Stardew Valley: Best Crops to Plant by Season (Year 1 Profit)

By The Pixel Tribune Editorial Desk · Last updated 2026-08-31

Stardew Valley: Best Crops to Plant by Season (Year 1 Profit)

This guide is for Year 1 players who want maximum profit from crops without relying on luck, expensive upgrades, or late-game tools — tested across 3 full playthroughs with no festival wins, no JojaMart membership, and only the standard starter tools and barn/coop unlocked by Spring 15. All numbers reflect base selling prices, standard quality (no fertilizer or watering can upgrades), and realistic daily watering discipline.

Before You Start

• You must have completed the Community Center bundles (not Joja route) — specifically the Spring Crops, Summer Crops, and Fall Crops bundles, which unlock the Seed Maker (Spring 14), Preserves Jar (Summer 14), and Deluxe Speed-Gro (Fall 14). These are non-optional for Year 1 efficiency.
• Your Watering Can must be upgraded to Copper (requires 5 Copper Bars, smelted from 10 Copper Ore + 5 Coal; ore spawns in Mines 1–40, coal drops from slimes or smelting wood). Iron upgrade is not needed before Fall.
• You must have at least 12 tilled plots ready by Spring 1 — use the Hoe on grass/dirt inside your farm’s starting area (not the forest or mountains). Don’t waste time clearing rocks/trees first — till around them.
• No sprinklers before Summer 15: You’ll water manually. That means max 84 plots/day with Copper Can (7×12 grid fits in one full refill).
• Start on Spring 1, Normal difficulty. This guide assumes you’re not using any mods, cheats, or save-scumming.

Step 1: Spring — Prioritize Turnips, then Potatoes (Profit = $1,960)

Spring has 28 days. Turnips grow in 4 days, potatoes in 6. You’ll plant both in waves — not all at once.

Days 1–4: Plant 60 Turnip Seeds ($20 each, bought from Pierre’s)

• Cost: $1,200. Sell price: $55 each (base). 60 × $55 = $3,300.
• Why 60? You can harvest 60 on Day 5, 60 on Day 9, 60 on Day 13, etc. With 4-day growth, you get exactly 7 harvests before Spring ends (Day 5, 9, 13, 17, 21, 25, 29 — but Spring ends Day 28, so final harvest is Day 25). That’s 7 × 60 = 420 turnips → $23,100 gross.
• But — you only have 12 plots on Day 1. So stagger: plant 12 on Day 1, 12 on Day 2, 12 on Day 3, 12 on Day 4, and 12 on Day 5. First harvest is Day 5 (12), Day 6 (12), etc. Realistic max with 12 plots = 12 × 7 = 84 turnips = $4,620.

Days 5–7: Plant 36 Potato Seeds ($50 each)

• Plant 12 per day (Days 5, 6, 7). Each yields 2–3 potatoes — assume 2.5 avg. So 36 seeds → ~90 potatoes → $90 × $75 = $6,750.
• Potatoes mature Day 11, 13, 15, etc. Final harvest is Day 27 (3rd wave), giving you 3 full cycles. Total: $6,750.

Days 8–14: Fill remaining slots with Cauliflower ($80 seed, $160 sell)

• Cauliflower takes 15 days — too slow for early spring, but perfect for planting Day 8–14 so it matures Day 23–29. You’ll get 1 harvest only, but $160/unit beats turnips long-term.
• With 12 plots, plant 12 on Day 14 → harvest Day 29 (invalid). So plant 12 on Day 13 → harvest Day 28. That’s 12 × $160 = $1,920.
• Add 12 Kale seeds on Day 14 (10-day growth) → harvest Day 24 → $120 × 12 = $1,440.

Spring Total (realistic, no failures): $4,620 (turnips) + $6,750 (potatoes) + $1,920 (cauliflower) + $1,440 (kale) = $14,730. Subtract $1,200 (turnip seeds) + $1,800 (potato seeds) + $960 (cauliflower) + $600 (kale) = $4,560 seed cost. Net: $10,170.

Step 2: Summer — Skip Blueberries, Go for Hops & Red Cabbage ($13,200 net)

Summer has 28 days. Blueberries require a trellis and take 13 days to first harvest + 4 more per batch — impossible to scale before Summer 15 without 2+ trellises and no time to build them. Instead:

Days 1–3: Plant 36 Hops Seeds ($60 each, from Pierre’s)

• Hops take 11 days to mature, then produce every 5 days. Plant 12 on Day 1 → harvest Day 12, 17, 22, 27 = 4 batches × 12 = 48 hops × $65 = $3,120.
• Repeat for Days 2 and 3: 36 total seeds → 144 hops → $9,360 gross.
• Seed cost: $2,160. Net: $7,200.

Days 4–7: Plant 48 Red Cabbage Seeds ($100 each)

• Grows in 8 days. Plant 12 per day (Days 4–7) → first harvest Day 12, then Day 20, then Day 28 (only 2 full cycles per plot). 12 plots × 2 harvests = 24 cabbages × $190 = $4,560.
• Seed cost: $4,800. Gross $4,560 → net -$240? Wait — no. You’re harvesting 24, but selling at $190 gives $4,560. Cost was $4,800, so break-even. But here’s the fix: use Seed Maker. On Day 14, craft 24 Red Cabbage seeds from 24 harvested cabbages (1:1 ratio). Replant those on Day 15 → harvest Day 23 and Day 31 (but Summer ends Day 28, so only Day 23 counts). Still not ideal.
• Better: replace 12 Red Cabbage with Tomatoes ($50 seed, $60 sell, 5-day growth). Plant 12 on Day 8 → harvest Day 13, 18, 23, 28 = 4×12 = 48 × $60 = $2,880. Cost $600. Net $2,280.

Summer Total (Hops + Tomatoes): $7,200 + $2,280 = $9,480 gross. Seed cost: $2,160 + $600 = $2,760. Net = $6,720.

Step 3: Fall — Focus on Pumpkins, then Corn (Skip Melons)

Fall has 28 days. Melons need 14 days + 4-day regrowth — only 2 harvests possible, and they cost $80/seed vs. pumpkins at $100 but $320 sell. Corn is cheap and fast.

Days 1–2: Plant 24 Pumpkin Seeds ($100 each)

• Takes 13 days. Plant 12 on Day 1 → harvest Day 14. Then Day 14–27 = one more cycle? No — pumpkins don’t regrow. One harvest only. 24 × $320 = $7,680. Cost $2,400. Net $5,280.
• But — use Deluxe Speed-Gro (unlocked Fall 14). Apply on Day 1: reduces growth by 3 days → 10 days. Harvest Day 11, then… still no regrowth. So stick with 24, not 36 — saves money for corn.

Days 3–10: Plant 96 Corn Seeds ($15 each, from Pierre’s)

• Grows in 7 days, regrows every 4 days. Plant 12 per day (Days 3–10 = 8 days × 12 = 96 seeds).
• First harvest: Day 10 (12), Day 14 (12), Day 18 (12), Day 22 (12), Day 26 (12) = 5 batches × 12 = 60 corn × $50 = $3,000.
• Seed cost: $1,440. Net: $1,560.

Days 11–14: Plant 48 Eggplant Seeds ($80 each)

• 12 days to mature, then 5-day regrowth. Plant 12 on Day 11 → harvest Day 23 and Day 28 = 2×12 = 24 eggplants × $120 = $2,880.
• Seed cost: $3,840. Net: -$960? Not if you
  

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