Step-by-step walkthrough for all five Farmer profession tiers in Starsand Island. Covers every certification quest from Apprentice to Expert Farmer under Graminova, including crops, sprinklers, Gmax farming, flower crossbreeding, and automation.
The Farmerprofession is mentored by Graminova at the Happiness Seed Shop. It teaches crop cultivation, irrigation, Gmax farming, flower crossbreeding, and farm automation. Each tier unlocks new seeds, tools, and equipment at the shop.
Prerequisite: You must complete the Apprentice Crafter Certification first before starting the Farmer profession. Check your mailbox for a letter from Graminova, then visit him behind the Happiness Seed Shop (past the bridge near your house) to begin.
Tier
Key Unlock
Apprentice
Seed Shop access, Trellis, Separator (for Flour), Ripening Fertilizer I, Yield Fertilizer I
Till a 3x3 grid of farmland (9 adjacent plots in a square).
Plant one seed per plot. All 9 plots must have the same crop type.
Water all plots thoroughly. Optionally apply Gmax Fertilizer III to the center plot to boost the mutation chance by 15%.
Wait for the crops to mature. If a Gmax mutation occurs, a giant crop will appear covering the entire 3x3 area instead of 9 individual plants.
Harvest the Gmax crop using an Axe or Hatchet (not by hand). It takes multiple swings and yields crop fragments, regular produce, seeds, and Gmax Tokens.
Note: Gmax growth is not guaranteed on every attempt. It may take several tries. One common report is needing around 4 attempts before the first successful mutation.
Part 2: Craft Fruity Furniture
Collect the seasonal crop fragments and Gmax Tokens from your Gmax harvest.
Ripening Fertilizer III and Gmax Fertilizer III become purchasable
Senior Farmer
The Senior trial has two parts: growing fruit trees and crossbreeding flowers.
Certification Part 1: Fruit Trees
Speak to Graminova to start the Senior trial.
Purchase tree saplings from the Seed Shop. The available sapling type depends on the current season.
Plant the saplings on your farm. Trees take considerably longer to grow than regular crops.
Apply fertilizer to speed up growth.
Harvest a total of 50 fruit from your trees. You can harvest from multiple trees across different seasons if needed.
Certification Part 2: Flower Crossbreeding
Graminova asks you to cross-pollinate flowers for his father, Sagewood, to make bouquets.
Purchase flower seeds in the three base colors (Red, Yellow, and Blue) from the Seed Shop. The flower species available depends on the current season.
Plant two different-colored flowers of the same species with an empty row of farmland between them. When both flowers mature, cross-pollination occurs in the empty gap.
Use Nutrient Soil IV Fertilizer on parent flower plots to boost pollination probability by 15%. Use Yield Fertilizer on successful hybrids to get more flowers per harvest.
Collect 12 of each required hybrid color.
Deliver the flowers to Sagewood (found at his house, to the left of Graminova's garden).
Return to Graminova to complete the certification.
Flower types include Orchid, Moonrise, Rose, and Tulip. Each is available in base Red, Yellow, and Blue. Crossbreeding only works between flowers of the same species. For a detailed guide on all combinations, see the Cross-Breeding Flowers article.
Rewards
Senior Farmer Certification
Access to Senior-tier seeds (Rice, Mandrake, Water Caltrop, decorative flowers, and more)
Grinder blueprint unlocked (converts harvested crops back into seeds, saving money on repurchasing)
Eternal Blessings skill unlocked (at Level 3, gives a permanent chance to receive Everlasting crops when harvesting)
Nutrient Soil IV Fertilizer becomes purchasable
Advanced Sprinkler access with larger coverage areas
Expert Farmer
Certification: Automated Farm
The Expert trial requires you to prove that you can run a fully automated farm.
Speak to Graminova. He asks you to set up 3 Sprinkler IIs, an Auto Fertilizer Box, and 15 Immortal Seeds on your farm.
Purchase the Sprinkler II and Auto Fertilizer Box blueprints from the Seed Shop (these are expensive; sell leftover flowers from the Senior trial if you need coins).
Craft 3 Sprinkler IIs and 1 Auto Fertilizer Box, then place them on your farm.
Obtain 15 Immortal Seeds. These are the rarest seeds in the game: they grow in any season and can be harvested an unlimited number of times.
How to Get Immortal Seeds
The fastest method is to eat 5 Mirthshroom Soups (the recipe is found in a Moonlit Forest chest). This gives a temporary buff that increases the chance of receiving Immortal Seeds when you harvest any crop. Harvest as many crops as possible while the buff is active and repeat until you have 15.
A helpful Workpedia perk allows placing more than one type of fertilizer on a crop simultaneously (Ripening + Yield), which speeds up harvest cycles and gives you more attempts at Immortal Seed drops.
Plant the 15 Immortal Seeds in plots covered by your Sprinkler IIs and Auto Fertilizer Box.
Return to Graminova to complete the certification.
Rewards
Expert Farmer Certification
Access to Expert-tier seeds (Stardew Fern, Chirpy Plum, Zapweed, Star Mango, Bell Pepper, King Water Chestnut)
Premium Sprinkler access with the largest coverage areas
Full farm automation capability with Gathering Robots
Tips
Always carry fertilizer with you when farming. Ripening Fertilizer cuts growth time significantly, and Yield Fertilizer gives you more produce per harvest.
Planting, watering, and harvesting cost zero stamina. Only initial land clearing and watering can refills require stamina.
Trial quests sometimes appear on the Bulletin Board near the Community Center and are not always obviously labeled as farming-related. Check both the Bulletin Board and Graminova for quest availability.
For the Junior trial, you only need one color of grapes (30 Green or 30 Red), not both.
For the Intermediate trial, apply Gmax Fertilizer III to the center tile of your 3x3 grid to increase the Gmax mutation chance.
For the Senior trial, use Nutrient Soil IV on parent flowers and Yield Fertilizer on successful hybrids to produce crossbred flowers more efficiently.