Cucumber

Overview

Cucumber is a trellis crop in Starsand Island, described in-game as a vegetable that "had big fruit ambitions... but forgot to bring the sweetness." It is one of the most valuable crops for new players because it grows in all four seasons, making it the only trellis crop available year-round. Cucumber matures in just 2 days, yields 2 Cucumbers per harvest, and can be harvested twice from a single planting before the vine is spent.

Cucumber Seeds unlock at the Apprentice Farmer tier of the Farming profession and are purchased from the Happiness Seed Shop for 95 Coins. Because Cucumber is a trellis crop, it requires a Trellis structure rather than standard tilled farmland. The Trellis is unlocked during the Apprentice Farmer tier through the "Natural Delicacies" quest, so you gain access to both Cucumber Seeds and the Trellis at roughly the same time.

Cucumber stands out as the best early money crop in the game. Its all-season availability, low seed cost, and multi-harvest nature combine to produce consistent income regardless of the calendar. A single Cucumber seed returns 264 Coins across two harvests (4 Cucumbers at 66 Coins each), netting 169 Coins of profit. Beyond raw sales, Cucumbers can be cooked into Smashed Cucumber, processed into Pickled Cucumber for late-game bulk trading, or broken down into Vegetable Juice at the Separator for use in cooking recipes.

Quick Stats

How to Obtain Seeds

Cucumber Seeds are sold by Graminova at the Happiness Seed Shop for 95 Coins per seed bag. The shop is located in Starsand Town and operates daily. You must reach the Apprentice Farmer tier before Cucumber Seeds appear in the shop inventory.

To unlock Apprentice Farmer, complete the initial Farming trial quests given by Graminova. This is one of the earliest profession milestones in the game, and most players reach it within the first few days of play. Once you earn Apprentice Farmer certification, Cucumber Seeds become permanently available for purchase alongside other Apprentice-tier seeds.

Seeds are not locked by season at the point of purchase. You can buy Cucumber Seeds during any season and plant them immediately, since Cucumber grows year-round. This makes stockpiling less necessary compared to seasonal crops, but buying in bulk before a planting session still saves trips to town.

An alternative way to obtain Cucumber Seeds is through the Grinder. Loading 2 Cucumbers into the Grinder will produce Cucumber Seeds, allowing you to recycle part of your harvest back into planting material. You can also occasionally find Cucumber Seeds through general exploration by chopping trees and shrubs, foraging weeds, and opening Treasure Chests scattered across the island.

Growing Cucumber

Cucumber is a vine crop that requires a Trellis to grow. Unlike crops planted on standard farmland, you place a Trellis structure on the ground and then plant the seed into it. Trellises auto-till the soil beneath them when placed, so you do not need to use your hoe on the ground first. This saves stamina compared to standard Farmland crops where you must till each plot manually.

After planting, Cucumber takes 2 days to reach its first harvest. Water the crop every day for it to grow on schedule. If you skip a day of watering, growth will stall until the next time you water it. Once the plant is ready, harvest it to collect 2 Cucumbers.

Cucumber is a multi-harvest crop. After the first harvest, the vine does not disappear. Instead, it enters a regrowth phase lasting 2 days. Once regrowth is complete, you can harvest another 2 Cucumbers from the same plant. After the second harvest, the vine is spent and the Trellis becomes empty, requiring you to plant a new seed if you want to continue growing Cucumbers in that spot.

In total, one Cucumber seed produces 4 Cucumbers across two harvests (2 per pick). The full cycle from planting to final harvest takes 4 days (2 days initial growth plus 2 days regrowth). This is one of the fastest multi-harvest cycles among all trellis crops, and the short regrowth means you spend less time waiting between picks compared to crops like Tomato (5-day regrowth) or Green Grape (9-day regrowth).

Trellis Mechanics

The Trellis is a permanent farming structure that does not break or disappear after crops are harvested. You can reuse the same Trellis for multiple planting cycles. Trellises occupy a single tile, just like a standard farmland plot. Other trellis crops include Tomato, Pepper, Green Grape, Red Grape, Cherry Tomato, Honeyvine, Star Plum, and Jadelume.

You can place sprinklers near Trellises to automate daily watering, which is recommended for larger Cucumber fields. Since the vine stays alive through the regrowth period, sprinklers provide continuous value across both harvests. Automating watering is especially important for Cucumber because you will be running many planting cycles throughout the year.

Year-Round Growing

Cucumber is one of the few crops that grows in all four seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. Each season lasts 28 in-game days. With the 2-day initial growth and 2-day regrowth, one full Cucumber cycle (two harvests) takes just 4 days. You can fit seven complete cycles within a single season if you replant immediately after each vine is spent.

This year-round availability is what makes Cucumber the best early-game money crop. While seasonal crops like Watermelon or Pumpkin can only grow during specific months, Cucumber produces income every day of the year. There is never a gap in your Cucumber harvest schedule, and you never need to worry about planting too late in a season.

Sell Price and Profit

Each Cucumber sells for 66 Coins. Since one seed (95 Coins) produces 4 Cucumbers across two harvests, a single planting yields 264 Coins in revenue, for a net profit of 169 Coins per seed. Over the 4-day full growth cycle, that works out to roughly 42 Coins of profit per day per Trellis.

For higher returns, consider selling your harvest to the Merchant Ship when it docks at Starsand Port. The Merchant Ship pays roughly double the standard vendor price for select goods, which could push Cucumber revenue to around 132 Coins per fruit. Timing your harvests to coincide with the ship's visits maximizes your earnings.

You can also increase profit by processing Cucumbers into cooked dishes or pickled products. Smashed Cucumber sells for 127 Coins and requires only 2 Cucumbers, effectively converting 132 Coins worth of raw Cucumbers into a dish worth 127 Coins on its own (with the added benefit of 80 stamina recovery if you eat it instead). For late-game players, Pickled Cucumber offers even higher returns when sold at the Merchant Ship in bulk. For a full breakdown of crop earnings, see the Crop Profitability Rankings page.

Recipes Using Cucumber

Cucumber is used as a cooking ingredient in one recipe. The table below lists the recipe, its required ingredients, the cooking station, and the cooking time.

Smashed Cucumber is described as "a refreshing and appetizing homemade cold dish, a summer dining essential." It is one of the simplest recipes in the game, requiring only 2 Cucumbers and no additional processed ingredients. The recipe is unlocked by completing the Junior Farmer Trial, which means you gain access to it shortly after you start growing Cucumbers at the Apprentice tier.

This dish is a solid choice for exploration rations. The 80 stamina restoration is efficient for its ingredient cost, and since Cucumbers grow year-round, you always have a steady supply of materials. Cooking Smashed Cucumber is also a good way to level up your cooking proficiency early in the game.

Pickling

Cucumber can be processed into Pickled Cucumber at the Pickling Jar. Each batch requires 2 Cucumbers and Salt (produced at the Charcoal Kiln using Salt Brick and Fiber). The fermentation process takes approximately 1 to 2 in-game days.

Pickled Cucumber is an intermediate cooking ingredient used in certain recipes and can also be sold directly. Pickled vegetables sell for approximately 300 to 600 Coins each, which is a massive markup over raw Cucumber's 66-Coin sell price. When sold at the Merchant Ship for double value, pickled goods become one of the most profitable trade items in the game.

The Pickling Jar blueprint is purchased from the Happiness Seed Shop for 2,000 Coins and requires Intermediate Farmer certification. Once you reach this tier, scaling up your Cucumber pickling operation with 20 or more jars running simultaneously is one of the strongest late-game money-making strategies. Cucumber's year-round availability and fast regrowth make it an ideal vegetable for mass pickling, since you never run out of supply.

Other Processing Options

Beyond cooking and pickling, Cucumber can be processed at two other stations.

Processing Cucumber at the Separator yields Vegetable Juice, one of the most commonly required cooking ingredients in the game. Vegetable Juice appears in recipes like Fresh Greens Plate, Jade Nutri Bowl, and Veggie Noodles. If you have a surplus of Cucumbers and need Vegetable Juice for recipes, this is a practical way to put extra harvests to use.

The Grinder converts 2 Cucumbers back into Cucumber Seeds. This is useful if you want to expand your Trellis fields without buying more seeds from the shop, or if you have excess Cucumbers that you cannot sell or process at the moment.

Gifting Preferences

Cucumber is a popular gift item among island residents and animals. Giving a Cucumber to a character who loves it provides a significant boost to your friendship level. Below are the known preferences.

Since Graminova loves Cucumbers and she is the Farming profession mentor, gifting her Cucumbers is a convenient way to raise friendship while you are already visiting the Happiness Seed Shop to buy seeds. Marston, Matilda, and Sagewood are also good gifting targets since they are easy to find around town. The Capybara can be found at the beach area.

Comparison with Other Trellis Crops

Cucumber is the earliest trellis crop available, unlocking at the Apprentice Farmer tier. The table below compares it with other vine crops to help you decide which to prioritize as your Farming profession level increases.

Cucumber has the lowest seed cost, the fastest growth time, and the fastest regrowth among all trellis crops. Its 2-day regrowth is the shortest in the group, tied only with its own initial growth time. This means a full Cucumber cycle completes in 4 days, while Tomato takes 7.5 days and Green Grape takes 12 days for the same number of seed plantings.

The tradeoff is sell price. At 66 Coins per fruit, Cucumber's per-unit revenue is the lowest of any trellis crop. However, because cycles are so short, the daily profit rate remains competitive. Cucumber earns roughly 42 Coins of profit per day per Trellis, compared to Tomato's 35 Coins per day. The real advantage is accessibility: Cucumber works in every season and at the earliest tier, so it starts generating income long before higher-tier crops become available.

Once you reach Junior Farmer or above, you may want to supplement Cucumber with seasonal trellis crops like Tomato (Spring/Summer) or Red Grape (Autumn/Winter) for higher per-unit sell prices. Even so, keeping some Trellises dedicated to Cucumber ensures a baseline income stream that never stops.

Everlasting Cucumber Seeds

Like all crops in Starsand Island, Cucumber has an Everlasting variant. Everlasting Cucumber Seeds produce a vine that does not become spent after the second harvest. Instead, the crop continues regrowing and producing Cucumbers indefinitely, eliminating the need to buy new seeds and replant.

There are several ways to obtain Everlasting Cucumber Seeds:

• Islandpedia Rewards: Completing certain entries in the Plants section of the Islandpedia may reward you with Everlasting Seeds for specific crops.

• Eternal Blessings Skill: The Senior Farmer tier unlocks the Eternal Blessings skill, which gives a chance of receiving an Everlasting Seed when harvesting any regular crop. The higher your farming proficiency, the better the odds.

• Random Harvest Drops: Occasionally, harvesting a normal Cucumber vine will yield an Everlasting Cucumber Seed alongside the regular Cucumbers.

Everlasting Seeds are safe to relocate. If you remove an Everlasting crop from a Trellis, the seed returns to your inventory so you can replant it elsewhere without losing your investment. Because Cucumber is an all-season crop, Everlasting Cucumber Seeds are particularly valuable. A Trellis planted with an Everlasting Cucumber Seed produces 2 Cucumbers every 2 days, year-round, with zero ongoing seed costs. Over time, building up a collection of Everlasting Cucumber Seeds lets you maintain a permanent field that generates passive income in every season.

Tips

• Start growing Cucumber as soon as you reach Apprentice Farmer: It is the best early money crop in the game. The all-season availability and multi-harvest cycle mean consistent income from day one. Fill your available Trellises with Cucumber before branching out to other crops.

• Use sprinklers on your Trellises: Since Cucumber requires daily watering and the vine persists through regrowth, sprinklers save significant time on larger farms. Place sprinklers to cover your Trellis rows and focus your energy on other tasks.

• Replant immediately after the second harvest: The Trellis stays in place after the vine is spent. Plant a new Cucumber seed right away to minimize downtime and keep your income flowing.

• Cook Smashed Cucumber for exploration: At 80 stamina restored for just 2 Cucumbers, Smashed Cucumber is one of the most efficient budget foods. Keep a stack on hand whenever you leave the farm.

• Gift Cucumbers to Graminova: She loves them, and you are already visiting her shop for seeds. Raising her friendship level unlocks additional rewards and dialogue.

• Scale up pickling in the late game: Once you unlock the Pickling Jar at Intermediate Farmer, Cucumber becomes one of the best vegetables for mass pickling. Build 20 or more jars, automate your salt supply with a Mining Robot in the Moonlit Forest, and sell Pickled Cucumbers at the Merchant Ship for massive profits.

• Process surplus into Vegetable Juice: If you have more Cucumbers than you can sell, cook, or pickle, run them through the Separator to make Vegetable Juice. It is one of the most frequently required cooking ingredients and having a stockpile saves time later.

• Work toward Everlasting Seeds: Once you reach Senior Farmer and unlock the Eternal Blessings skill, every Cucumber harvest has a chance of dropping an Everlasting Seed. Because Cucumber grows year-round, Everlasting Cucumber Seeds are among the most valuable in the game.