In this article, we cover:
- What to grow in Winter in Stardew Valley
- The Top 10 most profitable crops for Winter
- Other useful ways to make the most out of the Winter season!
Winter comes all too soon in Stardew Valley, often leaving your garden looking barren and desolate. This Ultimate Guide will teach you the very best Winter crops to grow and harvest to make sure you’re maximizing profits and keeping that garden teeming with life until Spring! Follow along as we also dive into other ways to make sure you’re earning that coin, even when the garden is slow.
What’s Growing in Winter?
Without the Greenhouse, the unfortunate answer is that none of the typical Stardew Valley crops will grow during the Winter season. Instead, players can mainly look to forageables and Winter Seeds to keep their garden profitable throughout these chilly 28 days.
Foraged Items
The four forageable Winter items are the Winter Root, Crystal Fruit, Snow Yam, and Crocus. These can be found naturally occurring around Pelican Town throughout the entire Winter season. While the Crocus and Crystal Fruit can be found above ground, the Winter Root and Snow Yam are buried in the dirt and must be dug up using a hoe. (Note: no other tool will work for this task.) Players have the best chance of digging up one of these two buried items at an Artifact Spot, but they can sometimes also be found when digging up an area of standard soil.
It’s true that these items in the Winter season aren’t worth as much as the crops you can plant and harvest in the other seasons, (such as starfruit and sweet gem berries), but they do have some surprising benefits of their own.
The crystal fruit comes in as the most profitable crop for the Winter season, selling for a price range of 150g-300g depending on quality. The Snow Yam comes in as the next most profitable, selling for 100-200g.
| Image | Name | Description | Sell Price |
 | Crystal Fruit | A delicate fruit that pops up from the snow. | 150g 187g  225g  300g  |
 | Snow Yam | This little yam was hiding beneath the snow. | 100g 125g 150g 200g |
 | Winter Root | A starchy tuber. | 70g 87g 105g 140g |
 | Crocus | A flower that can bloom in the winter. | 60g 75g 90g 120g |
Note: Fiber seeds can also be useful in the Winter, as fiber can still be grown during the season as long as they are planted on tilled soil.
Winter Seeds
There are a few ways to obtain Winter Seeds, and some are easier than others. The first, most beneficial, method for getting your hands on these frosty seed packets is to complete the Winter Foraging Bundle in the Craft Room inside the Community Center. This bundle only requires one of each foraged Winter crop, and you’ll receive 30 Winter Seeds in return. Plant and sell these, and you’ll turn an approximately 1,800g profit. While this isn’t the highest payout for crops that we see throughout the year in Stardew Valley, it’s certainly not 0.
Another way to get Winter Seeds is simply to craft them from your inventory. Players can craft Winter Seeds after achieving level 7 of the Foraging skill. Players will produce 10 Winter Seeds per craft. To craft, players will need one of each type of forageable item: one crystal fruit, snow yam, winter root, and crocus. Once planted, Winter Seeds take 7 days to fully grow. Thankfully, crows do not attack Winter Seeds, so scarecrows are one less thing to worry about during this time.
Note: Pierre’s General Store does not sell Winter Seeds, nor does JojaMart. However, you can sometimes find them sold on the Traveling Cart, but the price will range anywhere from 100g to 1,000g.
Seed Maker
By placing a Winter Root into a Seed Maker, players are able to create 1-3 Winter Seeds. This method produces less yield than crafting them from your inventory but requires only one resource instead of all 4 Winter foraged items.
The Greenhouse
If you are far enough along in the game, you may have unlocked the Greenhouse. If that’s the case, you will have no problem growing through the Winter! In the Greenhouse, players can grow any kind of crop regardless of the season. This means you can be growing those rare seeds and high-value crops year-round! You can repair and use the Greenhouse by completing all of the Pantry Bundles in the Community Center.
Once you have successfully unlocked the Greenhouse, there are certain crops you can plant to ensure the best profits during Winter, and also keep your animals happily fed until Spring. Here are 10 of our favorite crops to grow in your Greenhouse this Winter!
Note: We chose mostly regrowing crops because you only have to plant them once. They will continue to produce as long as they are watered, which makes them even more profitable! They save you money by not having to repurchase seeds, and they save you time by not having to replant as often. (However, we’ve also chosen a few exceptions to this.)
1. Wheat 
To keep your farm animals happy and ensure that they continue to produce their respective products throughout the winter, you’ll have to feed them hay from the silo daily. Since wheat and grass don’t grow during this season, it will become imperative to grow your own at some point during Winter to replenish your silo’s stores. While it can be purchased at Marnie’s shop, this can get quite costly – it is much more cost-effective to grow your own.
2. Pumpkins
Despite taking 13 days to grow, pumpkins have the second highest base price out of any other normal crop in Stardew Valley at 320g per unit. They don’t regrow, so you’ll have to replant after each harvest. Pumpkins are also used in several recipes and have a chance of producing a giant crop, along with cauliflower and melon.
3. Strawberries
This high-value fruit grows from the strawberry seed after 8 days. It will then regrow after 4 days, giving players a 2% chance for more than one strawberry at harvest. This fruit has a base price of 120g.
4. Cranberries
This fruit crop will grow from seed in 7 days and will reproduce after 5 days. One harvest will yield 3 cranberries with a 10% chance for 1+ extra cranberries at each harvest. Their base price is 75g, making this one of the more valuable fruit crops to grow.
5. Hops
A crop with a fast re-growth, hops are sure to be a profitable item to keep growing in your Greenhouse year-round. A full growth cycle takes 11 days, and the base price per unit is 25g. Its main benefit is that it regrows daily and can be turned into pale ale using a keg. The processing time for this is 1-2 days, which is relatively shorter than many other crops. Pale ale’s base price starts at 300g.
6. Tomatoes
Tomatoes are a vegetable crop that takes 11 days to grow to full maturity. They regrow every 4 days thereafter, with 1 tomato and a 5% chance for more than 1 at each harvest. Their base price starts at 60g. Tomatoes can be turned into juice using a Keg, or pickles in a Preserves Jar.
7. Blueberries
Blueberries have a slightly longer growth period of 13 days, and regrow every 4 days. There is a 2% chance to harvest more than one blueberry, and each harvest will provide players with 3 blueberries. Their base price sits at 50g.
8. Hot Peppers
Hot Peppers grow from seeds after just 5 days. They take 3 days to regrow and have a base price of 40g. They can be used to make wine and jam, which can bump the base price to 120-130g.
9. Green Beans
Green beans are a vegetable crop that takes 10 days to fully mature. After that, they regrow every 3 days. Green beans have a base price of 40g.
10. Potatoes
Potatoes have a fairly quick grow-time of only 6 days, and do not regrow after. They do require replanting after each harvest, but have a random chance of producing more than one potato, based somewhat on the player’s daily luck. These tubers have a base price of 80g.
| Name | Sell Price | Grow Time | Regrow Time | Artisan Goods |
Wheat  | 25g 31g 37g 50g  | 4 Days | N/A |  200g 100g |
Pumpkins  | 320g 400g 480g 640g | 13 Days | N/A |  720g690g |
Strawberries  | 120g 150g 180g 240g | 8 Days | 4 Days |  360g 290g |
Cranberries  | 75g 93g  112g  150g | 7 Days | 5 Days | 225g200g |
Hops  | 25g 31g 37g 50g | 11 Days | 1 Day |  300g100g |
Tomatoes  | 60g 75g 90g 120g | 11 Days | 4 Days | 135g170g |
Blueberries  | 50g 62g 75g 100g | 13 Days | 4 Days | 150g150g |
Hot Peppers  | 40g 50g 60g 80g | 5 Days | 3 Days | 120g 130g |
Green Beans  | 40g 50g 60g 80g | 10 Days | 3 Days | 90g130g |
Potatoes  | 80g 100g 120g 160g | 6 Days | N/A | 180g210g |
Improving Profits
Since crops are so scarce during the Winter season in Stardew Valley, it’s crucial to make the most out of the items that you CAN harvest. One of the best ways to make your crops more valuable is by turning them into artisan goods, like Wine. Using the Keg, a crystal fruit’s value will be multiplied by 3 once turned into Wine, although it will take 6.25 Days to process.
All of the Winter foraged items can be used in the dyeing process, as well as at the Sewing Machine to create various colored clothing.
What Else Can I Do in Winter?
Since your garden is limited during this season, it’s a great time to focus your efforts on other areas of the farm, as well as around Pelican Town. From finally putting in the effort to expand your home to broadening your processing equipment, there are more than a few ways to keep busy until Spring.
Friendships
If you haven’t put much time into building friendships with the townsfolk of Pelican Town, Winter is also a fantastic time to bolster those relationships and get to know your neighbors better.
Farming
Farm animals need more attention during this time, so it’s the perfect opportunity to grow your herds. With all those new animals, you’ll likely also want to spend time expanding your farm buildings and barns. These tasks can often require a lot of time gathering wood and stone, but there’s no better time than Winter!
Mining
It’s also a very convenient time to explore the mines since you won’t be spending the energy on gardening every morning like you might in other seasons. The mines can be a very valuable source of income, so mining regularly can help keep your finances in check during these meager days of Winter.
Fishing
It’s no secret that there are several fish that can only be caught in the Winter – now is your chance to catch as many as possible! This slow season also allows players to devote more time to catching the legendary Glacierfish, which only appears in Winter at the Southern end of Arrowhead Island in Cindersap Forest.
At the Night Market, players can also find unique fish that are difficult to find throughout the year in Pelican Town by taking the submarine ride while the Market is open, from 5pm-2am. These fish can also be caught at the southwest corner of The Beach, any time in any weather as long as you are using Magic Bait.
| Name | Description | Price | Size |
Midnight Squid  | A strange and mysterious denizen of the ocean’s twilight depths. | 100g 125g 150g 200g | 8-26 inches |
Spook Fish  | The huge eyes can detect the faint silhouettes of prey. | 220g 275g 330g 440g | 8-26 inches |
Blobfish  | This odd creature floats above the ocean floor, consuming any edible material in its path. | 500g 625g 750g 1,000g | 8-26 inches |
Festivals
Another fun pastime in Winter is to take advantage of the festivals. There are several unique experiences to be had at each of the Winter festivals, which are: The Festival of Ice, the Night Market, and The Feast of the Winter Star. These events can sometimes get in the way of busy growing seasons like Spring and Summer, but Winter is one of the best times to enjoy them fully. And luckily, Winter is the only season to host 3 festivals!
Artisan Goods
As previously discussed, artisan goods can be a great way to increase profits during the Winter months. Products like Mayonnaise, Cheese, Milk, and Jam all turn a much more significant profit than their ingredients alone, although they will take longer to process.
Community Center
While many of the items required to fulfill bundles in the Community Center are seasonal items, there are several you can work toward checking off the list during the Winter.
If you have use of the Greenhouse, you can focus your energy on attempting to grow premium quality crops for the Quality Crops bundle, or any other seasonal bundle, such as the Summer Crops bundle or the Spring Crops bundle.
You can also work toward completing the Artisan Goods bundle since these items can be easier to obtain in Winter after having the previous seasons to build up your livestock and processing equipment.
When Winter comes around again in Stardew Valley, we hope you feel confident and excited to get to work and utilize some or all of the helpful tips we’ve included in this article. The winter garden is not something to be feared – now get out there and GROW!
