Salal Berry Farming: The Ultimate Cash Crop Strategy in Stardew Valley Expanded

Salal Berry Farming: The Ultimate Cash Crop Strategy in Stardew Valley Expanded

Hunting for those elusive salal berries in Stardew Valley Expanded? You’re not alone. These powerhouse berries yield multiple harvests across two seasons, potentially outperforming even ancient fruit in the right setup. This comprehensive guide covers everything from finding your first shrub seed in the Secret Woods (see Seed Hunting Strategy) to building a berry empire that generates massive profits. Whether you’re adjusting to the latest 1.6 update nerf or starting fresh, you’ll master salal berry farming with our step-by-step instructions, optimized farm layouts, and processing strategies.

What Are Salal Berries and How They Transformed SVE Farming

Basic Information and Growing Mechanics

Salal berries are one of the most distinctive crops introduced in the Stardew Valley Expanded (SVE) mod, offering a unique farming opportunity that bridges the gap between standard crops and artisan production.

These sweet, antioxidant-rich berries grow on shrubs that can be cultivated from spring through summer, making them exceptionally valuable for consistent income across multiple seasons without replanting. Once you’ve found and planted a shrub seed, here’s what you can expect:

Attribute	Details
Description	“A sweet berry filled with antioxidants”
Growing Seasons	Spring and Summer
Days to Mature	14 days
Regrowth Period	Every 4 days
Base Sell Price	75g
Energy Restored	+70 energy
Health Restored	+31 health
Seed Source	Secret Woods artifact spots

What makes salal berries particularly special is their multi-harvest nature combined with multi-season viability. Unlike crops that die after a single season, salal berry bushes will continue producing throughout both spring and summer, offering approximately 11-12 harvest opportunities per year from a single plant.

The bushes grow into medium-sized plants that occupy a single tile but should be given space for accessibility during harvest. Unlike trees, they don’t require clearance around them to grow properly. Once fully matured, you simply interact with the bush to collect the berries, similar to harvesting coffee beans or tea leaves.

Pre vs. Post-1.6 Update Berry Economics

Salal berries have undergone significant changes with the 1.6 update, dramatically altering their position in the SVE farming economy.

Before the 1.6 Update:

Prior to the update, salal berries were widely considered overpowered. Their yield scaled exceptionally well with farming skill:

• Base yield: ~3 berries per harvest
• Yield increase: +2 berries per farming level
• At farming level 10: ~23 berries per harvest
• With food buffs: Additional +1-2 berries per level of buff

This scaling made salal berries extraordinarily profitable, often surpassing even ancient fruit in gold per day calculations. A relatively small patch of salal berries could generate enormous wealth, especially when processed into wine or jelly.

After the 1.6 Update:

The SVE compatibility update for Stardew Valley 1.6 dramatically nerfed salal berry yields:

• Base yield: Still ~3 berries per harvest
• Yield increase: Reduced from +2 to +0.02 per farming level
• At farming level 10: ~3.2 berries per harvest (rounded down to 3)
• Practical impact: You would need to reach farming level 50 to see even a single berry increase in yield

This change was implemented to address balance concerns, as salal berries were making other crops nearly obsolete. According to player calculations after the nerf, the average yield from a salal berry bush works out to about 1.75 harvests of approximately 3 berries each, generating around 393.75g weekly per plant when sold raw, compared to ancient fruit’s 550g weekly value.

As one player noted in community discussions: “Salal berries got nerfed hard when SVE updated for 1.6. Their max yield no longer increases per farming level. Used to go up by 2 per farming level, now it’s 0.02 per level”.

Despite this significant adjustment, salal berries remain viable and valuable, especially in the early to mid-game when ancient seeds are scarce and players need reliable income.

Comparison to Vanilla Berries and Crops

To understand salal berries’ place in your farm’s economy, it helps to compare them to vanilla Stardew Valley berries and other crops:

Feature	Salal Berry (SVE)	Salmonberry (Vanilla)	Blueberry (Vanilla)	Ancient Fruit (Vanilla)
Seasons	Spring & Summer	Spring only (15-18)	Summer only	All (in greenhouse)
Acquisition	Grown from seed	Foraged from bushes	Purchased seed	Rare seed/artifact
Base Price	75g	5g	50g (80g per harvest)	550g
Days to Mature	14 days	N/A (foraged)	13 days	28 days
Regrowth	4 days	None	4 days	7 days
Multi-Harvest	Yes (~3 per harvest)	Yes (1-4 based on foraging)	Yes (3 per harvest)	No (1 per harvest)
Processing Multiplier	2x (jelly), 3x (wine)	2x (jelly), 3x (wine)	2x (jelly), 3x (wine)	2x (jelly), 3x (wine)

Salal berries essentially combine:

• The multi-season growth period similar to ancient fruit
• The quick regrowth of blueberries
• A respectable base value that outclasses foraged berries
• Multiple berries per harvest like blueberries and cranberries

One player described them as “just better blueberries since they can grow across spring and summer, pair with lots of preserve jars for pretty solid cash early y2”. This combination of features makes them particularly valuable in early-game when players have limited resources and haven’t yet found ancient seeds.

The closest vanilla comparison might be strawberries, which offer high value but only grow in spring, or blueberries, which provide multiple harvests but are restricted to summer. Salal berries bridge these limitations by spanning two seasons with good regrowth rates.

Even after the 1.6 nerf, they remain an excellent transitional crop to bridge the gap between early game struggle and late game ancient fruit dominance.

Finding and Growing Your First Salal Berries

Locating Shrub Seeds in the Secret Woods

The journey to salal berry riches begins with finding your first shrub seed, which is exclusively available in the Secret Woods. Here’s your step-by-step guide to securing this valuable resource:

Accessing the Secret Woods

Before you can hunt for shrub seeds, you’ll need to reach the Secret Woods:

1. Upgrade your axe: Visit Clint’s Blacksmith shop and upgrade to at least a Steel Axe (requires 5 copper bars, 5 iron bars, and 2,000g)
2. Wait for processing: The upgrade takes 2 game days to complete
3. Head to Cindersap Forest: Go to the wooded area south of your farm
4. Find the log barrier: Look for a large fallen log in the upper-left section of the forest
5. Chop the log: Use your upgraded axe to break through the log barrier
6. Enter the Secret Woods: Walk through the newly opened path

Finding Shrub Seeds

Once you’re in the Secret Woods, you’ll need to search for artifact spots (also called “worm tiles”) - those wiggling spots on the ground that you can dig up:

1. Look for worm spots: These appear randomly in the Secret Woods
2. Use your hoe: Dig up the worm spots with your hoe
3. Check what you found: Shrub seeds are one possible drop
4. Visit daily: Artifact spots reset daily, so return each day for more chances
5. Be patient: The drop rate is fairly low; some players report digging spots for an entire season before finding their first seed

One player described their successful hunt: “I found my salal berry bush seeds in artifact spots in the secret woods during the Spring. I have only found three seeds for the whole season though”.

Important notes about seed hunting:

• Shrub seeds can be found year-round in the Secret Woods
• Some players report better luck during winter, though this may be anecdotal
• Your daily luck (check the TV) might influence your chances
• The “Deluxe Grabber Redux” mod can interfere with artifact spot drops, so temporarily disable it if you’re having trouble

If you’re struggling to find seeds, one player recommended: “Just keep digging artifact spots in the secret woods. Eventually you will get a shrub seed. I believe you can find them year round”. Persistence is key!

Planting and Growth Timeline

Once you’ve secured your precious shrub seeds, follow these steps to turn them into productive berry bushes:

Initial Planting

1. Choose your location: Select an area on your farm with easy access for harvesting
2. Clear the space: Remove any debris, stones, or trees
3. Till the soil: Use your hoe to prepare the ground
4. Add fertilizer (optional): Apply Quality or Deluxe Speed-Gro to reduce maturation time
   • Regular Speed-Gro: Reduces growth by 10% (about 1-2 days)
   • Deluxe Speed-Gro: Reduces growth by 25% (about 3-4 days)
5. Plant the seed: Place your shrub seed in the tilled soil
6. Water the seed: Use your watering can or sprinklers to water daily

Growth Stages

Salal berry bushes take 14 days to reach maturity (less with fertilizer):

Days	Stage	Appearance
1-4	Initial Sprout	Small green shoots emerging from soil
5-9	Young Bush	Leafy bush beginning to take shape
10-13	Maturing Bush	Fuller bush with visible buds
14	Mature Bush	Full-sized bush with ripe berries ready for harvest

After reaching maturity, you’ll harvest your first batch of berries. Then, the bush will regrow new berries every 4 days throughout both spring and summer seasons.

One particularly enthusiastic player shared their excitement upon finding their first seed: “IT IS!!! gasp OH MY GOD we got it! We got it! And I mean we only have one, but I think that they grow really consistently. And they also make A LOT. It’s kinda like a coffee bean type of deal”.

Optimal First-Year Timeline

If you’re aiming for maximum efficiency, here’s an ideal timeline for your first year:

• Spring 1-5: Upgrade axe and access Secret Woods
• Spring 6-10: Search daily for shrub seeds
• Spring 11: Plant first seed (with Deluxe Speed-Gro if possible)
• Spring 22: First harvest (or earlier with Speed-Gro)
• Spring 26: Second harvest
• Summer 2: Third harvest
• [Continue every 4 days]
• By end of Summer: With seed makers and reinvestment, aim for 20+ plants

This timeline allows you to establish a modest salal berry operation before the end of your first year, setting you up for substantial profits in Year 2.

Seasonal Considerations and Harvest Strategy

Salal berries’ unique growth pattern across both spring and summer requires specific seasonal planning to maximize returns:

Cross-Seasonal Growth

Unlike most crops in Stardew Valley, salal berry bushes don’t die when the seasons change from spring to summer. This creates several advantages:

• No need to replant between seasons
• Continuous harvests across two seasons
• Reduced seed costs
• Less labor at season transitions

However, the bushes will become dormant during fall and winter. They won’t die, but they won’t produce berries again until the following spring.

Harvest Frequency Planning

With berries regrowing every 4 days, plan your farm schedule accordingly:

• Mark your calendar for harvest days
• Group salal harvests with other 4-day crops like blueberries
• Consider using a harvest timer or in-game note system

A full seasonal yield calculation for a single plant:

• Spring: Up to 7 harvests (depending on planting date)
• Summer: 7 harvests
• Total yearly harvests: ~14 harvests
• Average berries per harvest (post-1.6): ~3
• Total yearly berries per plant: ~42
• Total yearly value per plant (raw): ~3,150g

Sprinkler Setup

Given the long growing period, proper irrigation is essential:

• Basic Sprinklers are inefficient for berry bushes
• Quality Sprinklers (3×3 coverage) work well for small operations
• Iridium Sprinklers (5×5 coverage) are ideal for larger plantations
• Consider a checkboard pattern for maximum sprinkler efficiency

One player noted: “I filled a couple plots around Aurora vineyard with them, and each harvest produces about 1400 salal berries”, demonstrating how quickly these harvests can scale with a large enough operation.

Seasonal Labor Balancing

Spread your workload by staggering your berry harvests with other farm activities:

• Early Spring: Focus on planting and finding more seeds
• Late Spring: Begin harvesting while preparing summer crops
• Early Summer: Major harvest period as spring crops finish
• Late Summer: Final harvests while preparing for fall transition

This approach ensures your farmer’s time and energy are distributed efficiently throughout the growing seasons.

Troubleshooting Common Growing Issues

Even experienced farmers sometimes encounter problems with salal berry cultivation. Here are solutions to the most frequent issues:

Can’t Find Seeds

If you’re struggling to locate shrub seeds:

• Visit daily: Artifact spots reset each day
• Check your luck: Higher luck days may improve rare finds
• Verify location: Ensure you’re in the Secret Woods, not regular woods
• Mod conflicts: Some mods interfere with artifact spots
  • “Deluxe Grabber Redux” is a known culprit
  • Try temporarily disabling suspicious mods
• Persistence pays: “I only found one in the winter from digging the worm spots”

Seeds Won’t Grow

If your planted seeds aren’t developing:

• Daily watering: Ensure you’re watering every day
• Season check: Confirm you’re in spring or summer
• Space requirements: While they don’t need clearance like fruit trees, ensure nothing is directly on the planted tile
• Game bugs: Some players report occasional growth bugs
  • Save and restart your game
  • Verify mod compatibility

Can’t Harvest Berries

Some players encounter a frustrating bug where they can see ripe berries but can’t harvest them:

• “For some reason, although I can see the Baneberries…I can’t gather them, the game or mod won’t let me”

Solutions include:

• Approach angle: Try interacting from different directions
• Tool selection: Ensure you don’t have a tool selected
• Mod update: Check for SVE updates
• Reset Terrain Features: This mod is recommended after the 1.6 update
  • “If updating from a pre-existing SVE save, players must use Reset Terrain Features to fix bush/debris/tree glitches”

Low Berry Yields

If your harvests seem smaller than expected:

• Version check: Confirm you’re aware of the 1.6 nerf
  • “Their max yield no longer increases per farming level. Used to go up by 2 per farming level, now it’s 0.02”
• Quality fertilizer: Use quality fertilizer for better quality berries (not more berries)
• Farming level: Post-1.6, farming level barely affects yield

Missing Plants After Update

If your salal berry bushes disappeared after updating:

• Install Reset Terrain Features mod: This is specifically recommended for SVE 1.6 compatibility
• Restore from backup: If possible, backup your save before updating
• Manual fix: For advanced users, file editing might recover lost crops

One player suggested a simple fix for the yield nerf: “If you want to make that change in SVE’s files, it would be easy to do. Go to [CP] SVE\code\Items and open Crops.json. Search for ‘Salal’. A few lines below that, you’ll see ‘0.02’. Change the 0.02 to 0.2”.

Maximizing Profits from Your Berry Operation

Raw Sale vs. Processing: Comparative Value Analysis

Once you’ve harvested your salal berries, you have several options for converting them to gold. Let’s compare the profitability of each approach:

Raw Sale vs. Processing Value

Processing Method	Base Berry Value	Processed Value	Profit Multiplier	Processing Time	Equipment Required
Raw Sale	75g	75g	1x	Immediate	None
Preserves Jar (Jelly)	75g	150g	2x	2-3 days	Wood (50), Stone (40), Coal (8)
Keg (Wine)	75g	225g	3x	7 days	Wood (30), Copper Bar (1), Iron Bar (1), Oak Resin (1)
Cask Aging (Wine)	225g	Up to 450g	Up to 2x from wine	56 days for iridium	Cellar upgrade
Seed Maker	75g	Varies	N/A*	Immediate	Wood (25), Coal (10), Gold Bar (1)

*Seed Maker doesn’t directly increase value but enables expansion of your operation

Let’s analyze each method:

Raw Sale (75g per berry)

Advantages:

• Immediate profit
• No equipment investment
• No processing time
• Simplest approach

Best for:

• Early game when cash flow is critical
• When you lack processing equipment
• When inventory space is limited

Preserves Jar (150g per berry)

Advantages:

• Doubles value
• Relatively quick processing (2-3 days)
• Materials are easy to obtain early

Best for:

• Early-mid game
• High volume operations
• When keg materials are scarce

Keg Wine (225g per berry)

Advantages:

• Triples value
• Can be further aged in casks
• Good space efficiency considering value increase

Best for:

• Mid-late game
• Lower volume, higher quality approach
• When oak resin is available

Cask Aging (up to 450g per berry)

Advantages:

• Maximum possible value
• No active management during aging

Best for:

• Late game
• Limited cellar space
• Patient players with established income

Seed Maker (special case)

Advantages:

• Rapidly expands your salal berry operation
• Long-term investment in future harvests

Best for:

• Early-mid game expansion phase
• First few harvests when seeds are scarce

Time-Value Analysis

When considering processing, factor in the time cost:

• Daily Value (Raw): 75g per berry, immediately
• Daily Value (Jelly): 150g ÷ 3 days = 50g per berry per day
• Daily Value (Wine): 225g ÷ 7 days = 32.14g per berry per day

However, this simple calculation doesn’t account for:

• Processing in parallel (many jars/kegs working simultaneously)
• Labor costs (harvesting time remains the same)
• Equipment costs (initial investment in jars/kegs)

For optimal profit, many players recommend:

• Early game: Sell raw or make jelly
• Mid game: Transition to wine for high-value berries
• Late game: Focus on aged wine for maximum value

As one player advised: “For terms of wine I think strawberry wine > salal berry wine > blueberry wine”. But another noted: “Salal berries don’t increase loads in profit when processed compared to some other crops, but the bushes produce so many berries that they make some great money sold outright!”

Salal Berries vs. Ancient Fruit: The Great Debate

One of the hottest topics in the SVE community is whether salal berries or ancient fruit represent the superior income source. Let’s settle this debate with a comprehensive comparison:

Basic Comparison (Post-1.6 Update)

Factor	Salal Berries	Ancient Fruit
Base Value	75g per berry	550g per fruit
Growth Time	14 days initial	28 days initial
Regrowth Period	4 days	7 days
Average Yield	~1.75 harvests of ~3 berries	1 fruit per harvest
Weekly Income (1 plant)	~393.75g (1.75 × 3 × 75g)	550g
Seasons Active	Spring & Summer (outdoors)	All seasons (greenhouse/island)
Seed Acquisition	Secret Woods digging	Artifacts/seed maker/traveling cart
Processing Multiplier	Same as ancient fruit	Same as ancient fruit

Mathematical Breakdown

Salal Berry Weekly Income:

• Post-1.6 update: Average 1.75 harvests × 3 berries × 75g = 393.75g per week per plant
• When processed into wine: 393.75g × 3 = 1,181.25g per week per plant

Ancient Fruit Weekly Income:

• 1 fruit per week × 550g = 550g per week per plant
• When processed into wine: 550g × 3 = 1,650g per week per plant

The gap widens further when considering cask aging, as the higher base value of ancient fruit wine results in larger absolute gains when doubled.

Contextual Advantages

Despite the raw numbers favoring ancient fruit post-nerf, salal berries maintain several situational advantages:

Salal Berry Advantages:

• Earlier accessibility: Much easier to find than ancient seeds
• Faster initial return: First harvest in 14 days vs. 28 days
• Lower barrier to entry: No museum donation required
• Seed multiplication: Easier to expand operation quickly
• Space efficient outdoors: Great for early farm layouts

Ancient Fruit Advantages:

• Higher value per plant: 550g vs. 393.75g weekly
• Year-round production: In greenhouse or Ginger Island
• Lower maintenance: Weekly harvests vs. twice-weekly
• Less processing volume: Fewer fruits to process for similar value

Community Verdict

The community consensus after the 1.6 nerf is clear:

• “Ancient fruit has become the superior choice compared to salal berries in nearly every aspect”

However, nuanced players note:

• “Ancient fruit is generally more profitable and requires less maintenance. However, salal berries still have specific advantages”

One player sums it up perfectly: “Salal is great, but the ancient fruit remains incredibly powerful”.

Optimal Strategy

Rather than choosing one exclusively, most experienced players recommend this approach:

1. Start with salal berries in Year 1-2 for quick profits
2. Transition to ancient fruit when viable
3. Keep some salal berry bushes for diversity and recipes
4. Use outdoor space for seasonal salal berries
5. Reserve greenhouse and island for ancient fruit

Building a Berry Empire from Scratch

Ready to create your own salal berry fortune? Follow this strategic roadmap from your first seed to a thriving berry business:

Phase 1: Foundation (Early Spring, Year 1)

Week 1-2:

1. Tool Preparation: Upgrade to Steel Axe ASAP
   • Mining Level 2 for Copper (floor 1-39)
   • Mining Level 4 for Iron (floor 40+)
   • 5 copper bars + 5 iron bars + 2,000g for upgrade
2. Secret Woods Access: Chop the log to enter
3. Daily Seed Hunt: Check artifact spots daily
   • Focus exclusively on finding your first 1-2 seeds
   • Use high luck days if possible

Week 3-4:

1. Initial Planting: Plant your first seed with Speed-Gro
2. Resource Gathering: While waiting for maturity
   • Collect wood for Preserves Jars (50 wood each)
   • Mine coal for Preserves Jars (8 coal each)
   • Start collecting materials for Seed Maker

As one successful player shared: “I started a new SVE farm and got lucky finding two shrub seeds in the Secret Woods by Spring 8 of Year 1. I immediately planted them with basic fertilizer”.

Phase 2: Expansion (Late Spring - Early Summer, Year 1)

First Harvest Stage:

1. Seed Multiplication: Put first harvest into Seed Maker
   • Requires Farming Level 9
   • Wood (25), Coal (10), Gold Bar (1)
   • Each berry gives 1-3 seeds (average 1.8)
2. Plant New Seeds: Expand your operation
3. Build Processing: Craft first 2-3 Preserves Jars
4. Continue Seed Hunting: Keep checking Secret Woods

Growth Management:

1. Set up sprinklers when possible
2. Track harvest schedule in a notebook
3. Balance between seed-making and selling

From the player case study: “By the time they matured, I had my first harvest just before the end of spring. I turned those first berries into seeds and quickly expanded to 6 plants”.

Phase 3: Acceleration (Summer - Fall, Year 1)

Mid-Year Push:

1. Process and Sell: Use Preserves Jars for cash flow
2. Reinvest Profits: Build more jars and prepare for Year 2
3. Plan Greenhouse: If Community Center progress allows
4. Collect Keg Materials: Oak Resin (tapper), Copper and Iron
5. End of Summer Harvest: Maximize final berries before dormancy

Fall Preparation:

1. Save Seeds for Spring Year 2
2. Build Infrastructure (barns, sheds for kegs/jars)
3. Develop Processing Pipeline

One player’s success story: “By early summer, I was harvesting enough berries to both expand my operation and sell the excess. I focused on building preserves jars, and by the end of Summer Year 1, I had 24 salal bushes and 12 preserves jars running constantly. This generated about 4,000g per week”.

Phase 4: Domination (Spring, Year 2 onwards)

Massive Scaling:

1. Day 1 Planting: Large-scale berry operation
2. Processing Chain: Multiple sheds of jars/kegs
3. Greenhouse Integration: Year-round production
4. Income Diversification: Begin ancient fruit transition

Late Game Optimization:

1. Junimo Hut Automation: For large berry fields
2. Ginger Island Expansion: Additional growing space
3. Cellar Aging: For highest-value wine

The full realization of a berry empire: “The real payoff came in Spring of Year 2, when I was able to immediately plant a field of 50 salal bushes. Even after the nerf in the latest update, that field generated enough income to fund my barn and coop upgrades, buy animals, and still have money left over for tool upgrades”.

Farm Layout Optimization for Maximum Yields

Strategic farm layout can dramatically increase your salal berry productivity and profitability. Here are proven designs for different stages of the game:

Early Game: Starter Plots (Year 1)

For your first 5-20 salal berry bushes:

1. Location: Place close to farmhouse for quick morning harvest
2. Pattern: Simple grid with walking paths
3. Watering: Manual or Basic Sprinklers in early game
4. Size: Start with a 3×4 or 4×5 grid
5. Spacing: Leave access paths every 2-3 plants

Sample 3×4 layout with Quality Sprinklers:

S P P S
P B B P
P B B P
S P P S

S = Sprinkler, P = Path, B = Berry Bush

This design waters 8 bushes with 4 sprinklers while maintaining easy access.

Mid Game: Dedicated Fields (Year 2)

As your operation grows to 30-100 plants:

1. Location: Dedicated field away from other crops
2. Pattern: Efficient sprinkler layouts
3. Watering: Quality or Iridium Sprinklers
4. Harvesting: Create pathways for quick collection
5. Processing: Place jars/kegs nearby to minimize travel

Iridium Sprinkler Optimized Layout (24 bushes):

P S P S P
S B B B S
P B B B P
S B B B S
P B B B P
S B B B S
P S P S P

S = Sprinkler, P = Path, B = Berry Bush

This layout waters 24 bushes with 8 sprinklers in a compact, easily harvestable pattern.

Late Game: Automated Berry Factory (Year 3+)

For large operations of 100+ plants:

1. Junimo Hut Integration: Automate harvesting
2. Location: Large dedicated fields or Ginger Island
3. Pattern: Junimo-optimized circles or grids
4. Processing Pipeline: Nearby sheds full of kegs
5. Transportation: Use farm warp totems for quick access

Junimo Hut Centered Design:

S S S S S S S
S B B B B B S
S B B B B B S
S B J J J B S
S B J H J B S
S B J J J B S
S B B B B B S
S B B B B B S
S S S S S S S

S = Sprinkler, B = Berry Bush, J = Junimo Radius, H = Junimo Hut

This layout creates a highly efficient automated harvesting system, with Junimos collecting berries as they ripen.

Greenhouse and Ginger Island Considerations

While you can grow salal berries in these locations, most players recommend:

• Greenhouse: Reserve for ancient fruit or rare crops
• Ginger Island: Split between ancient fruit and a salal berry section

As one successful berry farmer explained: “By Year 4, I had converted nearly all of Ginger Island’s farmable land to salal berries-approximately 500 plants. With Junimo Huts for harvesting and an extensive network of over 200 kegs, I was producing around 90,000g per week just from salal berry wine”.

For maximum efficiency, consider these layout principles:

1. Minimize walking distance between plants
2. Ensure complete sprinkler coverage
3. Optimize for Junimo hut range when possible
4. Place processing equipment strategically to reduce travel time
5. Group harvests that share the same schedule (4-day crops together)

Advanced Berry Farming Techniques

Adjusting to the 1.6 Update Nerf

The SVE compatibility update for Stardew Valley 1.6 dramatically changed salal berry farming with a significant yield nerf. Here’s how to adapt your strategy to the new reality:

Understanding the Nerf

The key change affected how farming levels increase berry yields:

• Pre-update: +2 berries per farming level
• Post-update: +0.02 berries per farming level

This means:

• At farming level 10: Previously ~23 berries per harvest, now only ~3
• Food buffs: Previously significant, now negligible
• Overall impact: Approximately 80-85% reduction in berry yields

As one player explained: “Salal berries got nerfed hard when SVE updated for 1.6. Their max yield no longer increases per farming level. Used to go up by 2 per farming level, now it’s 0.02”.

Adaptation Strategies

1. Scale Up Operations:

   • Plant 4-5x more bushes to match previous income
   • Expand growing areas to compensate for yield reduction
   • Consider Ginger Island for massive operations

2. Optimize Processing:

   • Shift focus to quality over quantity
   • Use Preserves Jars for quicker turnover
   • Reserve Kegs for higher-value crops

3. Diversify Income:

   • Integrate ancient fruit into your strategy earlier
   • Don’t rely exclusively on salal berries
   • Explore additional SVE crops

4. Manual Adjustment Option:
   For players who prefer the previous balance, you can modify the SVE files:

   1. Go to [CP] SVE\code\Items
   2. Open Crops.json
   3. Search for "Salal"
   4. Find the value "0.02" and change it to your preferred value
      - 0.2 for a moderate boost
      - 2 for the original value
   

One community suggestion: “Why go from 2 to .02? Just .2 would’ve been perfect, 2 extra berries isn’t a lot”.

Is It Still Worth Growing?

Despite the nerf, salal berries remain viable for several reasons:

• Still spans two seasons without replanting
• Still produces multiple berries per harvest
• Still processes normally into wine/jelly
• Still readily available early in the game

However, their position in the crop hierarchy has changed:

• Pre-nerf: Often superior to ancient fruit
• Post-nerf: Transitional crop between early and late game

As one player summarized: “In my opinion, salal berries make for an excellent fruit choice for dehydration, given the abundant yield during harvest time. While they may not provide as much profit as dried ancient fruits, they can still generate a decent daily income”.

Mod Compatibility and Balance Considerations

When farming salal berries, various mods can enhance your experience or address balance concerns. Here’s how to navigate the mod ecosystem:

Compatible Enhancement Mods

These mods work well with SVE’s salal berries:

1. Vanilla Tweaks in SVE (Compatibility Patch)

   • Improves visual appearance of salal berries
   • Makes them match aesthetic of other crops
   • “Great work! I’m really happy to be able to play with SVE and VT without having different artstyles”

2. Better Balance - Customizable Prices

   • Adjusts crop economics for more balanced play
   • Specifically addresses salal berries in version 1.3.13
   • “Value for Salal Berry and Ancient Fiber lowered further to ensure they generally only outperform all vanilla crops when not using the seedmaker”

3. Reset Terrain Features

   • Essential for updating pre-existing SVE saves
   • Fixes bush/debris/tree glitches after 1.6 update
   • Required for proper salal berry bush functionality

4. Seasonal Villager Outfits

   • Purely cosmetic but enhances immersion
   • NPCs who like salal berries will have seasonal outfits

Known Mod Conflicts

Be cautious with these mods when growing salal berries:

1. Deluxe Grabber Redux

   • “Deluxe Grabber breaks all FTM artifact spots”
   • Interferes with finding shrub seeds
   • Temporarily disable when seed hunting

2. Certain Farm Map Replacers

   • May cause placement issues with berry bushes
   • Check compatibility with your specific farm map

3. Outdated Balance Mods

   • May apply incorrect multipliers to SVE crops
   • Ensure all mods are updated for 1.6

Custom Balance Options

If you want to adjust salal berry economics to your preference:

1. Better Balance Mod Settings

   • Adjust “Custom Value Multiplier” for SVE items
   • Modify processing value ratios
   • Fine-tune seasonal bonuses

2. Manual JSON Editing
   For direct modifications to crop values:

   // For yield adjustment:
   [CP] SVE\code\Items\Crops.json
   // Find "0.02" and change to preferred value
   
   // For price adjustment:
   Find base price value (75) and modify as desired
   

3. Framework Updates
   SVE 1.6 compatibility removed several required frameworks:

   • “Custom NPC Exclusions, Expanded Preconditions Utility, Extra Map Layers, Json Assets, SAAT, SpaceCore, and Shop Tile Framework”

One interesting community note: “With the bigger mods, it’s better to delete them before you update them. After the update, I’ll go in and fix that”. This suggests a clean reinstall may help avoid compatibility issues.

These customization options allow you to tailor the salal berry experience to your preferred play style, whether you want a challenging progression or a more relaxed farming experience.

Seedmaker Strategies for Rapid Expansion

Mastering the Seed Maker is crucial for quickly expanding your salal berry operation. Here’s how to optimize this powerful tool:

Seed Maker Basics

The Seed Maker converts harvested crops into seeds:

• Requirements: Farming Level 9, Wood (25), Coal (10), Gold Bar (1)
• Input: 1 salal berry
• Output: 1-3 seeds (average 1.8 seeds per berry)
• Special outputs: 0.5% chance of Ancient Seeds, 0.5% chance of Mixed Seeds
• Processing time: Immediate

Optimal Multiplication Strategy

For maximum expansion from minimal starting seeds:

1. First Harvest Approach:

   • Dedicate 100% of first harvest to seed making
   • With 3 berries from first harvest × 1.8 seeds per berry = ~5-6 new seeds
   • Plant all new seeds immediately

2. Exponential Growth Plan:

   • Harvest 1: 1 plant × 3 berries = 3 berries → ~5-6 seeds → 6-7 total plants
   • Harvest 2: 6-7 plants × 3 berries = ~18-21 berries
     • Convert 10 berries to seeds (~18 new seeds)
     • Sell or process remaining 8-11 berries
   • Harvest 3: 24-25 plants × 3 berries = ~72-75 berries
     • Convert as needed to reach target farm size
     • Begin transitioning to processing for profit

3. Target Allocation Percentages:

   • 1-10 plants: 100% to Seed Maker
   • 11-25 plants: 50% to Seed Maker, 50% to processing
   • 26-50 plants: 25% to Seed Maker, 75% to processing
   • 51+ plants: 10% to Seed Maker, 90% to processing

Seed Maker Placement

Strategic placement increases efficiency:

1. Location: Place Seed Makers adjacent to berry fields
2. Grouping: Create a dedicated “seed making station”
3. Workflow: Position between harvest area and storage
4. Multiple units: Build 3-5 Seed Makers for large operations

Mixed Seeds Management

The Seed Maker occasionally produces Mixed Seeds instead of salal seeds:

1. Keep them: Great for early-game diversity
2. Sell them: Low value but immediate return
3. Plant them: May yield valuable surprise crops

Ancient Seeds Opportunity

The rare Ancient Seeds from Seed Makers provide an opportunity:

1. Save immediately: Don’t sell or donate
2. Plant strategically: Consider greenhouse placement
3. Begin transition: Start your ancient fruit operation alongside salal berries

One player’s success story with seed multiplication: “I get a couple seeds, grow them, throw all of them in the seed maker, and grow a harvest them at least once again. Since it yields multiples from each plant, it, well… Multiplies”.

Late-Game Berry Farming with Junimo Huts

As your salal berry operation grows, manual harvesting becomes time-consuming. Junimo Huts provide the perfect solution for late-game automation:

Junimo Hut Basics

• Requirements: Complete the Community Center or Joja Route
• Materials: Stone (100), Starfruit (9), Maple Syrup (1), Oak Resin (1), Pine Tar (1)
• Build via: Wizard’s Tower shop (20,000g)
• Coverage area: 17×17 tiles (8 tiles in each direction)
• Harvesting capacity: Up to 8 crops per day per Junimo

Optimal Junimo Layout for Berries

Design your salal berry fields for maximum Junimo efficiency:

1. Circular Arrangement:

   . . S S S . .
   . S B B B S .
   S B B B B B S
   S B B H B B S
   S B B B B B S
   . S B B B S .
   . . S S S . .
   

   H = Hut, B = Berry Bush, S = Sprinkler, . = Empty

   This arrangement places 21 salal bushes within easy reach of the Junimos.

2. Grid Pattern for Multiple Huts:

   H B B B B B B B H
   B B B B B B B B B
   B B B B B B B B B
   B B B B B B B B B
   B B B B B B B B B
   B B B B B B B B B
   B B B B B B B B B
   B B B B B B B B B
   H B B B B B B B H
   

   H = Hut, B = Berry Bush

   This arrangement maximizes coverage with minimal overlapping areas.

Junimo Management Tips

1. Gem Customization:

   • Place different gems in huts to change Junimo colors
   • Purely cosmetic but adds visual organization to farm

2. Timing Optimization:

   • Junimos work from 6am to 7pm
   • They don’t work during rain or winter
   • Salal berries’ 4-day regrowth aligns perfectly with Junimo work cycles

3. Collection Chests:

   • Place chests near huts for convenient berry collection
   • Use signs to label contents and track harvest dates

4. Workload Balancing:

   • Don’t overload a single hut with too many crops
   • Junimos can only harvest about 8 crops per day
   • With salal berries yielding multiple berries per bush, consider fewer bushes per hut

Ginger Island Automation

For the ultimate late-game operation, Ginger Island offers perfect conditions:

1. Year-round growing: No seasonal limitations
2. Junimo-friendly climate: No rain to interrupt work
3. Abundant space: Room for multiple hut setups
4. Isolation: Keeps main farm clear for other activities

A maximized Ginger Island farm can support:

• 6-8 Junimo Huts
• ~150 salal berry bushes
• Year-round harvesting
• 30,000g+ weekly income from berries alone

The ultimate berry automation system allows you to focus on other aspects of gameplay while maintaining a steady income stream from your berry empire.

Alternative Uses for Salal Berries

Gifting Guide: Which NPCs Love Salal Berries

Beyond their economic value, salal berries serve as excellent relationship-building gifts for certain villagers in Stardew Valley Expanded:

NPC Gift Preferences

Reaction	Characters
Love (♥♥)	Leah
Like (♥)	Andy, Demetrius, Evelyn, George, Harvey
Neutral	Most other villagers
Dislike	None specifically mentioned

As noted in the SVE documentation: “Salal Berry is a loved gift for Leah”, making it particularly valuable for players pursuing a relationship with this artistic villager.

Strategic Gifting

For maximum relationship building:

1. Leah Focus: Save high-quality berries for Leah
2. Birthday Bonuses: Gift on birthdays for 8× relationship points
   • Leah’s birthday: Winter 23
   • Demetrius’s birthday: Summer 19
   • George’s birthday: Fall 24
   • Evelyn’s birthday: Winter 20
   • Harvey’s birthday: Winter 14
   • Andy’s birthday: Varies by SVE version
3. Quality Matters: Higher quality gifts provide more friendship points
4. Consistency Key: Even “liked” gifts build significant friendship when given weekly

Gifting Calendar

Organize your berry harvests around these key dates:

• Summer 19: Demetrius’s birthday
• Fall 24: George’s birthday
• Winter 14: Harvey’s birthday
• Winter 20: Evelyn’s birthday
• Winter 23: Leah’s birthday

During winter when berries aren’t growing, save processed products like wine or jelly to maintain relationships.

Recipes and Cooking Applications

Salal berries are versatile cooking ingredients in SVE, adding flavorful options to your culinary repertoire:

Key Recipes

1. Mixed Berry Pie

   • Ingredients: Bearberry (6), Blackberry (6), Salal Berry (6), Strawberry (6), Sugar, Wheat Flour
   • Effects: Varies by SVE version
   • Sell Value: Higher than raw ingredients
   • Great for energy restoration and buffs

2. Salal Berry Wine

   • Made in: Keg
   • Processing time: 7 days
   • Base value: 225g
   • Can be aged in casks for increased value

3. Salal Berry Jelly

   • Made in: Preserves Jar
   • Processing time: 2-3 days
   • Base value: 150g
   • Quick processing for early profit

Cooking Benefits

Beyond their recipe value, salal berries provide:

• Energy restoration: +70 energy per berry
• Health recovery: +31 health per berry
• Cooking XP: Contributing to cooking skill development
• Achievement progress: Counting toward cooking collection goals

As one player noted: “I like growing them as a food source. At 70HP per berry they’re pretty good”.

Recipe Collection Strategy

To efficiently complete your cookbook:

1. Reserve 6-12 berries each season for cooking
2. Prioritize Mixed Berry Pie when you have all ingredients
3. Keep a small stockpile for quests that might require berries
4. Track recipe completion through the cooking menu

Community Center and Special Order Requirements

In various SVE configurations, salal berries may be requested for bundles, special orders, or quests:

Potential Bundle Requirements

While exact requirements vary by SVE version and configuration, salal berries may contribute to:

• Spring crops bundle variants
• Artisan goods bundle (as wine or jelly)
• Specialty crop collections
• SVE-specific bundles

Special Orders Board

The special orders board occasionally requests:

• Fresh salal berries for research
• Processed berry products for events
• Berry collection tasks

Quests and Events

Various SVE-specific quests might involve salal berries:

• Character-specific gift quests
• Seasonal festival contributions
• Town event requirements

Preparation Strategy

To ensure you’re ready for these requirements:

1. Yearly reserves: Keep 20-30 berries in storage
2. Processing variety: Maintain some jelly and wine
3. Quality assortment: Save a few gold/iridium quality berries
4. Year-round availability: Consider greenhouse growth for winter access

With these alternative uses in mind, salal berries transcend their role as mere profit generators and become integral to your farm’s diversified functions.

Salal Berry Farming: Advanced Tips and Tricks

Berry Quality Management

Maximizing berry quality increases profits without increasing processing requirements:

1. Fertilizer Strategy:

   • Basic Fertilizer: +10% chance of silver/gold quality
   • Quality Fertilizer: +20% chance of silver/gold quality
   • Deluxe Fertilizer: +30% chance of silver/gold quality
   • Apply before planting seeds (cannot be added later)

2. Farming Skill Impacts:

   • Each farming level increases silver/gold chances
   • Level 10 Farming adds significant quality improvement
   • Agriculturist profession adds +10% to growth speed

3. Quality Allocation:

   • Reserve highest quality for direct sale or gifting
   • Quality doesn’t affect wine/jelly value
   • Consider using normal quality for processing

Seasonal Production Planning

Mapping out your berry production across the year maximizes efficiency:

Spring Strategy:

• Weeks 1-2: Seed hunting and initial planting
• Weeks 3-4: First harvests and expansion

Summer Strategy:

• Early Summer: Peak production and processing
• Late Summer: Final harvests and preparation for dormancy

Fall Strategy:

• Set up greenhouse berries if available
• Focus on processing stockpiled berries
• Prepare seeds and infrastructure for next spring

Winter Strategy:

• Maintain greenhouse operations
• Craft additional processing equipment
• Plan next year’s expanded layout

Integration with Other Income Sources

Balancing salal berries with other farm activities creates a stable economy:

1. Complementary Crops:

   • Fall crops during berry dormancy
   • Fast-growing crops between initial planting and first harvest
   • Greenhouse ancient fruit for year-round income

2. Animal Synergy:

   • Use berry income to fund animal purchases
   • Balance daily animal care with 4-day berry harvests
   • Process milk/eggs on days between berry harvests

3. Mining and Fishing:

   • Schedule mining trips during berry growth phases
   • Fish on non-harvest days for steady income
   • Gather resources for more processing equipment

The Future of Berry Farming

As you progress to late-game and perfection:

1. Transition Strategy:

   • Gradually shift some berry fields to ancient fruit
   • Maintain smaller berry patches for diversity
   • Specialize greenhouse/island areas for maximum value

2. End-Game Berry Role:

   • Relationship maintenance through gifts
   • Cooking ingredient source
   • Aesthetically pleasing farm design element
   • Legacy crop with sentimental value

3. Perfection Contribution:

   • Shipping achievement progress
   • Income for expensive perfection items
   • Friendship points with key NPCs

Action Steps Recap

To master salal berry farming: Upgrade to Steel Axe early, hunt daily for shrub seeds in Secret Woods artifact spots, plant in spring/summer with Speed-Gro, use Seed Makers for rapid expansion, process berries in Preserves Jars then transition to Kegs, and implement Junimo Huts for late-game automation once your operation reaches 50+ plants.

Further Resources

• Stardew Valley Expanded Mod - The core mod required for salal berries
• Reset Terrain Features - Essential for 1.6 compatibility with berry bushes
• Better Balance - For custom crop pricing adjustments
• SVE Discord Community - For troubleshooting and sharing strategies

Click to view Salal Berry Update History

Date	Change Note	Impact on Salal Berries
April 2025	SVE 1.15 update	Continued 1.6 compatibility, no changes to berry mechanics
March 2025	Better Balance Mod 1.3.13	Further reduced value “to ensure they generally only outperform all vanilla crops when not using the seedmaker”
February 2025	SVE 1.6 compatibility update	Major nerf: Changed yield scaling from +2 per farming level to +0.02 per farming level
January 2025	Stardew Valley 1.6 release	Framework changes affecting mod compatibility
November 2023	“Get Rich Quick Scheme” YouTube guide	Popularized salal berry farming as a major profit strategy
Early 2023	Initial SVE implementation	Introduction as highly profitable multi-harvest crop spanning spring and summer