Stardew Valley: Best Summer Crops To Maximize Profit

Ranking all Stardew Valley Summer Crops, and the best ones to grow!

Once you pass through your first season in Stardew Valley, you will be greeted by the summer season. Hopefully, by this time you’ve upgraded your tools and still have money to spend on buying seeds to farm and earn big in summer. This guide will help you identify the Best summer crops in Stardew Valley which will help you earn more money!

Best Summer Crops In Stardew Valley

Let’s first quickly compare the Best Summer Crops in Stardew Valley:

RankBest ForCrop NameTypeGrowth TimeBuy PriceSell Price
7Best Summer Crop For Agricultural Productivity And Social Dynamics.Hot PepperFruit5 days40 gold40 gold
6Best Summer Crop For Consistent Daily Harvests.HopsVegetable11 days60 gold25 gold
5Best Summer Crop For Profit.Red CabbageVegetable9 days100 gold260 gold
4Best Summer Crop For Versatile Cooking.MelonFruit12 days80 gold250 gold
3Best Summer Crop For High Yield.CoffeeSeed10 days/2 days1500 gold15 gold
2Best Summer Crop For Optimizing Gameplay Experience.StarfruitFruit13 days400 gold750 gold
1Best All Rounder Summer Crop.BlueberriesFruit13 days80 gold50 gold

7. Hot Pepper

Best Summer Crop For Agricultural Productivity And Social Dynamics.
Hot Pepper in Stardew Valley
  • Why I Chose This: The fast growth, multi-harvest capabilities, and utility in various game mechanics.

You can grow Hot Pepper from some Pepper Seeds. The best thing about Hot Pepper is without a doubt its ability to fully mature and grow in just 5 days. Hot Peppers are also a multi-harvest crop. When you harvest the Hot Pepper Plant, you will get 1 Hot Pepper every 3 days, and also a 3% chance of getting some extra Hot Peppers.

Hot Peppers are loved by Lewis and Shane, but disliked by Abigail, Haley, Jas, and Vincent. It’s crucial to know each villager’s preferences before gifting. In my opinion, Hot Peppers are essential for completing the Summer Crops Bundle and the Remixed Quality Crops Bundle. Additionally, I recommend using them in various profitable food recipes like Pepper Poppers, Spicy Eel, and Tropical Curry.

  • Fast-growing with just a 5-day growth period.
  • Multi-harvest crop, doubling profits.
  • 3% chance for extra yield.
  • Popular gifting option with few villagers disliking them.
  • Low energy and health benefits may not appeal to some players.

6. Hops

Best Summer Crop For Consistent Daily Harvests.

This is a vegetable crop that grows from a Hops starter which can be bought for 60 gold. It takes 11 days to fully grow which might seem like a long time. However, Hops can be harvested every day after that. This makes Hops a great multi-harvest crop. Hops themselves can’t be sold for a lot, only earning 25 gold.

Hops are used in a recipe to make Pale Ale, which is loved by Pam. Otherwise, Pale ale can be sold for 420 gold which is a decent amount of money too. Hops are used in the Wild Medicine Bundle.

  • Multi-harvest capability.
  • Use for producing Pale Ale for higher profit.
  • Significant farming experience points.
  • Neutral popularity among villagers.
  • Low individual selling price.
  • Lengthy growth period.
  • Why I Chose This: The multi-harvest capability it provides with the consistent daily yields.

5. Red Cabbage

Best Summer Crop For Profit.

Red cabbage, taking 9 days to grow fully, offers a lucrative selling price of 260 gold, making it a profitable investment at Pierre’s store for 100 gold. Harvestable thrice in summer, it’s a reliable source of income. In my experience, purchasing seeds before the second year is challenging; relying on the traveling cart for availability in the first year is advisable, provided you have sufficient gold. Completing the dye bundle underscores its importance in the game

The vegetable crop is also an ingredient needed in many recipes to make food, including the Coleslaw, Fish taco which is loved by both Caroline and Gus, and the Red Plate which is loved by Emily.

  • Available at a decent price.
  • Provides good profit.
  • Required for completing the Dye Bundle.
  • Versatile ingredient in many recipes.
  • Liked by most villagers.
  • Limited early cultivation.
  • Why I Chose This: The significant profitability it provides on top of the multiple harvests.

4. Melon

Best Summer Crop For Versatile Cooking.
Stardew Valley best summer crop
Melon Seeds
  • Why I Chose This: The high levels of profit it provides and also contributes to both farming and community center objectives.

A fruit crop, Melon can be easily bought from Pierre’s shop. It can be bought for 80 gold and takes 12 days to fully grow. After being harvested it can be sold for 250 gold each. What makes melon special is that it is one of only 3 crops that has the potential of producing a giant crop.

After trying various crops, here’s what I found: Melon emerges as Penny’s favorite gift, making it my top recommendation for building relationships with her. Additionally, its versatility in recipes, such as Fruit Salad favored by Haley and Pink Cake adored by several characters like Vincent, Jas, and Marnie, adds to its appeal. Its inclusion in the summer crops bundle further emphasizes its significance, securing its spot on our list of best summer crops in Stardew Valley.

  • Easily obtainable.
  • Offers a high return.
  • Liked by most villagers.
  • Used in multiple recipes.
  • Takes 12 days to fully grow.

3. Coffee

Best Summer Crop For High Yield.
Stardew Valley best summer crop
Coffee Bean
  • Why I Chose This: The high yield this summer crop provides and the unique characteristics it has.

Based on what I experienced, coffee beans offer a consistent harvest of at least four beans every two days, with the potential for more. Planting them in spring and summer ensures continuous yields across both seasons, boasting better long-term profits than starfruit when planted early. However, acquiring coffee beans presents challenges, as they’re primarily available from traveling merchants at a steep price of 1500 gold, making them inaccessible to most players early on.

Defeating Dust Sprites in specific areas yields coffee beans, albeit with low drop rates. However, each harvest typically provides multiple seeds, enabling rapid field expansion. Processing coffee beans in a keg produces coffee, enhancing movement speed temporarily. Alternatively, selling coffee beans can yield a tidy profit.

  • Can be grown in both the Summer and Spring seasons.
  • Highly profitable crop with multiple harvests.
  • A short growth period.
  • Yield considerable profit.
  • Versatile.
  • Not sold in any Stardew Valley stores.
  • Challenging to acquire.

2. Starfruit

Best Summer Crop For Optimizing Gameplay Experience.
Stardew Valley best summer crop
Starfruit Seeds
  • Why I Chose This: The financial gains that it is able to provide and the optimization in their farms productivity.

This crop is probably the most profitable that you can plant in the summer. It is one of the most profitable crops in the game. Starfruit takes a really long time 13 days to fully grow. However, this turns out to be worth the wait since it easily sells for 750 gold at its base selling price.

In my opinion, starfruit presents some challenges for beginners. Accessible only from the desert merchant, it requires significant progression to acquire. Additionally, the high cost of starfruit seeds at 400 gold poses a barrier to entry, limiting profitability for players with limited funds. Despite these hurdles, starfruit offers unique benefits such as its role in constructing the Junimo Hut and its potential for high-value products like jelly or wine, making it a valuable investment for advanced players.

  • Sells for 750 Gold, one of the highest prices.
  • Useful for Jumbo Hut and crafting profitable products.
  • Challenging to obtain.
  • Seeds cost 400 Gold.
  • Limited food recipe use.

1. Blueberries

Best All Rounder Summer Crop.
Stardew Valley best summer crop
Blueberry Crops
  • Why I Chose This: The combination of accessibility, profitability, and versatility.

Blueberries reign as the top summer crop in Stardew Valley, offering unmatched ease of availability and profitability. Available for a modest 80 gold at Pierre’s, each blueberry fetches a respectable 50 gold when sold. With a minimum yield of 3 berries per harvest and a maturity period of 13 days, blueberries outshine other summer crops with their multiple-harvest capability

Blueberries are versatile crops in Stardew Valley, offering various profitable uses. Crafting blueberry jelly or wine significantly boosts their value, making them lucrative commodities. Additionally, blueberries are essential for completing the summer crops bundle and are favored gifts for Linus and Haley.

  • Among the most profitable summer crops.
  • Required for completing the Quality Crops bundle.
  • Easy to obtain and cultivate.
  • Highly efficient.
  • Potential for extra profit through crafting into Wine or Jelly.
  • Not the best crop for gifting as most villagers are neutral about them.

Alternative Options

Here are some alternative options for the best summer crops in Stardew Valley to maximize profit, although I didn’t include them in my guide.

  • Corns: The corn crop has a great life span that lasts all summer as compared to the other crops, but it’s a little bit costly.
  • Tomato: A great crop to harvest, but you need to wait for some time to make maximum profit out of it. Also, it has a lengthy growth period.
  • Radish: Radish has a short growth period, is inexpensive, and gives good profit.

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This was our Stardew Valley best summer crops guide. For more stuff check out our Stardew Valley Guide section.

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Awesome

A really fun and informative read!! Will definitely return

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Sarim is a Finance major, fantasy writer, creative consultant, and professional developmental and line editor. When not writing, Sarim is dreaming about storytelling and gaming. He has worked with Xbox and S&P Global, providing creative consultancy and business development.

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