We’re starting a new series at called The Long Game, where we focus on things you can invest in early in new or popular games that will pay off in the long run. We’re starting this series with Stardew Valley, which celebrated its 10-year anniversary this year and is one of the most successful indie games of all time.
If you’ve never played Stardew Valley before, it’s a farming and life sim where you leave your job at a soulless corporation to manage a farm left to you by your deceased grandfather. The farm has seen better days, so it’s up to you to restore it to its former glory. That means clearing the land, tilling the soil, planting and watering seeds, and upgrading your home and equipment to gather items more efficiently.
As you might expect, those upgrades cost money. There are several ways to make that money, like fishing and mining, but harvesting and selling crops is the best way to keep a steady stream of income. And there are four specific plants that are the most cost-effective options at your disposal.
But before we get into those specific plants, we have some general farming tips for you to be aware of. First, you normally need to water your seeds every day for them to properly grow. But if it’s a rainy day, you can skip that step and let Mother Nature handle it for you. Check the TV in your farmhouse to see the weather report, which will tell you when rain is coming and help you plan ahead.
Cauliflowers
A cauliflower seed costs 80 gold, the same amount you get back for selling a harvested potato. And you can sell cauliflower for a whopping 175 gold, giving it one of the biggest profit margins of any spring crop. The downside is that it takes 12 days to grow, which is nearly half the season. So you have to pay attention to the timing of when you plant them.
But if you’re patient and use the funds from harvesting potatoes to grow cauliflower, then you’re basically starting with a 50 gold investment into potato seeds and getting back 175 gold in the end. Plus, you’ll get a letter from Jodi requesting a fresh cauliflower, which she’ll give you 250 gold for. So it pays to be prepared ahead of time.
Strawberries