Herb runs

Plant herb seeds across every patch you have unlocked, then return around 80 minutes later to harvest.

MembersBeginnerLow riskVery AFK

Herb runs are among the best value activities in the game measured per minute actually played. A full run takes eight to twelve minutes, and the herbs grow while you are doing something else entirely.

The GP/hr figure quoted for herb runs is misleading in both directions: measured against real time it is modest, but measured against time at the keyboard it is exceptional.

Ranarr weed is the usual starting point at Farming 32. Snapdragon at 62 and torstol at 72 are more valuable but the seeds cost considerably more, and a failed patch hurts proportionally more with them.

Ultracompost is the single biggest lever on the rate. It raises the minimum yield and cuts the chance of a patch dying, which matters far more on expensive seeds than the compost costs.

The number of patches you can reach is the other lever. Each teleport unlock — Trollheim, Weiss, Harmony, Kourend — adds a patch to every run you ever do, so they compound in a way few unlocks do.

What you actually do

1Bank for the run: seeds, compost, a spade, a rake if you do not have the farming outfit, and teleports to each patch.
2Visit each patch in turn. Clear anything dead, treat the soil with ultracompost, plant the seed, and move on.
3Come back in roughly eighty minutes and harvest. Replant while you are there so the next cycle starts immediately.
4Sell the herbs, or clean them first if you want the Herblore experience as well.

Getting the most from it

Use ultracompost, not regular. It raises the yield and stops the herbs dying, and the extra cost is small against the difference in harvest.
Wear the farmer's outfit if you have it — it gives experience and saves carrying a rake.
Do the run in the same order every time. The route becomes automatic and the whole thing drops to under ten minutes.
Ranarrs are the standard choice because they hold their price, but check the current herb prices before committing a full run of seeds.
The timer runs whether or not you are logged in, so a run before you stop playing is free money by the next session.