All crops

All crops

Starsand Island has over 60 plantable crops spanning vegetables, grains, fruits, flowers, and specialty plants. Each crop has a designated growing season, a specific growth time, and a planting requirement -- some need standard farmland, others need a Trellis, Paddy Field, or Planting Box.

Crops unlock as you advance through the Farming profession tiers with Graminova at the Happiness Seed Shop. Seeds are available for purchase year-round regardless of the current season, so you can stockpile before a season begins.

Season basics

• Each season lasts 28 in-game days. The cycle is Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter.

• Crops only grow during their designated season(s). Planting outside the correct season means the crop will not progress.

• Growth time is real-time from the moment you plant, not based on day-by-day cycles. A crop with an 18-hour growth time starts counting the moment the seed goes in the ground.

• Twelve crops are "All Season" and can grow year-round: Pasture Grass, Wheat, Garlic, Potato, Mountain Rice, Cucumber, Peanut, Soybean, Sugarcane, Rice, Mandrake, and Stardew Fern.

• Everlasting (immortal) seeds ignore season restrictions entirely. See the Immortal seeds section below.

Planting types

• Farmland: Standard tilled soil. Most crops grow here. Till with a hoe, plant, water.

• Trellis: Required for vine crops (Cucumber, Pepper, Tomato, Grapes, etc.). Unlocked via the "Natural Delicacies" quest during Apprentice Farmer. Trellises auto-till the ground when placed -- do not pre-till before placing one. Trellis crops yield 2 per harvest and can be harvested multiple times.

• Paddy Field: Required for water crops (Sugarcane, Rice, Water Caltrop, River Lotus). Flooded planting area.

• Planting Box: Unlocked at Junior Farmer. Allows growing crops anywhere, including inside buildings. Required for Garlic and Reishi Mushroom; optional for most other crops.

Beginner crops

Available from the start of the game, before any Farmer certification.

Apprentice Farmer crops

Junior Farmer crops

Intermediate Farmer crops

Fruit tree saplings

Fruit trees are planted as saplings and take significantly longer to grow than regular crops, but they produce high-value fruit. Trees are planted on standard farmland and unlocked at Intermediate Farmer and above.

Senior Farmer crops

Expert Farmer crops

The final tier of crops. Long growth times, high seed costs, and valuable harvests.

Flowers

Flowers unlock at Senior Farmer. They come in four seasonal types, each available in three base colors (Red, Yellow, Blue). Hybrid colors can be produced through cross-breeding.

Flower cross-breeding

• Place different-color flowers with an empty plot between them.

• Chance to produce hybrid colors: Brown, Green, Orange, Pink, Purple.

• Sleep Lilies from the Moonlit Forest can be cross-bred to produce a rare Black variant.

• Nutrient Soil IV fertilizer (Senior Farmer) boosts pollination probability by 15% and stacks with other fertilizers.

Gmax (giant) crops

Four crops can mutate into giant versions when planted in a 3x3 grid (9 seeds of the same type). Growing a Gmax crop is required for the Intermediate Farmer certification.

How to grow Gmax crops

1. Plant 9 seeds of the same type in a 3x3 grid on farmland.

2. Water all 9 plots. The seeds do not need to finish growing at the same time to trigger the mutation.

3. Mutation is not guaranteed. Some players report needing 3 to 4 attempts.

4. Use Gmax Fertilizer III (Intermediate Farmer, 320 Coins per 5 bags) to boost mutation chance by 15%. Only one plot in the 3x3 grid needs the fertilizer.

5. Gmax Fertilizer cannot be combined with other fertilizer types on the same plot.

6. Harvest the giant crop with an Axe (multiple hits), not by hand. It produces more items than 9 individual crops would.

Fertilizers

Fertilizers are purchased from the Happiness Seed Shop or crafted in a Fertilizer Box (blueprint from the shop). Apply by equipping in your hotbar and using on a planted plot.

Seed sources

Happiness Seed Shop (Graminova)

• Location: Starsand Town, across from Zerine's General Store. Open 10 AM to 9 PM.

• Interact with the cash register to browse seeds (no need to talk to Graminova directly).

• Seeds are available year-round -- you can buy Summer seeds in Winter and stockpile.

• New seeds unlock at each Farmer certification tier.

Grinder (Senior Farmer)

• Converts harvested crops back into seeds.

• Slow processing time. Build multiple Grinders for bulk conversion.

• Eliminates the need to buy seeds from the shop once you reach Senior Farmer.

Other sources

• Foraging and chopping trees or shrubs can yield seeds.

• Treasure chests on the surface island and in the Moonlit Forest contain seeds.

• Islandpedia completion rewards include some Everlasting Seeds for free.

Immortal (everlasting) seeds

Immortal seeds are the endgame of farming. Crops grown from them continue producing indefinitely after each harvest without replanting, and they ignore season restrictions -- they grow year-round.

• Eternal Blessings skill: Senior Farmer perk. Every harvest has a passive chance of dropping an Everlasting Seed.

• Creamy Seeds buff: Eating Mirthshroom Soup (recipe found in a Moonlit Forest chest) grants a temporary buff that increases the chance of dropping immortal seeds when harvesting.

• Islandpedia rewards: Some given for free when completing plant entries.

• If you remove an immortal crop (dig it up), the Everlasting Seed is returned to your inventory.

Multi-harvest vs single-harvest

• Multi-harvest: All Trellis crops (Cucumber, Pepper, Green Grape, Tomato, Red Grape, Cherry Tomato, Honeyvine, Star Plum, Jadelume). These yield 2 per harvest and can be harvested multiple times from one planting.

• Single-harvest: Most standard farmland crops (Wheat, Potato, Watermelon, Corn, etc.). These yield 4 per harvest, then you must replant.

• Everlasting: Any crop grown from an Immortal Seed. Never needs replanting regardless of crop type.

Crop processing

The Separator instantly turns raw crops into cooking base ingredients. Most cooking recipes require processed ingredients rather than raw crops.

• Wheat -> Flour (for noodles, dumplings, toast)

• Sugarcane -> Sugar (for jams, desserts)

• Vegetables -> Vegetable Juice

• Fruits -> Fruit Pulp

• Meat -> Meat Bites

• Fish -> Fish Fillet

• Bugs -> Protein Powder

The Brewing Barrel ferments crops into liquid ingredients (Vinegar, Soy Sauce, Wine). The Jam Maker combines fruit + sugar into 15+ jam varieties. The Pickling Jar combines vegetables + salt into 8 pickled goods.

Pest control and farm helpers

• Rabbits: Eat weeds on your farm. Obtained from Pastelle's Green Pasture Ranch.

• Chickens: Eat pest insects that damage crops.

• Ducks: Eat snails that damage crops.

• Scarecrows: Craftable item that protects against bugs. Mainly useful for Trellis crops.

• Bumblebees: Placed in beehives near crops. Reportedly boost crop growth speed significantly -- some players report harvesting 3 to 4 times daily with hives nearby. Also produce Honey.

Tips

• Cucumber is the best early money crop. It is all-season, multi-harvest, and sells for 66 Coins per unit (or 127 Coins as Smashed Cucumber). Plant a row of trellises and never look back.

• Build sprinklers as soon as you hit Junior Farmer. Manual watering is the biggest stamina drain in the early game.

• Always cook crops before selling. Stir-Fried Water Spinach (90 Coins) is worth more than 3 raw Water Spinach (81 Coins total). See the cooking recipes page for profitable dishes.

• Grow Red Grapes and Green Grapes. Their juices provide the Bonus Timber and Bonus Ore buffs, which are some of the best buffs in the game.

• Use Ripening Fertilizer to speed up long-growth crops like fruit trees and Expert-tier plants. A single application of Ripening III skips 25 hours of growth time.

• Start your Gmax crop attempt early in the season. You may need 3 to 4 tries, and each 3x3 grid takes 4 days to grow.

• Keep Mirthshroom Soup in your inventory when harvesting. The Creamy Seeds buff gives a chance at Immortal Seeds on every harvest.

• Buy seeds for the next season during the current one. The Happiness Seed Shop sells all seeds year-round -- no need to wait for the right season.

• Build multiple Jam Makers. Jams sell for 10 to 50 percent more than raw fruit, and multiple makers running in parallel are a reliable passive income source.

• Save your best produce for the Merchant Ship when it arrives. It buys at 200% value -- double the normal sell price.