There are 4 different seasons in Stardew Valley and this means that you can have seasonal crops as well as fish. Once a certain type of crop is out of season, it will die. This is where planning your investment into seedlings or starters is extremely important, as well as getting your timings right. So if you take advantage of the seasonal crops at the right time, then you could find yourself with a lot of money by the end of the year. So here we've compiled a list of the crops we think are best to plant in Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.
Read More: Stardew Valley - how to check the date and season
A guide to seasonal crops
Most crops in Stardew Valley are governed by the different seasons. Each season is made up of 28 days, so as long as you keep an eye on the grow time for each batch of seeds, you should be able to plant, grow, and eventually harvest a bountiful amount of crops. We've listed the most lucrative crops for each season, how much it costs to buy the seeds, and what the end product sells for.
Spring crops
You'll start in the Spring in Stardew Valley. Some of the most lucrative crops are Strawberries, but they won't be easy to get a hold of right away. They're simply too expensive at the start of the game, plus they can only be purchased from Pierre's stand during the Egg Festival. Here's our list of the Spring crops that fetch the best price.
- Strawberries: Costs 100g per seed but sell at 120g per item - strawberries can continue to grow fruit every 4 days after the first harvest!
- Potatoes: Costs 50g per starter but sell at 80g per item - potatoes can also provide double harvests.
- Cauliflower: Costs 80g per seed but sells for 175g per item.
- Rhubarb: Costs 100g per seed but sells at 220g per item.
When you purchase the seeds or starters you should check how long they take to grow. If you reach the end of the season and the crops haven't been harvested, then they will die.
Summer crops
Here's our list of the best crops to grow in the Summer season.
- Blueberries: Costs 80g and they sell for 50g per item - If you plant them on the first day of summer you can make up to 600g per each individual plant throughout the season, as Blueberries continue to grow fruit after the first harvest!
- Corn: Costs 150g and they sell for 50g - This may not sound profitable, but corn continues to grow even after the first harvest, and they also carry over into Fall as well. So you don't have to worry about them dying out when the season changes.
- Hops: Cost 60g and sell for 20g - Again, this may not seem immediately lucrative, but hops can be put into a Keg and brewed to make Pale Ale, which leads to far more profit.
- Starfruit: Costs 400g and sells for 750g per fruit - Seeds can be purchased from Sandy at her shop, Oasis, in Calico Desert.
Fall crops
Cranberries are one of the best crops to invest in during the Fall season.
- Cranberries: Cost 75g each and they sell for 240g per berry. Cranberry plants also produce two fruits per harvest, and they continue to grow fruit every 5 days!
- Bok Choy: Costs 50g and they sell for 80g.
- Pumpkins: Cost 100g but they can be sold for 320g each.
Winter crops
There isn't much you can grow in the Winter unless you have a greenhouse. This is unlocked as you repair the community center. If you do, then just go ahead and grow whatever crops you want! We recommend that you try to grow the more lucrative crops as they can give you money and food over the winter season. Also, you can use Winter Seeds which will grow the Winter forageable items.
So there you have it, that's our list of the best crops to grow each season in Stardew Valley. If you make the most of the seasonal crops, you should have quite a bit of money in no time at all.
But if you're still getting to grips with being a new farmer then you should take a look at our beginner tips guide. If you want some help from friends, then we also have a guide on how to set up a co-op multiplayer farm, additionally, we have a tier list ranking the best starter maps to choose from. Happy farming!