Carrot

Overview

Carrot is a vegetable crop in Starsand Island described in-game as "carrots are rich in vitamins and greatly benefit the eyes!" It becomes available once you earn the Junior Farmer certification from Graminova. Carrot is a Winter-exclusive crop, making it one of the few profitable planting options during the coldest season on the island.

Each Carrot plant takes 3 days and 6 hours to mature and produces 4 carrots per harvest. While Carrot does not match the raw profitability of higher-tier crops like Watermelon or Pumpkin, it fills an important niche as a reliable Winter income source at the Junior tier. Carrots are also a versatile processing ingredient, convertible into Vegetable Juice at the Separator or into Pickled Carrot at the Pickling Jar.

Quick Stats

How to Obtain Seeds

Carrot Seeds are purchased from the Happiness Seed Shop for 160g each after you reach the Junior Farmer tier. The shop stocks up to 20 Carrot Seeds per refresh cycle. Seeds are available year-round regardless of the current season, so you can buy them in advance during Spring, Summer, or Autumn and have them ready when Winter arrives.

You can also produce your own Carrot Seeds using the Grinder, which converts harvested Carrots back into seeds. The Grinder unlocks at the Senior Farmer tier, so this option becomes available later in your farming progression. Once unlocked, producing your own seeds eliminates the 160g purchase cost on every planting cycle.

Growing Carrot

Carrot grows on regular tilled farmland. It does not require a trellis, paddy field, or any other specialized structure. To plant Carrot, till a plot of soil with your Hoe, select Carrot Seeds from your inventory, and place them on the tilled tile.

Once planted, Carrot takes 3 days and 6 hours (3.25 in-game days) to fully mature. You need to water it daily using your Watering Can, or set up sprinklers to automate the process. Carrot grows only during Winter. If the season changes to Spring before the crop matures, it will wither and be lost.

Carrot is a single-harvest crop. After you pick the 4 carrots, the plant is consumed and you must replant from seed. This differs from trellis crops like Cherry Tomato or Red Grape that regrow after harvest.

• Tip: With a 3.25-day growth cycle and a roughly 14-day Winter season, you can fit about 4 full harvests per Winter. Time your last planting so the crop finishes before Spring begins.

• Tip: Use Yield Fertilizer from the Fertilizer system to boost harvest quantity beyond the base yield of 4.

Sell Prices

The base sell price for Carrot is 95g per carrot. Since each harvest produces 4 carrots, a single harvest sells for 380g at base quality. Higher-quality Carrots sell for more. Quality is influenced by the fertilizer you use and random chance during growth.

You can sell Carrot at Zerine's General Store at the prices listed below. For even higher returns, sell to the Merchant Ship when it docks at Starsand Port every Monday, as it pays 200% of the normal sell price for all items.

Processing Carrots into Vegetable Juice or Pickled Carrot can further increase their total value. See the Processing and Recipes sections below.

Recipes Using Carrot

Carrot is primarily used as a processing ingredient rather than a direct cooking ingredient. It can be converted into Vegetable Juice at the Separator and into Pickled Carrot at the Pickling Jar. These processed forms are then used as ingredients in various cooking recipes.

Separator

Vegetable Juice is one of the eight base cooking ingredients in Starsand Island. Any vegetable can produce it, but Carrot is a solid choice during Winter when other vegetable crops are scarce. Vegetable Juice appears in numerous recipes across the Campfire, Gas Stove, and Juicer stations.

Pickling Jar

Pickled Carrot is an intermediate cooking ingredient used in recipes that call for pickled vegetables. The Pickling Jar requires Intermediate Farmer certification to unlock, so you will not have access to it immediately when you first start growing Carrots at the Junior tier. Salt is produced at the Charcoal Kiln using Salt Brick and Fiber.

Grinder (Seed Recovery)

The Grinder lets you convert harvested Carrots back into Carrot Seeds. This is not a recipe per se, but a processing option that eliminates the need to repurchase seeds from the shop. It unlocks at the Senior Farmer tier.

Profitability Analysis

Carrot is a mid-tier crop in terms of gold per day. It performs well within the Junior Farmer tier and is a key Winter income source. For a full comparison across all tiers, see the Crop Profitability Rankings article.

Comparison with Other Winter Crops

Winter has fewer crop options than the other seasons. Below is how Carrot stacks up against other Winter crops at various tiers.

Winter Melon edges out Carrot at the same Junior tier with 85.0 g/day versus 67.7 g/day. However, Carrot's shorter growth cycle (3.25 days vs. 4 days) means faster turnover and more flexibility to squeeze in an extra harvest at the end of the season. If you have the budget, planting both Carrot and Winter Melon together maximizes your Winter income.

Merchant Ship Sales

The Merchant Ship pays 200% of normal sell price. A single Carrot harvest sold to the Merchant Ship yields 760g (190g x 4) instead of 380g. After subtracting the 160g seed cost, that is 600g profit per harvest, or roughly 184.6 g/day. Timing your harvests to align with the ship's Monday visits can dramatically boost income during Winter.

Everlasting Carrot Seeds

Like all crops in Starsand Island, Carrot has an everlasting seed variant. Everlasting Carrot Seeds produce a plant that regrows after every harvest without needing to replant. This eliminates both the seed cost and the time spent tilling and planting, turning Carrot into a passive Winter income source.

There is also a rarer Immortal variant. Immortal Carrot Seeds ignore seasonal restrictions entirely, letting you grow Carrots year-round in any season, including Spring, Summer, and Autumn.

Methods for obtaining everlasting and immortal seeds include:

1. Mirthshroom Soup: Eating this soup grants the Creamy Seeds buff. While active, harvesting any crop has a chance to drop everlasting or immortal seeds. Stacking 5 soups maximizes the drop rate.

2. Eternal Blessings: A Workpedia skill available at the Senior Farmer tier. Provides a permanent passive chance to receive everlasting crops when harvesting. Can be upgraded with Starsand Points.

3. Treasure Chests: Found on the surface island and in the Moonlit Forest. Some chests contain everlasting or immortal seeds.

4. Islandpedia Rewards: Completing certain Islandpedia milestones rewards everlasting seeds.

If you dig up an everlasting or immortal crop with a pickaxe, the seed is refunded to your inventory. You never lose it, which lets you freely relocate crops as your farm layout changes.

Gifting

Carrot makes a solid gift for several NPCs. The following preferences have been confirmed:

Since Graminova loves Carrot, gifting her a few each visit is a convenient way to build friendship while shopping for seeds at the Happiness Seed Shop. The Squirrel also loves Carrot, making it useful for befriending wild animals during Winter.

Tips

• Carrot's 3.25-day growth time means you can fit roughly 4 full harvests across a 14-day Winter season. Start planting on Day 1 of Winter for maximum returns.

• Stock up on Carrot Seeds during other seasons so you are ready to plant immediately when Winter begins. The Happiness Seed Shop sells them year-round.

• At the Junior tier, Winter Melon (85.0 g/day) outperforms Carrot (67.7 g/day) in raw profitability. If you can afford both, dedicate most of your plots to Winter Melon and fill the rest with Carrot for faster turnover.

• Selling to the Merchant Ship on Monday at 200% price is the single biggest profit multiplier. Stockpile Carrots in a chest and sell the entire batch when the ship arrives.

• Convert surplus Carrots into Vegetable Juice at the Separator. Vegetable Juice is a base cooking ingredient used in many recipes, and having a stockpile saves you from dedicating farmland to vegetables during more profitable seasons.

• Consider using sprinklers on your Carrot fields. Automating watering saves daily effort, especially valuable during Winter when you may also be tending other seasonal activities.

• Once you reach Senior Farmer and unlock the Grinder, you can produce Carrot Seeds from harvested Carrots instead of buying them. This eliminates the 160g seed cost and significantly improves your gold-per-day return.