As farming is the focal point of Stardew Valley, knowing all of the best methods to prosper is key to opening up all the additional content the game has to offer. Along with livestock and crafting, different crops thrive through each season of the year, and it’s important to know which crops are best to grow when to get you those hearty funds flowing. Therefore, here is our guide to the best Fall Crops in Stardew Valley.
The Best Fall Season Crops in Stardew Valley
As in other seasons, when it comes to growing crops in the Fall before Winter hits, it’s definitely important to know which will be most lucrative for you. Granted, if you have the Greenhouse on your Farm already unlocked some of that contingency is moot, as you can grow any type of crop there you wish year round, but our list is based on what to grow outside.
Also, there are a number of crops you can grow in the Fall that give high returns, but it can depend on your situation overall, and how far you are into the game. Some seeds are far more expensive than others and thus more costly to buy in bulk, even if the payoff is big.
We’re prioritizing the Fall seeds that can get you a substantial price, but if you’re a seasoned (aha) player and money is no object for you, the pricier ones will have mention as well.
Best Overall Fall Crop – Pumpkins
Pumpkins are by far the best and most versatile crop to grow during the Fall. Not only do they have multiple cooking uses (including Artisan goods), and can be used to craft clothing and dye items, they contribute to both the Fall Crops Bundle and the Quality Crops Bundle at the Community Center.
Of course, the key here is how profitable they are. While they cost 100g at Pierre’s General Store (can also be bought from the Traveling Cart), and take 13 days to initially grow, they sell for a minimum of 320g at base grade (no star) and a maximum of 640g at iridium grade (purple star). This profit can be buffed even more if you acquire the Tiller profession perk at Farming Level 5, which adds 10% to the price of all your crops.
The one drawback is that given the amount of time it takes to grow Pumpkins, you can normally only get two harvests from them per season. However, you can use special fertilizers like Speed-Gro to literally increase the speed at which they grow. If you have access to Hyper Speed-Gro, you can get up to three rounds of Pumpkins per season if you plant from the very first day.
Also, if you get the Agriculturalist Perk at Farming Level 10 that comes with the Tiller Profession, your crops will again become 10% more valuable, giving you a 20% boost overall to every crop you sell.
Cranberries
Most berry crops are quite reliable through the year, and Cranberries are definitely no exception. They come as a close second to Pumpkins for the Fall season in terms of money-making, albeit in a slightly different way. Cranberry seeds are notably more expensive at 240g a pop from Pierre’s, or 180g a pop from the Traveling Cart if you get lucky. So having a substantial amount of funds to help purchase a sufficient number of these seeds is recommended.
Once you do and get them planted on your Farm, Cranberries take 7 days to fully grow and be ready for harvest. Their base price starts at 75g each, going up to 150g at iridium grade (10-20% more with “Tiller” and “Argriculturalist” perks). This seems like a loss, but as with most other berries, when harvested Cranberries have a high chance to drop 1-2 extra crops each, so you immediately gain a profit.
On top of that, Cranberries also regrow every 5 days up to 5 more times through the season, giving you a total of 6 harvests on each tile. Even better, Cranberries are not required for any Community Center bundles, and seldom pop up in any NPC quests, so there’s no need to hold on to them — sell away.
Also, if that weren’t enough, cranberries can be used for Artisanal goods. Put them in Kegs to make wines that go for up to 450g each, or in Preserves Jars to make Jellies that go for up to 200g each. Even better, if you have the “Artisan” perk you can sell those types of goods for a whopping 40% more profit.
Beets
Beets are bit unique in terms of acquiring the seeds, and what they’re used for. The only place to purchase the seeds consistently is from Sandy at the Oasis shop in the Calico Desert. To get there, you’ll need to first complete the Vault bundles at the Community Center in order to repair the Bus near the Farm that travels there.
Beet Seeds cost only 20g a pop (100g minimum if found at the Traveling Cart), and they take 6 days to grow. Should you choose to sell the beets themselves at harvest, their base price starts at 100g up to 200g at Iridium grade.
Also, if you have a Mill on your Farm, you can use the harvested Beets to craft 3 small jars of Sugar from each Beet. They’ll be ready the following morning and go for 50g each, or can be used in a several cooking recipes. They also can be put in the Keg to make Beet Wine or in a Preserves Jar to make Pickled Beets. These can go for over 200g each.
Grapes
Another berry that makes our list, Grapes are easy and efficient to grow and their seeds are cheap. You can technically start building your Grape stores in the Summer season, as they’ll not only be a common foraging item to find around Pelican Town and beyond, but the Traveling Cart will sell “Summer Seeds” starting at 165g that can contain Grape seeds.
Their primary season, however, is the Fall, and you’ll be able to purchase “Grape Starters” from Pierre, the Joja Mart, or the Traveling Cart for as low as 60g each. These special seeds allow the fruit vine to grow up a stake, which takes 10 days after being planted. Their base price starts at 80g each, and can go up to 160g each at iridium grade.
After their initial harvest, the Grapes will regrow every three days as often as the season allows (or longer if in a Greenhouse), making for one of the best turnover rates of any crop in the game.
The key alternative to selling the Grapes themselves is using them to craft Artisanal goods, namely Grape Wine which starts at 240g each up to 480g at top grade, and Grape Jelly which goes for 210g. Again, these prices can all be buffed considerably if you have the “Tiller” and/or “Artisan” farming perk(s).
Sweet Gem Berries
Sweet Gem Berries are by far the most profitable crop in the game, but the seeds are VERY costly, hard to obtain consistently, and they also take the longest to grow and have low versatility. All of these drawbacks make them seem like an odd choice to include, but if you’re sitting on a hefty amount of money and want to make far, far more, this crop is your top choice.
Sweet Gem Berries are grown from “Rare Seeds”, which cannot be bought from Pierre or from the Joja Mart. The only NPC that sells them is the Traveling Cart, and they start at 600g minimum and go up to 1,000g. Once you have enough, if you have at least one Seed Maker, you should definitely put it to use making more Rare Seeds, which will save you a good amount of money in the long run after your initial costly investment.
Upon planting these Rare Seeds, they take a whopping 24 days through the Fall to grow fully into Sweet Gem Berries. So if you intend to farm these, sowing them on the first day or two of the season is necessary. Once you’re finally able to harvest them, their base price starts at a very modest 3,000g. At Iridium grade, they go for 6,000g each. So even if each seed costs you 1,000g, you’re still getting an absolutely incredible return.
Even better, if you have the Greenhouse unlocked, you can grow these as often as you want during any season.
Note that Sweet Gem Berries are essentially only for selling. They’re not used in any cooking recipes or quests. They are part of the Rare Crops bundle at the Community Center, but other cheaper options can be used to fulfill that task.
That concludes our guide for the best Fall Crops in Stardew Valley. We hope you find this helpful in your money-making endeavors, and let us know which crop you personally think is best.
Be sure to check out all of our other guides for Stardew Valley, such as our Ginger Island guide.
