Lance, I had the same problem. Just keep on trying. Sometimes I needed 30 buckets of water and still no success ... but if you keep on trying, it'll work out one day, promised
my personal experience differs from Ku's description.
apple and cherry i just lay the fruit on grassland and water it. they need between one and ten buckets.
not every fruit results.
about other trees i have no knowledge.
karrots, tomatos (yes!), onions i just dont harvest and wait till seed is on the ground.
cabbage the same, only it's slim high bushes that work as seedlings.
grain its just the same grains, you use in the mill, that you use for planting.
Briggi Blumenkind never needs more then 3 buckets. Maybe you have to ask someone who knows everything about plants.... but yes, this could cost money.....
Are there seperate skills for these things, or do they even exist anymore?
I know I can make dye but, though my skill has gone up several times, I don't see a dye making skill appear in my skill list. Is it just a part of the tailoring skill? If so, why do you learn to weave yellow cloth as a tailor before you can make yellow dye?
As for ink making and book binding, is this a skill now? I seem to remember in a previous version of the game that both were possible to make but I don't know if this is still the case.
I can't seem to get sand?! Do you use the shovel, or use the shovel with the sand, or use the shovel with the rock, or use the sand, or use the rock? As you can see it's getting me annoyed!