In Stardew Valley, the NPCs have intricate lives and compelling backstories that unfold through the game’s immersive Story Quests. This allows players to understand each of the villagers’ past and build deeper friendships with them. While Story Quests aren't bound by time restrictions, most players aim to complete them as soon as possible to get the rewards.
One such Story Quest revolves around an NPC named Caroline. Caroline is married to Pierre and helps him run the General Store in Pelican Town of Stardew Valley. They have a daughter named Abigail. Caroline often worries about her daughter’s alternative lifestyle but cares about her deeply.
How to Complete the “Carving Pumpkins” Story Quest
On Fall 19, Year 1, Caroline sends the player a letter requesting them to bring a Pumpkin from the farm. She wants to carve pumpkins with her daughter, Abigail, just in time for Spirit’s Eve. This triggers the “Carving Pumpkins” Story Quest.
Pumpkins are one of the many vegetable crops that players can grow on their farm in Stardew Valley. They’re a Fall favorite since their hollow shell can be carved into a festive decoration. Pumpkins are grown from Pumpkin Seeds.
Pumpkin Seeds can be purchased at Pierre’s General Store for 100 g and JojaMart for 125 g. They are occasionally available at the Traveling Cart for prices ranging from 150 to 1,000 g. Players can also get nine Pumpkin Seeds from Gunther after donating 35 items to the Museum. 5 to 20 Pumpkin Seeds are occasionally found inside the Skull Cavern’s treasure rooms.
Pumpkin Seeds can only be planted in the Fall and take 13 days to grow into mature plants. This poses a problem for players. As each season in Stardew Valley is 28 days long, there’s not enough time after the 19th of Fall to grow a Pumpkin for Caroline. To overcome this challenge, players can use Fertilizers. Using fertilizers can shorten the growth period for Pumpkin Seeds, as shown below:
| Fertilizer | Time Saved | Ready for Harvest |
| Normal | – | 13 days |
| Speed-Gro | 10% | 11 days |
| Deluxe Speed-Gro | 25% | 9 days |
| Hyper Speed-Gro | 33% | 8 days |
All crops grow 10% faster for players who choose the Agriculturist Profession.
Rewards
Once a Pumpkin has been harvested, players can take it over to Caroline. She can be found in the kitchen of Pierre’s General Store, every day at 8 AM, except Sundays. The reward for completing the “Carving Pumpkins” story quest is 500 gold and +1 Friendship Heart with Caroline.
Stardew Valley is available now for Android, iOS, PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
