FarmVille unreleased crops: Lots of pumpkins, flowers, heirloom vegetables

Looks like a slew of new crops and flowers are headed your way farmers, as this big bundle of 'unreleased' crops (which includes a lot of colorful pumpkins and some pretty flowers, like the Purple Coneflower) have been unearthed by FarmVille Freak.

The entire list of items is as follows: FarmVille Alpine Strawberries, Black Pumpkins, Carnival Squash, Green Pumpkins, Heirloom Asparagus, Hot Pink Asters, Leeks, Purple Sunflowers, Purple Coneflower, Red Cabbage, White Asters & White Pumpkins.

Of course, these items are 'unreleased,' meaning they're not live in the game, so keep in mind that these may or may not show up in the Market and currently do not have an official release date. Read

FarmVille: Unlock Daikons in Japan Earthquake Relief Effort

After the tragedy that has overcome Japan this week, Zynga has decided to act out in a way they know how - by releasing a limited edition, premium crop to FarmVille that will support Save the Children's Japan Earthquake Emergency Fund. The new crop is the Daikon, and as with other donation crops, it gives off more XP than a traditional crop, can be mastered and will never wither, regardless of how long you leave it unattended on your farm.

For the specifics of how to donate, you can contribute to the charity in one of three amounts - 25 Farm Cash, 55 Farm Cash or 240 Farm Cash. All donors, regardless of donation amount, will receive a one week permit to grow Daikons - you can plant as many as you'd like within that seven day period. Daikons cost 10 coins to play, reward you with 3 XP per square planted, and can be harvested in 6 hours. You'll receive 125 coins for each square harvested, making them a very profitable crop if you're looking to earn some coins fast, and you'll be helping a great cause in the process.

In addition, you'll receive a free collectible gift with your donation - a Japan Relief Flag which you can see at the top left of the image above.

Zynga and Facebook will donate 100% of all proceeds (meaning that Facebook is also donating their 30% cut of all Facebook Credit transactions) to support the Japan Earthquake Emergency Fund. There is no time limit as of this writing as to how long the Daikon will be available to purchase, so if you don't have the Farm Cash on hand right now, you'll likely have some time to purchase some before missing out on this opportunity to donate, and master a new crop all in one go.

FarmVille: Royal Hops no longer listed as English Countryside crop

A short time ago, we brought you some FarmVille tips and tricks on how to grow Royal Hops - then an English Countryside-specific crop - back on your Home Farm. It seems as though Zynga might have planned for that to happen all along, however, as we've discovered that the Royal Hops crop now appears in both markets without any markings related to the English Countryside.

This means that users don't have to worry about crop licenses, and can freely grow Royal Hops on both of their farms, lessening the time it takes to master the crop by up to half. If you're someone that loves mastering all new crops, your strategy now is simple: Grow Royal Hops on both of your farms in mass quantities. Use bushels when harvesting both and voila! Four times the crop growth in just one ten-hour stretch!

We'll make sure to keep an eye on the store, and will let you know if more English Countryside crops receive a free pass to be planted on the Home Farm.

Have you already mastered Royal Hops, or will you now grow them on both farms to master them that much quicker?