The most common money mistake in Stardew Valley is planting by sell price. A pumpkin sells for 320g and a blueberry for 50g, yet a field of blueberries out-earns a field of pumpkins over a summer, because blueberries regrow every four days and give three berries each time.
So this guide ranks crops by profit per day: total sales over a season, minus the seed cost, divided by the days the crop uses the tile.
How the numbers below are calculated: base sell price, no quality bonus, no professions, planted on day 1 of a 28-day season, harvested as soon as ready. Real profits are higher with gold-quality crops and the Tiller profession, but the ranking between crops barely changes.
Spring
| Crop | Seeds | Growth | Profit per day | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strawberry | 100g (Egg Festival, Spring 13) | 8 days, then every 4 | ≈18g (year 2 onwards) | The best spring crop, but in year 1 you can only buy seeds on Spring 13 |
| Rhubarb | 100g (Oasis) | 13 days | ≈9g | Needs desert access; one harvest |
| Potato | 50g | 6 days | ≈8g | Cheap and fast; sometimes yields extra potatoes |
| Cauliflower | 80g | 12 days | ≈8g | Can form giant crops; good early money |
| Kale | 70g | 6 days | ≈7g | A fast filler |
Spring plan: in year 1, plant cauliflower, potatoes and kale with your starting money, then switch to strawberries after the Egg Festival — they give two harvests before summer. From year 2, plant strawberries on Spring 1 for five harvests.
Summer
| Crop | Seeds | Growth | Profit per day | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starfruit | 400g (Oasis) | 13 days | ≈27g | Highest value per tile; the best wine |
| Blueberry | 80g | 13 days, then every 4 (3 per harvest) | ≈19g | The best value for little money |
| Red Cabbage | 100g (year 2) | 9 days | ≈18g | Strong single-harvest crop from year 2 |
| Melon | 80g | 12 days | ≈14g | Can form giant crops |
| Hops | 60g | 11 days, then every day | ≈14g raw | Weak raw; strong only as Pale Ale in many kegs |
Summer plan: blueberries if money is tight — one planting carries the whole season. Starfruit as soon as you can reach the Oasis and afford the seeds, and plan to turn it into wine.
Fall
| Crop | Seeds | Growth | Profit per day | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cranberries | 240g | 7 days, then every 5 (2 per harvest) | ≈18g | Best regrowing fall crop |
| Grape | 60g | 10 days, then every 3 | ≈18g | Cheap seeds; good for wine |
| Pumpkin | 100g | 13 days | ≈17g | Can form giant crops; two harvests per fall |
| Artichoke | 30g (year 2) | 8 days | ≈16g | Cheap and efficient from year 2 |
| Sweet Gem Berry | Rare Seed (Traveling Cart) | 24 days | Very high | Sells for 3,000g; seeds are rare, so plant all you get |
Fall plan: cranberries and grapes for steady regrowth, pumpkins for big single harvests. Keep any Rare Seeds for a Sweet Gem Berry.
The greenhouse and ancient fruit
Once you restore the greenhouse, season no longer matters there. The long-term best crop is ancient fruit: it takes 28 days to grow, then gives a fruit worth 550g every 7 days, indefinitely. Turned into wine it becomes one of the best incomes in the game. Starfruit is the alternative for faster turnover if you buy seeds regularly.
When to process instead of selling
| Product | Machine | Value | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wine | Keg | 3× the fruit's base value | Starfruit, ancient fruit, any valuable fruit |
| Juice | Keg | 2.25× the vegetable's base value | Valuable vegetables |
| Jelly | Preserves Jar | 2× the fruit's base value + 50 | Cheap fruit such as blueberries and cranberries |
| Pickles | Preserves Jar | 2× the vegetable's base value + 50 | Cheap vegetables |
The rule of thumb: expensive fruit goes into kegs, cheap produce goes into preserves jars. The +50 makes jars better than kegs for cheap items, while the 3× multiplier makes kegs far better for valuable fruit. The Artisan profession then adds 40% to all of these — see Skills and Professions.
Common mistakes
- Planting by sell price. Compare profit per day, not price per item.
- Leaving fields empty after a single harvest. A second planting of a 12- or 13-day crop still fits in most seasons if you replant immediately.
- Planting too much before you can water it. Sprinklers decide how big your field can be; expand with them, not ahead of them.
- Selling all your fruit raw once you have kegs. Even a handful of kegs on starfruit or ancient fruit changes your income.
For turning these crops into a full income plan, see the Money Making Guide. For your first season, see the Beginner Guide.
★Honest Take: blueberries and starfruit are the answer, kegs are the plan
If you remember one thing from this page, make it profit per day. It explains why blueberries and cranberries beat expensive single-harvest crops, and why starfruit wins whenever you can afford it. After that, the biggest jump in farm income comes not from a better crop but from kegs — and from sending your best fruit through them.
