Highlights
- Mix up crop combinations in Stardew Valley to avoid monotony while still turning a profit
- Consider coffee plants, tulips, green beans, and strawberries for spring to maximize earnings
- Winter is a great time to focus on Fiber Seeds and hardwood trees for resources in preparation for spring.
Stardew Valley is one of those games that players have really done the math on. They know the best crops to grow on their farms each season, depending on their growth rate and profit margins. They carefully plan their farm layouts to the letter to maximize their space. They have this farming thing down to a science.
Stardew Valley: 10 Worst Crops, Ranked
Despite an abundance of crops to choose from, not all of them are good in Stardew Valley. Farmers looking to make a profit should avoid the following.
Now, while there’s nothing wrong with min-maxing the game (late-game items are expensive, after all), growing only one type of crop in any given season can get a little…samey, after a while. As charming as the game’s spritework is, perhaps making all that money isn’t worth the monotony? Here are some ideas for crop combinations to help shake things up while still turning a profit.
6 Spring
Coffee Plants, Tulips, Green Beans, And Strawberries
Spring is the season for getting back on track after nature took its winter hiatus. Strawberries are a great fruit for players to fill their fields with, but they take some time to grow. That’s why, in the meantime, they’ll be raking in all those coffee beans to keep their kegs occupied.
Speaking of kegs, mead made out of fresh honey is also a top-seller, but for players who like to just pop their honey straight into the shipping bin, it might help to place their bee hives near some fresh flowers like tulips. To round it all out, green beans are a great trellis vegetable that turn into some delicious Hot Pots that are sure to win over the local bar staff.
5 Summer
Blueberries, Hops, Melons, And Poppies
Summer is when things really get cooking. Blueberries are an excellent money-maker, producing tons of fruit each harvest to go into kegs, preserve jars, or the newly-added dehydrator. Hops are one of Pam’s favorite crops, and are used to make some delicious pale ales.
Stardew Valley: The Best Crops for Each Season
If players want to get the best profit possible from their farm in Stardew Valley, they need to learn the best crops to grow for every season.
Speaking of Pam, her daughter, Penny, is quite fond of a good Poppyseed Muffin. Planting some poppies near some bee hives and then cooking them when they bloom might be a good way to earn a shy bachelorette’s heart. Finally, melons add a fun splash of color, and they also sell for quite a lot on their own.
4 Fall
Cranberries, Grapes, Fairy Roses, And Pumpkins
Fall is the last big hoorah before winter comes, so it’s time to start harvesting like there’s no tomorrow. Pumpkins are an autumnal classic that needs no introduction. Cranberries are also a popular fall fruit that, like blueberries, produce multiples each harvest. The preserve jars will be overflowing with cranberry jam.
Grapes are a bit of a unique crop in Stardew Valley, in that they’re the only ones that can be foraged and planted as seeds. They look beautiful when hanging from their vines, and they’re the fruit for making wine, so why not fill out the edges of the farm with them? Last, but certainly not least, is the humble fairy rose. While they’re not the best in terms of sheer profit, they will help players make the most of their last few weeks of active beekeeping.
3 Winter
Fiber Seeds And Hardwood Trees
Winter in Stardew Valley is infamous for having nothing going on. Pierre doesn’t have any winter-exclusive seeds to sell. The only real options are to craft Wild Seeds from foraging or finding Powdermelon seeds from the 1.6 update. That’s why most players tend to forgo farming during the winter, instead focusing on gathering resources and redecorating in preparation for spring.
Stardew Valley Player Shares Surprising Animal Discovery
An unsuspecting Stardew Valley player shares an incredibly helpful discovery with fellow fans, earning praise for the useful find.
However, the need for reasources is exactly why players absolutely should continue farming during winter; just not farming crops. Instead, players should reallocate their farmland to planting Fiber Seeds and hardwood trees. Fiber is a resource that players will have too much of early in the game, but will quickly run out of, so now’s the time to restock. Meanwhile, hardwood is a rare resource that can also be broken down into regular wood. Just stock up on some mahogany seeds and some tree fertilizer and get to work.
2 The Greenhouse
Starfruit And Banana Trees
When most players unlock the Greenhouse from the Junimos questline, their first instinct will be to fill it with all those Ancient Fruit Seeds and Rare Seeds they’ve been collecting. Smart players have also figured out the optimal way to arrange fruit trees along the Greenhouse’s perimeter, so they can have the same fruit growing year-round. However, the Greenhouse has so much more potential than that.
Instead of planting a variety of fruit trees (which can quickly eat up inventory space, come harvest time), players should focus on only one that they can stack. Thanks to the 1.5 update, bananas are some of the most profitable fruit trees out there. Speaking of profitable, starfruit are a summer-favorite that make some of the best top-shelf wine in the game. Plant them both, and suddenly the Greenhouse is looking a lot more yellow.
1 Ginger Island Farm
Sweet Gem Berries And Ancient Fruit
Some players may look at the above entries and think, “Well, if I’m not planting my Ancient Fruit Seeds or Rare Seeds on my farm or my Greenhouse, what am I doing with them?” The answer is simple: those seeds will be going right on the brand-new farm that’s just a boat ride away.
Ginger Island’s volcanic soil can grow any type of crop, no matter the season, so there’s no more reason for players to feel restricted about where or when they plant their previously Fall-exclusive Rare Seeds. They can also grow their Ancient Fruit year-round without worrying about them wilting in the winter. It’s the perfect use of this end-game content.
