Stardew Valleyhas an extensive array of activities and past-times for players to engage in. Whether it be romancing NPC-villagers, exploring Ginger Island or feeding the Trash Bear, there is always something to do. Farming is possibly the most beneficial hobby, providing benefits with cooking, crafting artisanal goods, and for selling excess crops.
As theStardew Valleyseasons change, so do the various different crops available to be purchased and grown. In all of its sunny glory,Summeris the peak time for farming and growing crops. Pierre’s General Store has an overwhelming selection ofSummer-specific cropsto choose from, so it is crucial for players to identify which are the most profitableplants and maximize those gains.
Updated on June 3rd, 2024, by Matthew Weideman:It is an exciting time for Stardew Valley players, since the last major update—Version 1.6— is out on PC and nearing its console release. This new update added events, dialog, tools, and crops to a game that was already chock-full of interesting things for its players to do. With this in mind, this list was updated to include the new summer crop from 1.6, as well as several more of the best summer crops in Stardew Valley.
If players chooseTillerat Level 5 Farming, players will receive10% morefrom their crops. From this Skill, players can chooseArtisanat Level 10 to earn40% morefrom artisan goods like Wine, Cheese, Oil, etc.
15g
Coffee - 150g
WhileCoffee Beanis expensive and relatively difficult to obtain early in the game, there are many benefits to growing coffee. It is a multi-season crop that can be harvested many times between the Spring and Summer, and the plants produce four beans every other day after the initial ten-day growth period. While the individual raw beans do not sell for much, the sheer number of them can make for a decent source of income in the game’s early years.
The greatest benefit to growing coffee, however, is that five beans can be placed in a keg to make consumable coffee. This gives the player a speed boost, allowing them to move faster even before they have enough money to buy a horse. Most of the villagers like coffee, which also makes it a good gift to build relationships. Overall, coffee is a great crop to grow for half of the Stardew year.
80g, Tiller (88g)
Oil - 100g
Like all flower crops,Sunflowerturn over very little money, as they sell for a minimum of 80 gold, resulting in a loss of profits.Purchasable for 200 gold from Pierre’s, Sunflower seeds are one of the more expensive crop-starters in-game. Once harvested, they have a chance to produce sunflower seeds that can be used to plant more.
They are the main ingredient used to craft cooking oil, a staple in many cooking recipes, which is one of their main purposes. These cheerful flowers can also begifted to villagers, as most villagers like them, while Haley loves them! For aesthetic reasons, too, Sunflowers can brighten up any farm.
Sunflowers can also be grown near beehives, which will make special Sunflower Honey, which is sold for a better price than normal honey, at around 260g as a base price, or 364g if players have the Artisan Skill.
45g, Tiller (49g)
None
Summer Squashwas introduced in Update 1.6, along with a host of other mechanics, devices, events, and even some new NPCs. The Squash is a fast-growing crop that is ready to harvest for the first time in only six days, which helps to offset its relatively low sell price. It also regrows after three days, which further helps to compensate for its relatively low sell price.
The best part about this vegetable, however, is that it is unique in the game when it comes to obtaining its seeds. They cannot be bought at any store, but instead have to be found through digging, completing quests for the raccoon introduced in 1.6, or a few other special means. This crop is all about the latest additions to the game, and encourages the player to interact with all of them to grow and sell it.
4 Days
25g, Tiller (27g)
Beer - 200g, Artisan 280g; Pickled Wheat - 100g, Artisan 140g
Wheatis an essential crop for players who want to raise animals. It can be harvested to provide wheat for silos, which in turn can be placed in coops and barns for animals to eat when they can’t get to grass outside. It can also be placed in kegs to create beer, which is good for profit and for gifts.
Wheat is cheap and grows in both Summer and Fall, which makes it a useful crop for half of the year. With its range of uses and long growing season, players should make sure to grow wheat every season that they can.
90g, Tiller (90g)
Juice - 202g, Artisan 282g; Pickles - 230g, Artisan 322g
Radishare a great summer starter vegetable, with a minimum selling price of 90 gold at average quality. Their seeds are cheap at 40 gold from Pierre’s. They are also used in twocooking recipes; the Radish Salad and the Red Plate, which can turn a neat profit if sold.
But since they’re not used in a bundle, nor do they have much use for quests, except for a chance at being a board quest for Pierre, they don’t have much use. They’re a bit better than Sunflowers, especially for those who are working on Artisan goods.
40g, Tiller (44g)
Wine - 120g, Artisan 168g; Jelly - 130g, Artisan 182g
Hot Pepperhas an initial growth rate of 5 days and can be harvested every three days after this. They sell for as much as their seeds can be bought for, at 40 gold when average quality. Not a fantastic profit, but they are a multi-harvest crop; they are worth a space on a farm! Hot Pepper is also used in the Summer Crops Bundle atthe Community Center.
For fans of Shane, this is a decent crop to stock up on to win him over. The regrowth time is pretty quick, so this is a great crop to start with during the early stages to get a decent cash flow, however, compared to others, this isn’t the best crop for later gameplay.
7 days
140g, Tiller (154g)
Poppy Honey - 380g, Artisan 532g
Poppyare great summer flowers that only take a week to fully mature. They are a polarizing gift among the villagers, since Penny loves them but everyone else hates them. When grown next to a Bee House, their potential is fully reached, since Poppy Honey is the second-most-expensive honey in the game.
Poppies can also be used to make Poppyseed Muffins, which restore 150 Energy and 67 Health when eaten. These are also much better gifts than the flowers, since only a handful of residents don’t like or love them.
11 Days, Regrown Every 1
Pale Ale - 300g, Artisan 420g; Pickles - 100g, Artisan 140g
HopsStarters cost 60 gold from Pierre’s General Store. They take 11 days to grow fully but can be cultivated every day after this initial period. Hops can only be sold for 25 gold each butcan be fermented in Kegsto create Pale Ale. Pale Ale has one of the highest returns on investment in-game, worthy of spending some time on.
For players that want to really maximize profit with this crop, try to craft several Kegs before the summer to work on making Pale Ale, as this is where players will get the most profit from this crop. Not only does it sell well, but Pam will eventually ask for one as a quest.
60g, Tiller (66g)
Juice - 135g, Artisan 189g; Pickles - 170g, Artisan 238g
Some profit can be made from plantingTomato. Seeing as they are a multi-harvest crop and do not need to be re-planted, players can eventually turn around a profit on them.
Their initial growth time is 11 days. Following this, Tomatoes can be picked from them every four days, with a 5% chance of extra Tomatoes.
They are a key ingredient in several delicious cooking recipes, including Eggplant Parmesan and Squid Ink Ravioli, both of which givevaluable bonuses for Mining.
14 Days, Regrown Every 4
55g, Tiller (55g)
Juice - 112g, Artisan 156g;Pickles - 150g, Artisan 210g; Oil - 100g
Cornis a seasonal staple and is very versatile; like sunflowers, it is useful for crafting cooking oil. However, as a crop, it turns over very little profit for its hefty price tag of 150 gold for the seeds.
Being one of the few crops with longevity that lasts throughthe Summer seasonuntil Fall, it is a necessary crop to dedicate some space to.
