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There are a lot of quests and things to do for players just starting out a playthrough of Stardew Valley. From choosing between JojaMart and the Community Center to getting to the bottom of the local mines, it can be a challenge to focus on just one goal. For those looking to focus solely on earning gold in their first year of Stardew Valley, however, shifting priorities throughout the year can be beneficial.
As with most objectives in Stardew Valley, time management is an important part of earning gold. Even with that skill done, however, there are plenty of obstacles between players and earning gold. For those looking to earn a significant amount of gold in the first year of the game, this guide is here to help.
How Best to Earn Money through Farming in Stardew Valley
In general, making money in Stardew Valley mostly comes from planting and harvesting crops. Focusing on the specific crops that yield the best profits over the course of a season is the best way to invest in improving a player’s farming level as well as their wealth. It is important to remember to save all the sap that players gather from cutting down trees as this is the only ingredient needed for creating basic fertilizer. Basic fertilizer should be used whenever possible while planting in order to improve the quality and therefore resale value of crops.
Spring Crops
The first season of the first year can be a daunting task, but there are a few crops that will be guaranteed profitable for those that invest in them. The first of these happens to be the first crop that players are given in the game: Parsnips. While an underrated Spring crop in Stardew Valley, Parsnip Seeds are tied with Tulip Bulbs as the least expensive crop of the season with a price at Pierre’s General Store of 20 gold.
While the margins are small between the purchase a price and the resale value (35 gold) these can be purchased in huge amounts. For example, players that are able to invest 1,000 gold in Spring crops can plant 50 Parsnips, earn 750 gold in profit after 4 days, and improve their farming level by 400 experience points. Investing the same amount in Cauliflower means planting 12 crops, earning 1,100 gold in profit after 12 days, and improve their Stardew Valley farming level by 276 experience points.
Summer Crops
The Summer in the first year of Stardew Valley should see Blueberries and Hot Peppers on a player's farm. Pepper Seeds can be purchased for 40 gold and are an example of a crop that produces multiple harvests. It grows after 5 days and regrows after another 3 producing a maximum of 8 harvests in the Summer. Even at its base price, players make back their investment with the first harvest in the season.
Blueberries, on the other hand, take longer to grow (13 days) and regrow (4 days) but still provide 4 harvests during the season. The bonus with this crop is that each plant produces 3 blueberries at a minimum. Therefore, investing 1500 gold at Pierre's General Store in this Summer crop in Stardew Valley will net over 9,300 gold in profit by the end of the Summer.
Fall Crops
Aside from the Rare Seed which can cost a fortune from the Traveling Cart in Stardew Valley, Eggplant is the best bet for those looking to make a profit in their first Fall. Eggplant seeds cost just 20 gold at Pierre's, the base fruit sells for 60 gold, and it regrows every 5 days. Investing 1500 gold at Pierre's General Store in this crop will net over 21,000 gold over the course of this season.
Improving Farming level can increase profits for crops as well as open up the ability to transform fruits and vegetables in to jelly or pickles through the Preserves Jar. This craftable option in Stardew Valley becomes available at Farming Level 4 and costs 50 wood, 40 stone, and 8 coal per jar. While this adds time between a player planting the crop and them reaping the reward, either version of the crop can be sold for double the base fruit or vegetable plus 50.
How to Best Earn Money through Animal Husbandry in Stardew Valley
For the first year in Stardew Valley, players can reasonably acquire a coop, a barn, or both. The easiest path, especially for those focusing the majority of funds on crops, is to purchase a coop and fill it with chickens. The total investment for the smallest coop and four chickens is 7,200 gold and these animals will mature after 3 nights have passed. A mature chicken produces an egg each day and the key to earning back that cost is to create Mayonnaise Machines which cost 15 Wood, 15 Stone, 1 Earth Crystal, and 1 Copper Bar each.
Four mayonnaise a day can be sold for 760 gold, meaning that it takes just 10 days with full-grown chickens to repay that cost. The earlier a player can invest in animals, the more profit they can make over the course of their first year. It is important to remember, however, that on rainy days and throughout the Winter, players need to have hay to feed their flock. This can eat into the profits but, investing in a Silo in their Stardew Valley farm and harvesting the grass that is out of range of the coop or barn, can help defray this cost.
Other Ways to Make Money in the First Year
Aside from farming and having animals, there are several other ways to earn money in the first year. It is also important that players make sure they work on their relationships with fellow residents of Stardew Valley as these characters can provide players with recipes and gifts.
Help Wanted Quests
Randomly throughout the year, villagers will request specific items in exchange for friendship points and gold. There are four different types of these quests: Gathering, Slay Monsters, Fishing, and Item Delivery. These can each be accessed from the bulletin board outside Pierre's General Store.
Improving Skills
Throughout the year there are particular skills that will grant players bonuses that improve their ability to earn money. While the ultimate goal of each player should be to reach level 10 in every skill, this is much more akin to a stretch goal for the first year. Instead, at level 5, players get to make their first choice of a profession in Stardew Valley that can impact their earning potential.
For Farming, this choice is between Rancher (Animal Products worth 20 percent more) or Tiller (Crops worth 10 percent more) and this choice is dependent on whether they raise more animals or handle more crops. For Foraging, this choice should be Gatherer (chance for double harvest of foraged items) over Forester (+25 percent more wood when chopping). For Fishing, this choice should be Fisher (Fish worth 25 percent more) over Trapper (cuts resource cost of Crab Pots).
Stardew Valley is currently available for Mobile, PC, PS4, PlayStation Vita, Switch, and Xbox One.