When did farming improve in the middle ages?

Answer 1

Really, farming improved all through the Middle Ages.

There were a large number of developments that effected medieval farming. Some of them were European inventions, others were European adoption of ideas invented elsewhere. Also, a number of crops were introduced to different parts of Europe from Islamic countries, and while much of this was in Spain of the 8th century, some of it was in places like Hungary, much later. Hops were a new crop developed internally in Europe, and there might have been others.

Many of the improvements cannot be dated, and some cannot even be placed geographically. Among those that came early, were the horseshoe, the horse collar, the heavy plow, and the European type of wheelbarrow, all of which were early medieval developments. Three field crop rotation may have come later.

Some inventions did not improve farming directly, but improved farming by improving markets that were available for farmers. These things included such things as the inventions of new spinning wheels and looms, and the invention of distilling brandy and whiskey.

There is a related question below about what the improvements were.

Answer 2

Farming became more productive when it became more of a business,rather than just subsistence.