Ever since you first walked out the front door of your grandfather’s farmhouse to start your new life in Stardew Valley, you’ve probably wondered what to make of the dilapidated Greenhouse on your property. Or, perhaps you’ve got it all spruced up and back into fighting shape, but you can’t puzzle out what to grow in it or how to grow it.
Fear not, farmers; today, we’re going to show you how to build the perfect Greenhouse to suit your needs. The structure is built within a specified space, meaning that no additions can be implemented for the tight indoor area. There are a few notes to keep in mind as you establish the farming building. This is our guide to how to build the perfect Greenhouse for your character in Stardew Valley.
How to Get a Greenhouse
Your farm will be equipped with a Greenhouse the moment you start your game, but it will take time to repair it before you can put it to use. Patience will be a virtue in this effort, as it will likely take the better part of one in-game year to do so.
Nothing will happen to the structure as it remains in disarray. If you choose to ignore it, it will simply stand by without having any effects on gameplay.
How to Fix The Greenhouse
Fixing the Greenhouse can be achieved by completing the Pantry Bundles in the Community Center. This is done by gathering various crops and animal products. Alternatively, it can be repaired by purchasing a Joja Community Development Project for 35,000g.
If you choose the Community Center route, you’ll want to start building coops and barns early in your playthrough. This is the best way to save up to acquire more difficult animals like ducks and sheep in order to gather the products they produce.
Expert Tip
To expedite your harvesting tasks, consider buying yourself the Auto-Grabber. It’s a device that automatically harvests materials from your animals. Players can purchase this at Marnie’s Ranch 25,000g after attaining Farming Level 10.
You’ll also want to save gold star parsnips, melons, corn, or pumpkins any time you find them; you’ll need five of each of three of these choices to complete the Quality Crops Bundle in the Pantry. Either method will make the Greenhouse usable once again, and you can begin to plan what crops you’d like to grow inside it.
What Does a Greenhouse Do?
The purpose of a Greenhouse is virtually identical to its use in the real world. In-game, it can be used to grow the best crops outside the constraints of seasonal requirements. This includes all crops sold at Pierre’s store, but also includes elusive crops such as Ancient Fruit (the seeds for which are acquired after digging up an Ancient Seed and donating it to the Museum, or occasionally from Seed Makers), Sweet Gem Berries (acquired from the Traveling Cart), or any crops exclusive to Ginger Island.
Of course, building your perfect Greenhouse requires some planning. Here’s how to make the most of the space you have available.
How to Set Up Sprinklers in a Greenhouse
With all the land you have to worry about on your farm, the last thing you need is more watering to use up your daily energy. Sprinklers will be your best friend while planning your layout. But what type of sprinklers to use, and where to place them for maximum efficiency?
If you’re conserving your Iridium bars, you may want to choose the layout shown below.
This layout makes use of the wooden planks around the edges of the plot in order to preserve space for plenty of crops to grow. It uses exclusively Quality Sprinklers, which are crafted with one Gold Bar, one Iron Bar, and one bar of Refined Quartz.
While not the most efficient use of space, it will tide you over while you save up some Iridium to craft Iridium Sprinklers and transition to the following layout, if you so choose:
This layout also makes use of wooden planks and uses a combination of Iridium Sprinklers and Quality Sprinklers. This particular plan uses only four crop spaces; this will allow you to plant a ton more crops, using eight fewer spaces than the previous layout.
Pressure Nozzles acquired from Mr. Qi will allow these Iridium Sprinklers to have an even farther reach, allowing you to downsize further. These are acquired rather late in the game, however, by which point you’ll be rolling in so much cash you’ll have no need for your Greenhouse. The only question now is what to grow.
What to Grow in a Greenhouse
This is a decision that can truly be tailored to your play style. The layout pictured below is an example of a Greenhouse that is built for pure profit, using blueberries, cranberries, and strawberries provide high-profit margins. Multiple Ancient Fruit plants allow for multiple berries to be fed through Seed Makers to create new plants that can then be turned into wine, aged, and sold for exorbitant prices, selling for a maximum of 4,620 Gold (Iridium quality with Artisan profession).
Your Greenhouse can be used to grow out-of-season plants for Bundles, collect cooking ingredients, or basically whatever you choose. The big advantage of Greenhouses is the ability to harvest fruit from fruit trees during any season.
This brings us to the trees that grow in Stardew Valley. Trees can be a wise way to use your available space; as pictured above, you can grow them along the edges of the structure, even where the soil is not present.
To plant them, simply do so as you would do on your own farm while being mindful of the available tiles. These trees can be fertilized by crafting a Tree Fertilizer after unlocking the crafting recipe at Foraging Level 7. Be mindful of how you plant, however. As on your farm, your Fruit Trees can only be removed by cutting them down with your Axe.
