Method of Determinant
Stardew Valley is a great farming sim game, with quality of life features, dating that most players love. But trying to produce a lot of money quickly can be a hard task, slow and tedious. This is the Top Five starting products to aim for in Stardew Valley to gain as much money as possible.
This was no easy task to determine, as there were several factors that can affect the overall outcome. This can include the fertilizer, whether its watered, for some its a matter of irrigation. This also had to be a fair playing field for all crops across the board.
The first thing I started was purchasing the initial crop with 2500 gold. This was done for each crop, as 2500 is the cost of one coffee bean. Fruit Trees, were calculated differently due to the high cost of one seedling. For Fruit Trees, I started with 25,000 gold.
The second method was that while every crop that grows has a chance of being starred, or producing more than one, these were scratched off. Everything was calculated at regular quality, no extra crops produced.
In the case of crops that grow faster with irrigation such as Rice shoots, it was determined at non-irrigated. This decision was made as most of the farm types have limited water.
The final factor used in determining the outcome was the size of the base farm, and how much one person could harvest in a day, and still make it to Pierre’s. (all prices was used by Pierre’s with exception to Coffee Beans and those bought at the Oasis). This also means that anything from Ginger Island was also not put into calculation as this is later game.
The major flaw in the method, is that it is under the impression of a clean, clear farm at all times. this is never the case in the beginning, however it is still very profitable. Having played the game with the work I have done, I managed to finish off most of the Community center, max out farming and gained enough money to purchase a barn, a coop, upgrade the coop, upgrade the house and even had money to purchase the coffee bean when available. This was also done while foraging, which was not used in any calculations regarding the crops.
This is the Top five products per season for the first two years as the first two years is the most crucial.
Spring Year 1
The first season is the hardest. You have very limited funds, but Lewis helps you out a little with this. He provides 15 parsnips and you start with 500 gold. The best advice is to only get one crop each needed for the community center, and max out on the top 5 Crops.
5. Fruit Tree
The cherry tree is low on the spectrum due to the time it takes to start making a profit. Early Game profit is almost a no go with Fruit Trees. Selling straight fruit will take two seasons before you begin to see a profit. However, once planted and grown, they don’t die, and they keep producing within their season. While there are two fruit trees, the cherry tree provides more profit. With 25,000 gold, I’m able to grab Seven trees to plant. Apricot I was able to grab 12 trees, however while the overall profit was only slightly more than the cherry.(there was a 1,080 gold difference) It is best to plant these on Winter 1, gives them a whole season to grow without hindering the actual crop season. Harvesting the full potential of the tree. I strongly suggest the cherry tree for the spring.
4. Garlic
Garlic is great to grow in 4 days. When using the method above, the garlic managed a whopping 56,640 in profits. If you decide to create an artisan goods with this crop, you can pickle it, which is using the preserves jar, or create oil of garlic which is highly recommended. You don’t even need to make the oil. Buying oil and growing the garlic, combining the two, you sell oil of garlic for 1,000 gold. The reason Garlic is in 4th place, is that there were more profitable crops. However if one wanted to take the time, one could turn garlic into oil of garlic and make a significant profit this way.
3. Kale
Kale is a decent crop, having earned a profit of 63,110 gold. This crop generates 6.67 gold per day. just selling a single crop gains 40 gold in profit. The better thing to do with kale is to pickle it. Pickling the crop multiplies the earnings by (2xbase price)+50. But since this is very time consuming, Kale is only third.
2. Parsnips
This is going to be the main crop everyone purchases. For the first season it is number 1. Grows in 4 days and is the most bang for your buck. Spending only 20 gold and selling for 35 in 4 days. This is another crop that sells more when pickled. This crop is second, because of how frequent you can buy them as well as how fast they grow.
1. Coffee Bean
Once Coffee bean is acquired, you offficially have your number one source of income throughout every season. While Coffee Bean is 2,500 gold every bean harvested doubles as a seed. If planted on Spring 1, that one season you could gain the profit easily. Since Coffee Bean is plantable in two seasons, the amount of money you could earn by the end of the second season is astronomical. Just from one season of harvesting and replanting seeds, if hypothetically you were to stop planting and only harvested on the 19th, the total gold gained would be 2,760 just selling the bean. combine 5 coffee beans and you get coffee. this sells for 150 gold, meaning that 2,760 could become 5,400. After two seasons of Coffee Beans, the gold earned by the end of the second season is Five million gold.
Summer Year 1
The top five for Summer does not account for anything in the Spring. Meaning, Coffee Bean is NOT on the list, as it begins in the spring and therefore would not benefit a whole lot starting it in the Summer, when it is definitely a “start in the spring” kind of crop. Summer does, however, have more re-harvesting crops and crops that produce more than one.
5. Melon
Melons take quite some time to grow, but offer an okay profit. The profit for melons is 21,760. Gaining 14.17 gold per day. Melons are better suited when converted into wine. Wine is sold for three times the price of the fruit in which is being processed.
4. Fruit Trees
The Summer Fruit Trees are fourth. Between Orange and Peach I recommend the Peach. Albeit the same reason as the Cherry from Spring. Again the Fruit trees are only fourth due to the time it takes in order to make profits from them. Best to turn the fruits into wine to get profits that season.
3. Radish
Radish got 61,250 for one season, putting it in third place. Gaining 8.33 gold per day. Radish does not reharvest, but the next crops, do.
2. Hot Peppers
Hot peppers made second because its re-harvestability and profits generated a whole 104,160 in profits for one season. This is a huge jump from the 61k gold from the Radish to this. Hot peppers manage at 10.77 gold per day.
1. Wheat
Sitting at a surprising 3.75 gold per day, Wheat is actually the most profitable of the summer crops. It also goes into Fall, increasing the amount of profit you could acquire. Wheat for one season makes a profit of 153,065 gold. in Two seasons, it’s 400,865 due to the sell price of wheat, pickling wheat is not worth it, but tather turning it into Beer is more profit, turning that 25 gold into 200 just waiting another day or two.
Fall Year 1
You should have completed the mines at this point in time. The Fall is the final season to harvest crops. What you make here, will get you through the fall and winter seasons(not counting foraging or mining profits.)
5. Fruit Trees
Not much more can be said about fruit trees that hasn’t already been stated. The difference with the fruit trees this season, compared to the twin trees other seasons, is you need both. You need apple’s to finish the community center, so if your waiting for the winter to plant fruit trees, expect not to complete the center until the following Fall.
4. Grape
Grapes can’t be bought as plentiful as other crops, because you can’t walk through them. So when buying grapes you have to ensure that they are spaced apart so you can walk between them. This means creating rows or columns of them maybe with the occasional break in between, kind of like a grid. Grapes profit was only 36,200 for the season. Bein able to re-harvest them also means less spending for the season also.
3. Artichoke
Artichokes are not my favorite vegetable, but they get more money than grapes do. Artichoke grow quicker but they don’t get re-harvested. Profit generated was 254,960 gold. Despite it lacking in re-harvesting, it had more profits. It generates about 16.25 gold per day.
2. Eggplant
Eggplant can be re-harvested, only 11.2 gold per day. This little purple gourd made a profit of 266,560 gold in one season. Pickling the eggplant is the better artisan choice, if you chose to turn the crops into an artisan good.
1. Beets
The best crop in the Fall is the Beets. If you are able to get to the Oasis to purchase them, 100% get the Beets. Growing Beets, it created 399,840. Now the profit didn’t account for the ticket to get to Oasis, but even with that in mind, four trips to oasis is only 2 thousand, making Beets still number 1 crop to grow in the Fall. It creates 13.33 gold per day.
Final Thoughts
If we based all the profits on gold per day, the outcome would be very different. Unfortunately going by gold per day does not give a good indication of the best crop for that season. If it was, then it would have correlated with the profit earned. Unless it is straight up giving that gold a day, it would be a different story.
The Overall Top five crops entirely would be:
5. Wheat
4. Artichoke
3. Eggplant
2. Beets
1. Coffee Bean
If we went by the gold per day, this is what it would look like:
5.Pumpkin 16.92 g/d
4.Cranberry 18.89 g/d
3.Blueberry 20.8 g/d
2.Strawberry 20.83 g/d (if planted on Spring 1, would become 11.67 if planted 13/14)
1. Starfruit 26.92 g/d
The reason none of these made it to the top five of any of the four lists, is primarily due to the high cost for one, low profit back and long harvest times. Pumpkin could only be harvested twice a season, so making large amounts of gold was nigh impossible with just pumpkins. When planned out, Pumpkins only acquired 23,100 in profits. Starfruit is not reliable despite being first on the g/d top Five, still a high cost to acquire, long harvest time and it unfortunately only gained 5,950 in profits.
To see the troubles I went through to calculate all the crops, head here.
Mom of three, enjoy videogames, board games and phone games. I typically am playing Simulation games or FPS games.
