There are many things that you can grow in Stardew Valley. Your farm is one heck of an oyster! From apples to corn and all varieties of flowers, you can make an agricultural marvel wherever you want! And of course, there are all types of strange crops that you can produce as well. The Starfruit, for example, is a five-pointed yellow fruit that sells extremely well to the town of Stardew Valley. But, this fruit doesn’t exactly grow on any tree! Let’s talk about how you can get Starfruit seeds, harvest big crops, and discuss why the Starfruit is so impactful for your Stardew experience.
How to Farm and Harvest Starfruit
Starfruit is a fruit crop, and thus grows on trees in Stardew Valley. This fruit can only grow during the summertime, though it can be planted in any soil that you’d like. On average, a newly-planted crop will grow to maturity in 13 days, meaning that you can get two harvests in the Summer before the season ticks over. If you have any Speed-Gro fertilizer or a Profession with at least 25% growth speed, you can manage up to three harvests of the star-shaped crop in the Summer.
The most difficult part of harvesting and growing Starfruit is, by far, getting the seeds. These things can be purchased from the Oasis for 400g, or grabbed from the Traveling Cart for anywhere between 600 and 1,000g. Not exactly a steal…
Once you have the seeds, plant them in any soil near your farm and… just wait! Unlike a lot of fruit trees in Stardew Valley, the Starfruit will need to be planted again after a successful harvest. You will really want to keep a close eye on this, too! You only get two full 13-day periods in the midst of a summer, and this fruit doesn’t grow in any other season. This doesn’t factor in if you have Deluxe Speed-Gro or Hyper Speed-Gro; both of these fertilizers giving you enough time to get three total harvests in before summer ends.
In addition, you can purchase these fruits from the Luau event… For a shocking 3,000g. That’s an insane markup that is never worth purchasing. Dang festivals, trying to steal your hard-earned cash!
How to Get More Starfruit Seeds
In order to guarantee more Starfruit Seeds, you will need to head to the Oasis store. This Desert-based retail market holds several items that are desert-themed, though it primarily sells seeds.
The Oasis is located in the Desert. In order to get to the Calico Desert, you will have to complete the Vault Bundles in the Community Center or purchase the Bus Repair option from the Joja Community Development Form. Then, you can take the bus down to the Desert region of the map, which offers a bunch of unique materials.
The Oasis Store holds Cactus, Rhubarb, Starfruit, and Beet Seeds. Cactus can be planted at anytime, and can even survive indoors. The other three seeds are each seasonal.
Alternatively, you can sometimes (rarely) get Starfruit Seeds from the Traveling Cart. This cart is a lot easier to find, being just south and west of your farm, and can let you get this rare seed much earlier. The only problem is that you’ll at best be taking a 50% markup… And could be dealing with 250% markup! The prices are a bit absurd, even for a fruit that has a high chance of turning a profit for you. We recommend waiting to unlock the Desert and the Oasis instead of purchasing it from the cart.
How to Earn The Most Money From Starfruit
While the Starfruit provides a massive sum of money just for selling it, producing higher quality fruits is mandatory if you want to rake in cash. The Tiller skill will also be handy. However, for the most profit potential, you should consider instead making Wine of the fruit in a Cask. Do this in the fruit’s off-season to reap triple the rewards, and even more with the Artisan profession!
Unfortunately, this immensely rare fruit is not used in any crafting recipes, for food or otherwise. That means you will either be selling it straight-up, or corking it into wine. We suggest taking the time to cork it, as you will otherwise be losing out on quite a bit of money!
Casks are quite hard to get, sadly. Primarily, you need the final farmhouse upgrade to unlock it. Once you do, crafting it is simple: it’s just 20 Wood and one Hardwood to build.
Thankfully, you’ll be well-rewarded, as the fruit rakes in a ton of cash. In fact, this crop is the second-best selling in the game, at least in terms of crop-to-coin ratios. So, make the best of them! You might even want to consider saving additional Stars for when you eventually unlock the Cask.
To maximize your profit, you will want to get high quality Starfruit. To improve your chances of obtaining this, you will need Deluxe Fertilizer, the only way to harvest Iridium quality crops. Having a high Farming Skill will further improve the chance of obtaining a high quality star.
You will also need to consider whether or not to use Speed-Gro instead of Deluxe Fertilizer. If you harvest your crops right, Speed-Gro will barely let you harvest three times. Even if you don’t get Iridium Quality, the extra star fruit – if it is at least Gold quality – might be enough to turn a larger profit for you. We recommend Deluxe Fertilizer in most cases, but you will want Speed-Gro if you need multiple Starfruit for buildings or quests.
Other Uses For Starfruit
Starfruit actually makes quite the poor gift, with only Demetrius, Elliot, Harvey, Jodi, Kent, Leah, Linus, Pam, Robin, Sandy, and Shane liking it at all. You’ll want to deliver one for the Remixed Dye Bundle on the Bulletin Board. You will also need nine of them at the Wizard’s Tower for the Junimo Hut, an automatic harvesting building for your farm. Finally, you’ll be able to make a dye of the rare fruit on the spool, and you can send one to Kent during the “A Soldier’s Star” quest for a friendship heart.
Overall, with only ten Starfruit being needed for the Hut and Remixed Dye Bundle – and only one for Kent’s quest – you don’t actually need much for the fruit outside of profiting. This isn’t overly surprising, as this crop is quite profitable! You should prioritize it during the summertime, when the Sweet Gem Berry is out of season.
