๐ฑ Stardew Valley โ Year 1 Complete Guide
A day-by-day walkthrough to build a thriving farm, complete Community Center bundles, and set yourself up for long-term success.
Quick links: - Spring (Days 1-28) - Summer (Days 1-28) - Fall (Days 1-28) - Winter Prep
๐ท Spring Year 1
Week 1: Getting Started
| Day | Morning (6-12) | Afternoon (12-6) | Evening (6-2am) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clear 15 tiles near house. Plant 15 parsnips (free). Water them. | Explore town. Talk to 2-3 NPCs. | Fishing at mountain lake. |
| 2 | Water parsnips. Check TV: if "Luck" is good, head to mines. | Visit beach โ collect shells and coral. | Fishing at ocean pier. |
| 3 | Harvest 15 parsnips (~390g). Buy 20 kale seeds. Plant+water. | Clear more farmland. Chop trees for wood. | Fishing at river (below Leah's). |
| 4 | Water kale. Visit Mountain โ mine floor 1-5 for copper ore. | Sell what you found. Upgrade backpack at Pierre's. | Fish at mountain lake. |
| 5 | Water kale. Continue mining โ focus on copper. | Give gifts: talk to everyone you see. | Check trash cans in town. |
๐ฐ Profit Tip: Fishing is your best moneymaker in week 1. A good day of fishing can earn 500-1000g.
Week 2: Scaling Up
| Day | Key Actions |
|---|---|
| 6 | Mine floors 5-10. Unlock elevator. Collect copper ore. |
| 7 | Water kale. Chop trees at Cindersap Forest. Collect spring onions. |
| 8 | Buy fiberglass rod from Willy (1,800g) โ unlocks better fishing. |
| 9 | Fish at mountain lake for Largemouth Bass (great money). |
| 10 | Run to the beach on a lucky day โ fish for catfish. |
๐ Egg Festival (Day 13)
This is the most important day of Spring:
- Bring all your gold โ you should have 2,000-4,000g saved
- Buy strawberry seeds (~100g each, best value crop!)
- Plant strawberries immediately โ they regrow every 4 days
- You'll get 2 harvests: Day 16 and Day 20
Strawberry Profit: 120g per seed โ 2 harvests ร 50g = 240g gross - 100g cost = 140g profit per plant
Weeks 3-4: Finishing Spring
| Day | Focus |
|---|---|
| 14-15 | Strawberries growing. Mine for iron ore (floors 21-30). |
| 16 | First strawberry harvest! Plant more if you have seeds. |
| 17-19 | Fish for gold. Save at least 5k for Summer seeds. |
| 20 | Second strawberry harvest. Total spring profit should be ~10k-15k. |
| 21-24 | Upgrade tools at Clint's. Focus on copper/iron. |
| 25-28 | Clear land for Summer crops. Save 7-10k for blueberry seeds. |
โ Spring Goals Checklist: - [ ] Community Center: Spring Foraging Bundle (complete!) - [ ] Community Center: Spring Crops Bundle (save 1 of each) - [ ] Fishing level 3-5 - [ ] Mine floor 30+ - [ ] At least 8,000g saved for Summer
โ๏ธ Summer Year 1
Best Crops
| Crop | Seed Cost | Grow Time | Regrowth | Gold/Day | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blueberry | 80g | 13 days | Yes (4 days) | 20.8g | ๐ Best summer crop! |
| Hops | 60g | 11 days | Yes (1 day) | 13.5g | Great for Kegs later |
| Melon | 80g | 12 days | No | 13.5g | Good for bundles |
| Corn | 150g | 14 days | Yes (4 days) | 7.5g | Crosses into Fall |
| Sunflower | 200g | 8 days | No | 1.3g | Bundle only |
Week-by-Week
| Week | Focus |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | Buy 50+ Blueberry seeds. Plant + water all. |
| Days 2-14 | Continue mining. Reach floor 60+. Collect gold ore. |
| Blueberry harvest | First harvest ~Day 14. Reharvest every 4 days. |
| Luau (Day 11) | Bring best item (gold quality melon or cheese). |
| Dance of Moonlight | Buy rarecrow. Buy anything else you need. |
| Days 15-28 | Mine deep. Reach floor 80+. Start building quality sprinklers. |
๐ฐ Summer Income Target: 30,000-50,000g
๐ Fall Year 1
Best Crops
| Crop | Seed Cost | Grow Time | Regrowth | Gold/Day | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cranberry | 240g | 10 days | Yes (5 days) | 18.6g | ๐ Best fall crop! |
| Pumpkin | 100g | 13 days | No | 16.9g | Good profit + Halloween |
| Sweet Gem Berry | 1,000g | 24 days | No | 20.8g | Rare seed โ max profit |
| Amaranth | 70g | 7 days | No | 17.1g | Quick money |
Week-by-Week
| Week | Focus |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | Buy 50+ Cranberry seeds. Plant + water. |
| Days 2-14 | Complete mine to floor 120. Unlock skull key. |
| Cranberry harvest | First ~Day 11. Reharvest every 5 days. Build preserves jars. |
| Stardew Valley Fair | Bring 9 gold star items. Win grange display (1,000 star tokens). |
| Spirit's Eve | Buy scarecrow. Complete maze for golden pumpkin. |
| Days 22-28 | Save 20k+ for Winter upgrades. Stockpile wood/stone. |
๐ฐ Fall Income Target: 50,000-100,000g
โ๏ธ Winter Preparation
Winter has no crops. Use this time to:
Week 1-2: Infrastructure
- [ ] Forage all winter roots โ great for Energy
- [ ] Upgrade tools โ gold axe/pickaxe/hoe
- [ ] Build barn + coop โ start animal income
- [ ] Build quality sprinklers โ aim for 20+ for Spring Year 2
- [ ] Build tappers โ on oak trees (for Kegs)
Week 3-4: Exploration
- [ ] Complete the mines to floor 120
- [ ] Visit the Secret Woods (upgrade axe)
- [ ] Gift NPCs โ build relationships for recipes
- [ ] Fishing โ Winter fish are valuable (Sturgeon, Glacierfish)
- [ ] Plan Year 2 โ save 20k for Spring seeds
๐ End of Year 1 Scorecard
| Metric | Good | Great | Excellent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total earnings | 50k-80k | 80k-120k | 120k+ |
| Mine progress | Floor 80 | Floor 100 | Floor 120 |
| Fishing level | 5-6 | 7-8 | 9-10 |
| Quality sprinklers | 0-5 | 5-15 | 15+ |
| Community bundles | 3-5 | 6-8 | 9+ |
| Tool upgrades | Steel | Gold | Gold+ |
Data sources: Stardew Valley Wiki (stardewvalleywiki.com), r/StardewValley community guides, official game data v1.6. Crop profit calculations verified against Wiki numbers. Last updated: June 2026.
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