Stardew Valley: The best crops to grow in every season

Farming is by far the best way to make a living in Stardew Valley. Each new season destroys existing crops and brings in new crops unless they can, rarely, grow in both. Winter snow also makes it impossible to grow almost anything, unless you have a greenhouse. All of this makes it difficult to work out which crops are best to make the most money. My guide will cover that and offer a look at some of the artisan goods they can offer, too.

Spring

The best crop to plant in Spring at the start of a new year is strawberries, which can only be purchased during the Egg Festival on the 13th day of Spring. Strawberries take eight days to grow and then continue producing fruit every four days until Summer. They sell for 120g at Normal quality, and then a maximum of 240g at Iridium quality.

Strawberries are great as they continuously produce fruit, but they can be easily missed in your first year if you do not save up for the seeds. I suggest you put all of your money into saving for the seeds and storing some for the greenhouse or for Spring the following year.

They can also be used to make wine that sells for 360g at Normal quality and 720g at Iridium quality, and jelly that sells for 290g.

When you’re not growing strawberries, consider:

• Green Beans: Bought from Pierre’s General Store and take 10 days to grow. They sell for 40g (Normal) up to 80g (Iridium). Like strawberries, green beans continuously produce, so they’re good for early game.
• Cauliflower: Bought from Pierre’s General Store and take 12 days to grow. They sell for 175g (Normal) up to 350g (Iridium).
• Rhubarb: Bought from the Oasis once the bus has been repaired. Takes 13 days to grow and sell for 220g (Normal) up to 440g (Iridium). Best for your second year onwards, since the bus can only be repaired later via the Community Centre.

Summer

Blueberries are some of the best crops in summer. They can be purchased from Pierre’s General Store, and they take 13 days to grow and then continue producing fruit every four days. They sell for 50g per berry at normal quality and a maximum of 100g at iridium quality.

Similarly to strawberries, blueberries constantly produce but also offer multiple berries per harvest, so you can expect to make a lot of money through them. Other great crops to consider are:

• Hops: Bought from Pierre’s General Store or JojaMart and takes 11 days to grow but regrows daily. Sells for 25g (Normal) up to 50g (Iridium) but can be turned into Pale Ale when placed in kegs for more money.
• Red Cabbage: Bought from Pierre’s General Store from your second year onwards. They take nine days to grow and sell for 260g (Normal) up to 520g (Iridium).
• Starfruit: Bought from the Oasis once the bus has been repaired. Takes 13 days to grow and sell for 750g (Normal) up to 1,500g (Iridium). They can also be used for making Starfruit Wine, which sells well. Starfruit is great for late game.

Fall

The number one crop to focus on in the Fall is cranberries. Available at Pierre’s General Store, they take seven days to grow and regrow every five days. Cranberries sell for 75g at normal quality and 150g at Iridium quality, and they are perfect for making Cranberry Jelly via Preserve Jars.

It’s also worth investing in:

• Grapes: Bought from Pierre’s General Store or JojaMart and takes 10 days to grow with new produce every three days. Grapes sell for 80g (Normal) up to 160g (Iridium), and they can be used to make Wine through barrels.
• Pumpkins: Bought from Pierre’s General Store or JojaMart and takes 13 days to grow. They sell for 320g (Normal) up to 640g (Iridium).
• Sweet Gem Berries: Bought from the Traveling Cart as a Rare Seed. They take 24 days to grow – almost a full month – and sell for 3,000g (Normal) up to 6,000g (Iridium). They’re rare to come by, so keep an eye out.

Winter

Winter is different from all other seasons. The permanent snow stops you from growing most crops traditionally, with the exception of Winter seeds, Fiber seeds (Not worth selling due to their low price of 1g), and powdermelon. If you’ve unlocked and built a greenhouse, you can grow any seasonal crops in there.

Winter seeds can be bought from the Traveling Cart or Desert Trader at the Oasis, or they can be crafted with the Winter Foraging Bundle. They take seven days to grow and grow as any of the random produce: Crystal Fruit, Winter Root, Snow Yam, and Crocus, which sell for:

• Crocus: 60g (Normal) up to 120g (Iridium).
• Winter Root: 70g (Normal) up to 140g (Iridium)
• Snow Yam: 100g (Normal) up to 200g (Iridium)
• Crystal Fruit: 150g (Normal) up to 300g (Iridium)

Meanwhile, powdermelons can be found by digging up seed spots, completing Raccoon quests, using the seed maker, and through Mystery Boxes. They take seven days to grow and can be sold for 60g at normal quality and up to 120g for Iridium quality.

I hope you’ve got a better idea of what crops to focus on during each season. While your focus should be to try and make money, you should try to plant and grow all crops every season as they can make great gifts and are usually needed for Community Bundles to unlock new areas, tools, and gameplay mechanics.

If you’re new to Stardew Valley, consider checking out my post on which farm in the game is the best to start off with.