple things, maybe because I've just been content to poke along on my own and not too interested in becoming a turbo-farmer or joining neighbourhoods.

Having visited a couple of the higher level farms in the newspaper, I've noticed many of them have rows and rows of various ripened fruit trees and bushes. Dozens and dozens of them which are always bearing fruit. How do they manage this? Do the owners just let the trees and bushes alone without harvesting the fruit, to be used as decoration? In which case, do they designate certain trees as 'pickable' ones? And if so, why does it seem like I am one of the very few who regularly asks to have their dead trees regenerated by picketing them and enlisting others' help? It seems nearly all of the farms requesting help in the newspaper are for boat orders but hardly ever for trees/bushes.

My second question: is using the roadside stand more profitable than filling truck orders? From what I've read, that seems to be the case and the method of selling that most people prefer. Funny thing is I don't like selling that way. It's all about the hassle of pricing, and call me silly but I don't like selling things at full price because 1) they sit there longer (which makes me feel bad) and 2) if they get sold, I feel greedy and vaguely guilty. LOL! Certainly not everyone suffers the same qualms of conscience; I know I'm definitely not cut out for the business side of things. But still, is there something about using the stands that makes it more appealing than truck orders or selling to the little people?

Finally, is hiring Tom worth your coin? That little bugger costs me 15 diamonds a pop and I usually only get about 3 uses out of him, at the most, since I can't check the game regularly enough to make the most out of him. I use him exclusively for help filling boat orders. On that note, how is it that some people are able to fill large boat orders of white sugar or other time-intensive goods all at once? They must have gigantic barns.

Thanks for the answers!

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im level 53. I have loads of trees and bushes ready for harvest on my farm constantly. I only ever harvest them when I need that fruit and other times, yes, really they are decoration and they just sit there. I dont have separate areas for harvest, I just use them as needed. I always see farms asking for help to revive trees as well as boat help in the newspaper.

using the shop is much more profitable. I don't always sell everything at full price. Items which don't sell as well I put on at discount. I sell the things which do sell well at full price. If you need to get your coin amounts higher then using the shop to make money is better than using trucks and boat. You need large amounts of coin to buy some of the higher level machines so it is vital to make coins. I generally only sell crops to the little people just to keep my silo down or if I've been whetting. I only do boat orders if I can make the products easily or already have them in stock. I only do truck orders if the xp is over 600 or 700.

I rarely hire tom but if I do I do it for the full 10 days but I can check him regularly. I don't fill my own boats if they need dairy or sugar items unless I have tom, I cast those boats away, or unless I have managed to stock pile which is rare for me! But yes some people do have huge barns! Mine is only 400 and ive only recently upgraded to that wmount but I see some barns storage in the thousands!

Hi, Jackitty. My main reason for selling at the stand is because I can decide what I want to sell. I don't have the pressure of making or finding specific items. I started doing this when I needed more coins to get a machine, and you really do make more.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jackitty

Hi everyone,

Some of these questions may be a bit silly or obvious! I am at level 31 and have played the game on and off for nearly two years, though I am still clueless about some seemingly simple things, maybe because I've just been content to poke along on my own and not too interested in becoming a turbo-farmer or joining neighbourhoods.

Having visited a couple of the higher level farms in the newspaper, I've noticed many of them have rows and rows of various ripened fruit trees and bushes. Dozens and dozens of them which are always bearing fruit. How do they manage this? Do the owners just let the trees and bushes alone without harvesting the fruit, to be used as decoration? In which case, do they designate certain trees as 'pickable' ones? And if so, why does it seem like I am one of the very few who regularly asks to have their dead trees regenerated by picketing them and enlisting others' help? It seems nearly all of the farms requesting help in the newspaper are for boat orders but hardly ever for trees/bushes.

My second question: is using the roadside stand more profitable than filling truck orders? From what I've read, that seems to be the case and the method of selling that most people prefer. Funny thing is I don't like selling that way. It's all about the hassle of pricing, and call me silly but I don't like selling things at full price because 1) they sit there longer (which makes me feel bad) and 2) if they get sold, I feel greedy and vaguely guilty. LOL! Certainly not everyone suffers the same qualms of conscience; I know I'm definitely not cut out for the business side of things. But still, is there something about using the stands that makes it more appealing than truck orders or selling to the little people?

Finally, is hiring Tom worth your coin? That little bugger costs me 15 diamonds a pop and I usually only get about 3 uses out of him, at the most, since I can't check the game regularly enough to make the most out of him. I use him exclusively for help filling boat orders. On that note, how is it that some people are able to fill large boat orders of white sugar or other time-intensive goods all at once? They must have gigantic barns.

Thanks for the answers!

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Wow. Lots of good questions

First. Trees.( and bushes). Very good for XP, and coins. I have a lot but I harvest them frequently. People do ask for. Help but if you don't see it, it is because they go fast. It's easy and you don't need anything to do it, like boats. Also if you see trees full of fruit, it's because the farmer is using the trees to hold the fruit instead of the barn. Since trees die, some don't harvest them till they need the fruit. I do because I like the XP.

Next. The roadside stand, yes this is the best way to get coins. Don't feel bad about selling everything at MAX. About the only things I sell for less is wheat and occasionally eggs. People at higher levels above 45 or 50 have all the coins they need and are more interested in speed. If I am low on something, I'll buy from the first farm I see no matter the price. So crank it up and stop feeling bad. If something isn't selling, tap on it and create an ad. You get a free one every five minutes. The little people are horrible for price. Use them mainly for wheat and eggs when you are bursting at the seams and also during an event when they might give double coins. The reason I keep mentioning wheat is because a lot of people plant wheat repetitively to get expansion material. Check out the stickies at the top for advice on wheating.

Next. Tom. For you he is not worth it. He should only be used when you have time to check him every two hours. Provided you do sleep, you should be getting at least 8 trips from him. He's not worth the price just to fill a boat or two. For you a better use of your diamonds would be to add slots to your machines. Since you don't play non stop like some of us do, with more slots your machines can keep working while you are away.

Last. The reason some folks are able to fill large boat orders is simply because they play a lot. They have all the slots open and instead of using the sugar for other items, they save it. Their barns may be big, but don't have to be. It's really just the way they manage their resources. Some do have Tom on retainer, but even that's not necessary . I have two farms. I play one more than the other because it's on a newer faster device. On the other I can't keep up with even chicken feed, but that's because I am not on it as much and while the feed is ready sooner, I am not there to collect it and re cue the machine. Therefore when I do go there, both the feed mill and the chickens are ready. On my newer farm, I am able to refill my feed machine three to four times before the chickens are ready, so I always have enough. It's all very carefully thought out by the developers to reward those who play a lot. Clever aren't they.

Hope that helps

Hello! Those are good questions. I do pretty much exactly as Melly2014 does - I sell ONLY produce to the little people to clear out my silo, I sell in the RSS to make coins, I cast off boat orders calling for sugars (and dairy, fish and lobster), and I harvest fruit trees only as needed and have my trees and bushes always in various stages of development. And yes, some of them I leave for decoration. If you only harvest as needed you never have to worry about running out of axes and saws, either. (I keep 25 of each and sell all the rest.)

If it helps your conscience any, you shouldn't worry about charging full price in your RSS as you're probably paying full price for most things that you buy. I discount certain things that are extremely easy to find, i.e. bacon, wool, wheat, carrots and corn, but everything else no, ESPECIALLY those premium items (or produce) that take hours and hours to make. But I don't mind paying full price either.

In the end, though, just play the way that makes you feel best! :)

Whenever I hire Tom, I check every 2 hours by day and almost the same by night, as I have a small baby who happens to wake up every 2 or 3 hours every night. So I feed him and check Tom.

It is a very good inversion, IMHO.

Selling in the RSS is great, I have managed to have a lot of money and I don't know how LOL

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Originally Posted by Shealie54

Hello! Those are good questions. I do pretty much exactly as Melly2014 does - I sell ONLY produce to the little people to clear out my silo, I sell in the RSS to make coins, I cast off boat orders calling for sugars (and dairy, fish and lobster), and I harvest fruit trees only as needed and have my trees and bushes always in various stages of development. And yes, some of them I leave for decoration. If you only harvest as needed you never have to worry about running out of axes and saws, either. (I keep 25 of each and sell all the rest.)

If it helps your conscience any, you shouldn't worry about charging full price in your RSS as you're probably paying full price for most things that you buy. I discount certain things that are extremely easy to find, i.e. bacon, wool, wheat, carrots and corn, but everything else no, ESPECIALLY those premium items (or produce) that take hours and hours to make. But I don't mind paying full price either.

In the end, though, just play the way that makes you feel best! :)

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I do much as you do Shealie and I do hire Tom occasionally but only when I have plenty of barn room and time to be able to send him off at 2 hour intervals. I use him for shovels and diamond rings mainly.