Mining?

[zarkwizard]

You can harvest someone else's planet? Won't it make them mad that you are using up their stock of ore? If you over-mine, it depletes and you have to wait for it to recharge based on the per hour rate.

Actually when you are harvesting someone elses planet that's trading. It does not consume their resources, it gives them bonus resources, and gives you resources without taking anything of theirs. If you watch the trade video I think it explains the details.

What kind of ships do you require to harvest from planets a couple squares away?

I generally use small harvesters, since the planet is close it is easy to deplete the resources on the planet.