When it comes to farming simulators, one of the first things tutorials will teach players is how to grow, cultivate and harvest crops. In Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town, farming is one of the few sources of income that players will receive for the first few seasons. After that, it’s one of the best ways to earn money, assuming players know what they're doing.
But, farming can be overwhelming for those who aren’t sure what needs to be done and which crops will reap the best rewards, which is why it’s so integral to utilize each season and cultivate only the best edible money-makers.
10 Garlic
Garlic is admittedly one of the most reliable Spring crops due to its ability to grow multiple times before it needs to be replanted and the substantial price it acquires once shipped. Taking five days to develop fully, this crop is worth planting consistently throughout Spring.
An individual garlic crop will wield one piece to ship, resulting in a base price of 315G. If the crop exerts a 5-star quality, the price will increase to 394G, then again at 10-star to 473G. Additionally, Garlic can be regrown three times from the same plant before it needs replanting, so it’s a reasonably consistent moneymaker.
9 Turnip
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When it comes to the most profitable crops in Pioneers of Olive Town, players probably didn’t expect to see turnips make the cut. Wielding only 192G per shipment, these crops may not be at the top of the player's priority list, but they can be a steady passive incoming as the season passes. As the player's farm progresses, these crops can return a healthy 240G per 5-Star item and an even better 288G for every 10-Star.
Taking four days to grow, turnips yield one piece per crop and have one sprout per plant. It seems like a little payoff for so much effort when replanting these crops every five days, but they are cheap to purchase and have such an insignificant growth time it almost feels rude not to. Additionally, for particularly lucky farmers, their crop may be hiding a Giant Turnip mutation, which will return 384G at standard quality, 480G at 5-Star Quality, or 576G at 10-Star. But these mutated crops are so rare that they feel like one of Story of Seasons' hidden secrets.
8 Strawberry
A crop of strawberries may yield up to three fruit at a time, each coming in at 125G, 156G at a 5-Star rating, or 188G for 10-Stars. Taking a relatively long time to grow at eight days, it’s unfortunate that this crop doesn’t produce more than one crop per plant, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth cultivating.
By planting strawberries towards the beginning of the season, players can produce at least three sets of crops before the transition into summer.
7 Onion
Much like strawberries, onions have a long growth period of six days, but their payoff is undeniably more substantial. Bringing in 286G with no quality, 358G for 5-Stars, and 429G for 10-Stars, this crop is undoubtedly one of the most profitable for Spring time.
It’s essential to remember that one plant will only yield one onion, and the plant can only be harvested once. But when players begin their venture into Pioneers of Olive Town, several onions will already be sprouting in Area One of the farm - which is a great place to start making some money.
6 Beans
Taking a whopping twelve days to grow, the single crop each plant delivers definitely feels like a waste of time, but beans are more than meet the eye in Story of Seasons, especially considering they are one of the cheapest to buy.
Even though they bring in an underwhelming 80G per crop, beans don’t feel like they are worth the twelve days to grow. But given each crop yields up to five products to ship - the work begins to pay for itself. In addition, as the player's farm increases its general quality, beans will start to increase in worth. Resulting in 100G per five-start crop and 120G per ten-star.
5 Daikon Radish
Daikon Radishes are incredibly beneficial crops to start growing as soon as possible. Aside from their wealthy income, they also have the chance to yield a mutated variation of the vegetable - known as a Fork-Root Daikon.
A standard Diakon Radish will take four days to grow and yield one crop per plant, bringing in 234G with standard quality, 293G with a 5-Star quality, or 351G with a 10-Star quality. But, if a farmer is fortunate enough to come across a Fork-Root Daikon, a potential 468G, 585G, or 702G is on the line depending on its quality.
4 Cucumbers
Cucumbers may be the answer to players' prayers if they’re consistently looking for an item to produce even after its first harvest. Each plant can regrow three times following its initial harvest, and each harvest yield three crops. It takes a cucumber plant four days to be ready for another harvest.
Cucumbers are a worthy addition to any farm in desperate need of some easy gold, bringing in a respectable 70G per standard crop, 88G per 5-star, or 105G per 10-star. Not to mention how easy cucumber seeds are to come by.
3 Broccoli
Broccoli is a great plant to cultivate in either Winter or Spring since it’s another vegetable with the ability to produce more than one harvest from a single plant. Following its first harvest after a six-day growth period, a broccoli crop will continue to produce a harvest every three days. One plant can produce up to three yields before the seen needs to be replanted.
Each harvest can yield up to three broccoli, returning at least 120G a piece. Going back to the quality of the farm, if players can produce 5-star broccoli, they’ll receive 150G or an even greater 180G per 10-Star yield.
2 Cabbage
Cabbages are a must-have for any budding farmer searching to make the most of spring. Their growth time is a little longer than other vegetables, taking seven days and yielding one piece per plant, but their payoff lines pockets very nicely. A single cabbage will return 448G, with a 5-star quality returning 560G and an incredible 672G per vegetable for a 10-Star quality.
However, the downside to these heft beauties is their single yield per plant. But, this is made up for by the fact they can be found in Area One of the player's farm in either Spring or Winter.
1 Potato
Like turnips, potatoes may seem like an insignificant addition to the list of essential crops for Spring. Still, their impressive yield of four pieces per plant and relatively fast six-day cultivation make them a worthy crop to consider, especially with a potential mutation, much like the Daikon Radish, where star potatoes may appear. In addition, these have a gold return of double the price of a standard potato.
Although their gold return is relatively disappointing, at 42G per standard potato, 53G per 5-star potato, and 63G per ten-star, the speed at which farmers can produce and ship these items makes them ideal for anyone looking for the best ways to make a passive income.
Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town is available now on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PC.