Crop Profitability Rankings

Overview

Knowing which crops earn the most coins is the difference between scraping by and building a thriving farm on Starsand Island. Raw sell prices only tell part of the story. A cheap crop that grows in 12 hours can outperform an expensive one that takes a full week. This guide ranks every purchasable crop by gold per day (g/day), the single best metric for comparing farming income across tiers, seasons, and planting types.

All prices listed are base values when selling at Zerine's General Store. The Merchant Ship pays 200% of normal sell price, effectively doubling every number in this guide when it docks.

How Profitability Is Calculated

The formula for gold per day on a single-harvest crop is:

Gold/Day = ((Sell Price x Yield) - Seed Cost) / Growth Time in Days

For multi-harvest (Trellis) crops, the calculation accounts for all harvests from a single seed purchase:

Gold/Day = ((Sell Price x Yield x Number of Harvests) - Seed Cost) / Total Time in Days

For everlasting crops, seed cost drops to zero after the first planting. Every subsequent harvest is pure profit, making them the most efficient long-term earners in the game.

• Yield is the number of items produced per harvest (usually 4 for farmland crops, 2 for Trellis crops).

• Growth Time is measured in real-world days from planting to harvest. A crop listed as "2 days 6 hours" equals 2.25 days.

• Seed Cost is the price at the Happiness Seed Shop. With the Grinder (Senior Farmer), you can produce seeds from raw crops instead of buying them, which increases effective profitability.

Starter Crops

Available from the beginning of the game before any Farmer certification. These crops have low sell prices, but their fast growth times mean you can cycle through multiple harvests per day.

Verdict: Sunflower leads the Starter tier at 37.0 g/day, available in Summer and Autumn. Sweet Potato ties at 37.0 g/day in Spring and Summer. For all-season farming, Wheat is your best bet at 18.7 g/day. Pasture Grass is primarily grown as animal feed rather than for profit.

Apprentice Farmer Crops

Unlocked after your first Farmer certification with Graminova. This tier introduces Trellis crops and the multi-harvest mechanic, which changes the profitability game entirely.

Verdict: Peanut takes the crown for raw single-harvest profitability at 46.8 g/day, and it grows in all seasons. Cucumber's multi-harvest makes it the best sustained earner if you keep up with watering. Potato is the best early-tier option for players who have not yet built a Trellis.

Junior Farmer Crops

The Junior Farmer tier is where farming becomes genuinely profitable. You gain access to the big four Gmax-eligible crops (Watermelon, Pumpkin, Pineapple, Winter Melon) plus Trellis grapes.

Verdict: Watermelon, Pumpkin, Pineapple, and Winter Melon all hit 81 g/day, making them the clear winners at this tier. Together they cover every season. For an all-season alternative, Sugarcane at 67.4 g/day (Paddy Field required) and Carrot at 67.7 g/day (Winter only) are strong picks. Pepper is the best Trellis crop at this tier thanks to its fast regrowth.

Intermediate Farmer Crops

This tier introduces fruit tree saplings and the Strawberry/Blueberry pair. Fruit trees are excluded from gold/day rankings because they produce unlimited harvests once mature, making their long-term profitability essentially infinite.

Verdict: Corn is the gold/day champion of the Intermediate tier at 95.6 g/day, but requires a Paddy Field. Blueberry (87.5 g/day) and Strawberry (86.0 g/day) are excellent farmland alternatives and cover different seasons. Strawberry is notable for being one of the few high-profit Winter crops.

Senior Farmer Crops

Senior Farmer unlocks the most powerful non-Expert crops in the game, including the Paddy Field powerhouse River Lotus. This tier also unlocks the Grinder machine, which lets you produce seeds from harvested crops instead of buying them, a massive cost savings at higher seed prices.

Verdict: River Lotus (136.7 g/day) and Water Caltrop (136.3 g/day) dominate the Senior tier, both requiring Paddy Fields. Reishi Mushroom (130.8 g/day, Planting Box) and Mint (130.7 g/day) are the top farmland options. Mandrake (119.4 g/day) is the best all-season Senior crop for year-round income.

Expert Farmer Crops

The final and most lucrative tier. Expert crops have the highest seed costs but also the highest sell prices in the game. Multi-harvest Trellis crops at this tier are exceptionally profitable because you only pay the steep seed cost once.

Verdict: King Water Chestnut and Zapweed tie at 186.1 g/day, the highest single-harvest g/day in the entire game, but both require Paddy Fields. Bell Pepper (176.3 g/day, Autumn only) is the top farmland single-harvest option. For multi-harvest Trellis income, Honeyvine (169.5 g/day) and Star Plum (167.3 g/day) are outstanding because their total lifetime revenue exceeds 2,000g per seed. Stardew Fern (160.3 g/day) is the best all-season Expert crop.

Best Crops by Season

This summary table shows the single most profitable crop available in each season at the highest tier. If you have not unlocked Expert Farmer yet, refer to the tier-specific tables above for the best crop at your current level.

Everlasting Crops

Everlasting (Immortal) crops are the endgame farming strategy. Once planted, they never die after harvest. They regrow on their own indefinitely, meaning you never pay the seed cost again. This makes every subsequent harvest pure profit.

After reaching Senior Farmer, you unlock the Eternal Blessings skill. At Blessing Level 3, there is a chance that regular crops convert into Everlasting versions when harvested. You can also earn some Everlasting Seeds through Islandpedia rewards.

With everlasting versions, gold/day calculations change dramatically because the seed cost effectively becomes 0g after the first planting:

If you remove an Everlasting crop, the seed returns to your inventory, so you can relocate plants without losing your investment. Focus on obtaining Everlasting versions of the highest gold/day crops first. Eating Mirthshroom Soup before harvesting activates the Creamy Seeds buff, which increases your chance of receiving an Everlasting version.

Processing for Extra Profit

Selling raw crops is the fastest path to income, but processing them through cooking, the Jam Maker, or the Separator can increase their value significantly. Here are some verified examples:

Star Plum Juice is one of the most profitable processed items in the game. If you are growing Star Plum on Trellises, consider processing every harvest into juice rather than selling raw. The profit increase more than doubles the value per unit.

• The Jam Maker runs passively. Build multiple machines and keep them loaded for a steady stream of extra income.

• The Separator produces Flour from Wheat, Sugar from Sugarcane, and Pulp from various fruits. Pulp gives a 10% sale price bonus over raw crops.

• Save your highest-value processed goods for the Merchant Ship. At 200% buy price, a Star Plum Juice worth 1,000g becomes 2,000g.

Gmax (Giant) Crop Profitability

Four crops can mutate into giant Gmax versions when planted in a 3x3 grid (9 seeds). Gmax crops produce more items than 9 individual plants would, effectively boosting yield per seed. The four eligible crops are:

All four Gmax crops share the same base stats: 200g seed cost and 131g sell price per unit. Nine individual plants yield 36 items worth 4,716g total (profit: 2,916g). A successful Gmax mutation produces additional items beyond this baseline, increasing your effective g/day. Use Gmax Fertilizer III (320g for 5 bags, unlocked at Intermediate Farmer) to boost mutation chance by 15%. Only one tile in the 3x3 grid needs the fertilizer.

Fruit Tree Long-Term Value

Fruit trees are unique because they produce unlimited harvests once mature. The initial sapling cost is high and growth times are long, but after the first harvest, every subsequent harvest is essentially free (similar to Everlasting crops). Here are the top trees ranked by per-fruit sell price:

Camellia stands out for total revenue per harvest (1,068g) thanks to its yield of 6 fruit, plus a relatively fast 10-day growth time. Lemon is the best for per-fruit value (328g) with a solid yield of 3. Both are Senior-tier trees. For Intermediate players, Apple and Orange saplings offer the fastest path to tree-based income at just 8.5 days to maturity.

Wild Crops: Free Seeds, Pure Profit

Wild and foraged crops have a seed cost of 0g. Their seeds are found through foraging, treasure chests, or exploring the Moonlit Forest. Since every harvest is 100% profit, wild crops are excellent passive income sources:

While 40 to 42 g/day is modest compared to Expert crops, wild crops cost nothing to plant. If you accumulate a stash of seeds through exploration, plant them immediately. Every harvest is pure bonus income on top of your main farming operation.

Tips for Maximizing Farm Income

1. Diversify by season. Plant Watermelon in Summer, Pumpkin in Autumn, Winter Melon in Winter, and Pineapple in Spring. At 81 g/day each, this combo keeps you earning consistently all year at the Junior tier.

2. Upgrade to Paddy Fields early. The top earners at Senior (River Lotus, Water Caltrop) and Expert (Zapweed, King Water Chestnut) all require Paddy Fields. Build them as soon as you can.

3. Use the Grinder for free seeds. Once you unlock the Grinder at Senior Farmer, feed raw crops into it to produce seeds. This eliminates seed costs and effectively turns every crop into an Everlasting earner.

4. Stack bees with sprinklers. Bumblebee hives placed near crops significantly speed up growth. Combined with sprinklers, this makes farming almost entirely passive while cutting effective growth times.

5. Save premium goods for the Merchant Ship. The Merchant Ship pays 200% of normal sell price. A King Water Chestnut worth 593g becomes 1,186g. Save your highest-value harvests for its weekly arrival.

6. Process Star Plum into juice. Star Plum Juice sells for over 1,000g per unit, more than doubling the 453g raw sell price. If you have Trellises full of Star Plum, processing is almost always worth the time investment.

7. Hunt Everlasting Seeds relentlessly. Eat Mirthshroom Soup (Creamy Seeds buff) before every harvest. Each Everlasting version you obtain is a permanent income source that never needs replanting.

8. Do not overlook wild crops. Spirit Fruit and Mirage Sunflower seeds cost nothing and produce 41.7 g/day of pure profit. Plant them whenever you find seeds in the wild.