OSRS Easy Farming Contracts Guide for Beginners

Old School RuneScape (OSRS) offers a variety of ways to train skills, and Farming is one of the most rewarding yet passive skills to level up. For players starting their Farming journey, easy farming contracts at the Farming Guild are an excellent way to gain experience, earn seeds, and build a foundation for higher-level training. This guide dives into everything you need to know about easy farming contracts, from how to start them to maximizing rewards, all tailored for players at level 45 Farming or above.
Farming contracts are tasks assigned by Guildmaster Jane in the Farming Guild, located in the Kebos Lowlands. These contracts require you to grow specific crops within the guild’s patches, rewarding you with seed packs upon completion. Easy contracts are the beginner tier, available to players with at least 45 Farming and 60% Hosidius favor, making them perfect for those just unlocking the guild.
Why Choose Easy Contracts?
Easy contracts are ideal for early-game players because they:
- Require low Farming levels: Accessible at level 45, with boosts allowed.
- Offer decent rewards: Seed packs provide a variety of seeds, including some for higher-level crops.
- Are time-efficient: Most crops grow quickly, letting you complete contracts faster than medium or hard tiers.
- Build your seed bank: Great for Ironmen or players needing seeds for future runs.
How to Unlock the Farming Guild
To access easy contracts, you’ll need:
- 45 Farming: Boosts like garden pies work if you’re slightly below.
- 60% Hosidius favor: Earn this by plowing fields, making fertilizer, or other Hosidius tasks.
- Location access: The guild is north of the Kebos Swamp, reachable via skills necklace, fairy ring (CIR), or Battlefront teleport.
Once inside, speak to Guildmaster Jane near the entrance to pick up your first contract.
Understanding Easy Contract Mechanics
Easy contracts involve growing crops in the Farming Guild’s beginner patches (east wing and main area). Unlike higher tiers, these contracts focus on low-level crops with shorter growth times, making them less daunting for new farmers.
How Contracts Are Assigned
Guildmaster Jane assigns contracts randomly from a list of crops you’re eligible to grow based on your Farming level. All eligible crops have equal weighting, so there’s no way to predict what you’ll get. If you’re below the required level for a crop, you can use boosts (e.g., garden pies or spicy stews) to accept the contract.
Completing a Contract
To complete a contract:
- Accept the task: Speak to Jane and choose “Easy contract.”
- Plant the crop: Use the assigned seed in the appropriate guild patch (allotment, bush, or flower).
- Wait for growth: Most easy contract crops take 20–40 minutes to grow fully.
- Check or harvest: For crops with health checks (e.g., bushes), check their health. For others (e.g., allotments), harvest the final crop.
- Claim your reward: Return to Jane for a Tier 1–2 seed pack.
Note: Easy contracts cannot be canceled, so you’re committed to growing the assigned crop.
Common Easy Contract Crops
Here’s a table of crops commonly assigned for easy contracts, along with their growth times and requirements:
Crop | Patch Type | Farming Level | Growth Time |
---|---|---|---|
Potato | Allotment | 1 | 40 minutes |
Onion | Allotment | 5 | 40 minutes |
Cabbage | Allotment | 7 | 40 minutes |
Redberry Bush | Bush | 10 | 100 minutes |
Dwellberry Bush | Bush | 36 | 140 minutes |
Nasturtium | Flower | 24 | 20 minutes |
These crops are quick to grow, with bushes being the slowest but still manageable for beginners.
Maximizing Efficiency with Easy Contracts
To get the most out of easy contracts, you’ll want to optimize your time and resources. Here are some strategies to streamline your farming routine.
Pre-Planting Strategy
Since easy contracts can’t be canceled, pre-planting isn’t as effective as it is for higher tiers, where you can swap contracts. However, you can still prepare by:
- Keeping patches ready: Always have compost or supercompost in your patches to reduce disease risk.
- Stocking seeds: Carry common seeds like potatoes, onions, and nasturtiums in your seed vault for quick planting.
- Using boosts: If you get a dwellberry contract (level 36), a garden pie (+3 Farming) can help if you’re below the requirement.
Protecting Your Crops
Disease can ruin your contract progress, so take these precautions:
- Use supercompost: It boosts yield and reduces disease chance compared to regular compost.
- Pay Alan: The farmer in the east wing can protect allotments and bushes for a small fee (e.g., 10 cabbages for potatoes).
- Plant flowers: Nasturtiums protect allotments when planted in the flower patch, saving you payment costs.
Tip: Ultracompost is overkill for easy contracts unless you’re swimming in volcanic ash. Stick to supercompost for cost-efficiency.
Time Management
Easy contract crops grow fast, so integrate them into your daily routine:
- Combine with farm runs: Check your contracts during herb or tree runs, as the guild is a common stop.
- Use Runelite: The “Time Tracking” plugin shows when your crops are ready, saving you guesswork.
- Teleport efficiently: A skills necklace or fairy ring (CIR) gets you to the guild quickly.
Rewards and Their Value
The main draw of easy contracts is the seed pack, which offers a random assortment of seeds based on the contract’s tier (1–2 for easy contracts). While rewards are modest compared to medium or hard contracts, they’re still valuable for beginners.
What’s in a Seed Pack?
Seed packs from easy contracts typically include:
- Low-level seeds: Potatoes, onions, cabbages, and marigolds.
- Occasional mid-tier seeds: Harralander, ranarr, or snape grass, which are great for Ironmen.
- Rare high-value seeds: Small chance for herb or bush seeds like cadantine or poison ivy.
The average value of an easy contract seed pack is around 19,257 coins, though this varies with RNG and market prices.
Are Easy Contracts Worth It?
While some players argue easy contracts give poor rewards compared to alternatives like pickpocketing Master Farmers, they have unique benefits:
- Passive training: You’re farming anyway, so contracts add extra rewards for little effort.
- Seed variety: Even low-tier seeds are useful for quests, diaries, or early Herblore.
- Stepping stone: They prepare you for medium contracts at level 65, which offer better seeds.
For Ironmen, easy contracts are especially worthwhile, as seeds are harder to come by without trading.
Tips for Beginners Starting Easy Contracts
If you’re new to Farming or the Farming Guild, these tips will help you hit the ground running with easy contracts.
Build a Seed Stash
Stock up on seeds before diving into contracts:
- Buy from shops: Olivia in Draynor or Amelia in the Farming Guild sell basic seeds.
- Birdhouse runs: These provide a steady seed income, especially for bushes.
- Slayer tasks: Monsters like cave crawlers drop low-level seeds.
Invest in Teleports
Farming is all about mobility. Unlock these to save time:
- Skills necklace: Direct teleport to the Farming Guild.
- Fairy ring (CIR): Complete Fairytale Part II (partially) for access.
- Xeric’s talisman: Battlefront teleport is close to the guild.
Track Your Progress
Stay organized to avoid wasting time:
- Check contract status: Speak to Jane to see your current crop and progress.
- Use a notebook: If you don’t use Runelite, note down planting times manually.
- Plan around growth: Most easy crops fit into a 20–40 minute schedule, perfect for short sessions.
Don’t Stress About RNG
Seed pack rewards are random, and you might get a string of low-value seeds. Keep at it—over time, the occasional high-value seed (like ranarr or snape grass) makes up for it. Focus on the experience and long-term seed bank growth.
Easy farming contracts are a fantastic way to ease into OSRS’s Farming skill while building resources for the future. By following this guide, you’ll be completing contracts efficiently, stocking up on seeds, and paving the way to medium contracts at level 65. Whether you’re an Ironman or a main, these contracts offer a low-effort, high-reward path to growing your Farming prowess. Happy planting!