Best Crops by Season in Stardew Valley: Profit Tables

Starfruit is the best summer crop at about 25g per day per tile, Strawberries lead spring at 17.9g, and Sweet Gem Berry tops fall at 71.4g if you can get the seed, with Cranberries at 18.2g as the best crop you can simply buy. Winter has no shop-bought outdoor crops, so money in that season comes from a greenhouse and from artisan goods.

How gold per day is calculated

Every table uses the same rules, so the figures can be compared with each other:

• One tile, planted on day 1 of a 28-day season, with the last harvest on day 28.
• Season profit = total sales minus all seed purchases. Single-harvest crops are replanted the day they are harvested; regrowing crops are bought once.
• Gold per day = season profit divided by 28.
• Normal quality, no fertilizer, no professions and no random bonus crops.
• Seed prices are the shop prices listed for each crop, not Traveling Cart prices.

Prices match version 1.6.15. Update 1.7 has been announced without a release date, so recheck these numbers once it arrives.

Best spring crops in Stardew Valley

Strawberries win only if you plant them on day 1, which is impossible in your first year. Their seeds are sold at the Egg Festival on Spring 13, so a year 1 planting gets two harvests (Spring 21 and 25) and earns 140g per seed. Buy extra at the festival and keep them for Spring 1 of year 2.

Rhubarb needs a seed from the Oasis, which you cannot reach until the bus is repaired. Garlic is a year 2 crop at Pierre's. That leaves Cauliflower as the strongest buyable choice for most of year 1, with Green Beans close behind and needing only one purchase. Cauliflower also has to be in the ground by Spring 16 to mature before the season ends.

Potatoes look weak here because the table counts only the guaranteed potato. Sources report a 25% chance of a second one, which lifts the average to roughly 200g per season, or 7.1g per day.

Best summer crops in Stardew Valley

Starfruit earns the most per tile but costs 400g a seed at the Oasis, so it is normally out of reach in year 1. Blueberries are the practical pick: 18.6g per day from a single 80g seed, with four harvests of three berries each. Sources report a small chance of a fourth berry, which this table ignores.

Red Cabbage is another strong option, but Pierre sells it only from year 2. Hops look middling here because they are sold raw; sources report far higher returns from brewing them in a keg.

Plant at least one Melon in year 1 for the Summer Crops bundle. See the Community Center guide for the other crops to set aside.

Best fall crops in Stardew Valley

Sweet Gem Berry sells for 3,000g but gets only one harvest, because it takes 24 days. Plant it by Fall 4. The seed is a Rare Seed from the Traveling Cart, normally 1,000g in spring and summer, so you must buy it ahead of time and supply is limited. That limit makes Cranberries the better plan for a full field.

Cranberries give 10 berries over five harvests for 510g profit per seed, plus a reported 10% chance of extras. They cost 240g up front, so Pumpkins and Grapes suit a tight budget: Grapes need just 60g and return 420g. Artichoke and Beet both do well, but Artichoke is a year 2 seed and Beet comes from the Oasis.

Crops that grow across two seasons

Corn grows through summer and fall on a single 150g seed. Sown on Summer 1, it gives 11 harvests across both seasons for 400g profit, or about 7.1g per day over 56 days.

Ancient Fruit is a different case. It needs 28 days to mature, so a spring planting yields nothing that season, then four fruits at 550g in each of summer and fall. That is 2,200g per season per plant, or 78.6g per day once it is established. It cannot be bought from a regular shop; the seed starts from an artifact you donate to the museum.

What to grow in winter

No crop you buy from a shop survives outdoors in winter. Powdermelon, added in 1.6, grows in winter but cannot be bought with gold from regular shops and sells for only 60g.

The real winter answer is the greenhouse, where any crop grows year round. Ancient Fruit and Starfruit are the two highest-value fillers there. The first year guide covers how to spend the rest of your winter days.

How fertilizer and professions change the numbers

• Tiller adds 10% to crop sale prices, which raises the sales side of almost every row but not the seed cost. Sweet Gem Berry is the exception and gets no bonus.
• Speed-Gro speeds growth by at least 10%, but does not shorten the regrow interval. It helps single-harvest crops most because it can add an extra cycle.
• Quality fertilizer improves the chance of silver and gold crops. It affects only the first item of each harvest, so extra berries or potatoes stay normal quality.

FAQ

What is the most profitable crop in Stardew Valley?

Per tile, Ancient Fruit leads once established at 78.6g per day, with Sweet Gem Berry next among crops planted fresh at 71.4g over a single fall. Starfruit is the top shop crop at about 25g per day, before quality or kegs.

Which crop should a new player plant in the first summer?

Blueberries. Without bus access you cannot buy Starfruit, and Red Cabbage is locked until year 2 at Pierre's, so Blueberries give the best return from seeds you can actually buy.

Why do gold per day figures differ between sites?

Some divide by growth days instead of the season, some assume Tiller or bonus crops, and a few list prices from older versions.