Summer is an important season in Stardew Valley, offering a host of opportunities to maximize your profits and make the most of your time on the farm. In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know to make your summer in Pelican Town productive and rewarding.
Initial Farm Clean-Up
At the start of summer, you’ll want to clean up your farm by removing any dead crops left from spring.
The advantages of retaining soil tiles from the previous season become apparent here. You won’t have to till the soil or water it again.
Seed Shopping
After clearing your farm, head to Pierre’s General Store by 9 a.m. to buy your seeds. The in-season crops to consider are:
Tomatoes
Blueberries
Hot Peppers
Melons
Sunflowers
Aim to plant:
5 Corn seeds
20 Melons
A batch of each of the other crops for variety
Consider buying additional seeds if you want to play it safe.
Planting and Fertilizing
Return to your farm and start planting. Make sure to apply Quality Fertilizer to your Corn and Hops. Melons can be planted in two batches of 10.
There are different types of fertilizers in Stardew Valley.
For Hops, dedicate the area where you have Sprinklers to save time on watering.
Mid-Summer Activities
Before your Hops mature, focus on gathering materials for crafting Lightning Rods. Aim for at least 20.
For the Bat Wings needed, you can farm these around level 40 of the Mines while also collecting Iron Ore.
If you’re in a hurry, go deeper into the Mines for a faster farming experience.
Plan a trip to the Beach on Friday or Saturday to forage items and fish for Pufferfish from the Travelling Cart.
The Traveling Cart is where you can sometimes find rare items like Red Cabbage.
Also, fish for Sturgeon in the Mountain Lake and Ghostfish in the Mines. If you have extra money from fishing, you can start upgrading your tools or focus on other objectives.
Tool and Building Upgrades
If you find yourself flush with cash, consider purchasing Apple and Pomegranate trees. Upgrade your Coop to its highest tier and consider getting White Chickens, Brown Chickens, Ducks, and Rabbits.
Mining for Resources
Farm Copper and Iron Ore to craft Tappers and Kegs. Aim for 100 Kegs, which will require 500 Copper Ore and 500 Iron Ore. If you’re fast, you can complete this in 3–4 days.
For Tree Tappers, 30–50 are generally sufficient. If you need more Oak Resin, chop down Oak Trees in the Forest and use Tree Fertilizer to grow new ones.
Animal Husbandry
Raise cows and pigs in the Barn. Feed them daily and pet them to maximize their productivity.
Barn animals include cows, goats, sheep, pigs, and ostriches
Preparing for Autumn
By mid-to-late summer, you should have saved enough money to buy Apple and Pomegranate trees if you haven’t already. Upgrade your Coop to the max and start raising a variety of animals like White Chickens, Brown Chickens, Ducks, and Rabbits. With your Barn, raise cows and pigs, feeding them and petting them daily for maximum animal product yield.
Conclusion
Summer is an opportune season for a variety of activities in Stardew Valley, from maximizing crop yield to resource mining and animal husbandry. By following this guide, you’ll set yourself up for not just a prosperous summer, but a fruitful entire year in Pelican Town.
