Getting the Most out of Your Crops

Stardew Valley is a game about hard work. It’s about starting with nothing and working your way up. It’s a game that focuses on the intrinsic satisfaction you get from witnessing your seeds grow, and the profound sense of accomplishment you feel when all your efforts ultimately culminate in…

Actually, scratch that. Stardew Valley is a game about making sweet profit.

Crops are going to play an invaluable role as one of your main sources of income in Stardew Valley, so if you want to maximise your profits it’s important to make sure you’re doing it right. This guide covers the basics of planting and nurturing crops, and provides a few tips on how to get the most out of your crops each season.

Crop Basics

Planting and nurturing crops is an uncomplicated affair. You simply:

Till the soil with your hoe
Plant your seeds
Water your crops every day
Harvest your crops when they mature and sell them.

It’s as easy as that! There is some variation in maturation time, and some crops yield multiple harvests, but as long as you’re watering everything each day you don’t have too much to worry about. Of course, there is the optional step of fertilising your soil. There are six fertilisers in Stardew Valley, each with their own effects:

Basic Fertiliser – increases the chance of higher-quality crops a little
Quality Fertiliser – increases the chance of higher-quality crops a lot
Basic Retaining Soil – gives a small chance of soil remaining watered overnight
Quality Retraining Soil – gives a large chance of soil remaining watered overnight
Speed-Gro – increases growth rate by 10%
Deluxe Speed-Gro – increases growth rate by 25%

With this information, you’re ready to start farming. But which crops should you focus on for maximum profit? We’ve got you covered with our season-by-season guide for the best crops all year round. (Note: the values shown here assume the crop was planted on the first day of the month with no fertiliser).

Best Spring Crops

Strawberry – 20.83g per day (available at the Egg Festival in Spring)
Rhubarb – 9.23g per day (available at The Oasis)
Cauliflower – 7.9g per day (available at Pierre’s)
Green Beans – 7.2g per day (available at Pierre’s)
Potatoes – 5g per day with chance of extra harvest (available at Pierre’s)

Best Summer Crops

Starfruit – 26.92g per day (available at The Oasis)
Blueberries – 20.8g per day (available at Pierre’s)
Red Cabbage – 17.8g per day (available at Pierre’s in Year 2)
Melon – 14.17g per day (available at Pierre’s)
Hops – 13.52g per day (available at Pierre’s)

Best Fall Crops

Sweet Gem Berry – 83.33g per day (available at the Travelling Cart)
Cranberries – 18.89g per day (available at Pierre’s)
Pumpkin – 16.92g per day (available at Pierre’s)
Grape – 16.8g per day (available at Pierre’s)
Artichoke – 16.25g per day (available at Pierre’s in Year 2)

Giant Crops

Certain crops have a chance of mutating into giant versions of themselves overnight and providing extra produce when harvested (you’ll need the axe to break open these beasts). This applies to cauliflower in spring, melon in summer, and pumpkin in fall. If you plant these crops in a 3×3 grid, there’s a small chance they will spawn a Giant Crop. Note that this works with every 3×3 grid, including overlaps, so plant as many of these crops close together as you can for an even greater chance.