📊 The Four Pillars of Year 1 Income
Your income in Year 1 comes from four sources. Balance all four for best results:
Farming
40-50% of incomePrimary income source. Scales with plot size and crop choice.
Fishing
20-30% of incomeBest early game gold. Catfish and Legend are huge windfalls.
Mining
10-20% of incomeGems and ore. Also needed for tool upgrades and crafting.
Foraging
5-10% of incomeFree items around the map. Salmonberries and Blackberries are great.
🌸 Spring Year 1: Foundation Building
Spring is about learning mechanics and building momentum. Don't try to optimize everything—survival comes first.
📅 Spring Timeline
Plant Parsnips (free seeds), clear farm, fish when energy is low
EGG FESTIVAL - Buy Strawberry Seeds (100g each). Buy as many as you can afford!
Plant Strawberries. They'll harvest twice before Spring ends.
💰 Spring Income Targets
🎣 Spring Fishing Strategy
Fishing is overpowered in early game. High-value fish available in Spring:
| Fish | Location | Conditions | Base Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legend | Mountain Lake | Rain, Fishing 10 | 5,000g |
| Catfish | River (Town/Forest) | Rain | 200g |
| Eel | Ocean | Rain, 4pm-2am | 85g |
| Largemouth Bass | Mountain Lake | Any | 100g |
☀️ Summer Year 1: Scaling Up
Summer is where farming takes off. You should have enough gold now for proper profitable crops.
☀️ Summer Priorities
- 1Plant Blueberries on Day 1 (80g seeds, 150g × 3 harvest = massive profit)
- 2Get Quality Sprinklers ASAP (unlock at Farming 6, need Gold + Iron + Quartz)
- 3Build first Coop → Chicken → Eggs (not huge money, but steady)
- 4Tap Oak Trees for Oak Resin (needed for Kegs later)
| Crop | Seed Cost | Sell Price | Harvests | Profit/Seed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blueberry | 80g | 50g × 3 | 4 | 520g |
| Melon | 80g | 250g | 2 | 420g |
| Red Cabbage | 100g | 260g | 3 | 680g |
| Starfruit* | 400g | 750g | 2 | 1,100g |
*Starfruit seeds only at Oasis (Desert). Requires Bus Repair (42,500g Vault bundle).
⚠️ Common Summer Mistake
Don't plant Corn expecting huge profits. Corn has low gold-per-day (50g for 14-day initial growth). It's useful for Fall carryover, but Blueberries are far better for Summer-only profit.
⛏️ Mining in Summer
Summer has fewer rainy days, so less optimal fishing. Use this time for mining:
🍂 Fall Year 1: Peak Profit Season
Fall has the best crops in the game. This is where you make most of your Year 1 money.
🍂 Fall Crop Strategy
Plant Cranberries (best regrowable) and Pumpkins (highest single-harvest)
Artichokes are underrated—160g sell, 30g seed, 8-day growth
Fish for Walleye (105g) and Super Cucumber (250g)
Spirit's Eve festival—free Golden Pumpkin (2,500g or keep)
| Crop | Seed Cost | Sell Price | Harvests | Profit/Seed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cranberry | 240g | 75g × 2 | 5 | 510g |
| Pumpkin | 100g | 320g | 2 | 540g |
| Artichoke | 30g | 160g | 3 | 450g |
| Grape | 60g | 80g | 7 | 500g |
💰 Fall Income Targets
- • 100+ Cranberries + 50 Pumpkins = ~80,000g from crops alone
- • Add fishing, foraging, gems = easily 100,000g+ in Fall
❄️ Winter Year 1: Preparation Season
No crops grow outdoors in Winter. Focus on other income sources and preparing for Year 2.
❄️ Winter Activities
- ⛏️Mining: Reach Floor 120. Stock up on Gold, Iridium if lucky. Prepare for Skull Cavern.
- 🎣Fishing: Glacierfish (legendary, 1000g), Sturgeon for Fish Pond
- 🎪Night Market (Days 15-17): Buy Coffee Beans, rare seeds, catch Blob Fish
- 🍃Foraging: Winter Root, Snow Yam, Crystal Fruit (all 100g+)
- 🏠Greenhouse: If unlocked, plant Ancient Fruit or Strawberries
🎣 Winter Fishing Targets
| Fish | Location | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glacierfish | Arrowhead Island | 1,000g | Legendary, Fishing 6 |
| Sturgeon | Mountain Lake | 200g | Save for Fish Pond! |
| Squid | Ocean (night) | 80g | Common, good for bundles |
| Lingcod | River/Mountain | 120g | Decent value |
💡 Money Management Tips
✓ Do
- •Reinvest 50-70% of profits into seeds
- •Buy backpack upgrade early (2,000g → 12 slots)
- •Upgrade Watering Can Day 27/28 each season
- •Keep 1-2 of each crop/fish for bundles
- •Check Traveling Cart for rare items/seeds
✗ Don't
- •Buy expensive decorations Year 1
- •Hoard items "just in case" (sell excess)
- •Ignore fishing because "it's hard"
- •Rush animals before silos/feeders
- •Upgrade tools during busy planting days
✅ Year 1 Checklist
🎯 By Winter 28, You Should Have:
🚀 Looking Ahead: Year 2
Year 2 is when things accelerate:
🌸 Spring Y2
Plant saved Strawberries Day 1, access to Rhubarb (Oasis)
☀️ Summer Y2
Starfruit becomes viable with Desert access
🍂 Fall Y2
Rare Seed crops (Sweet Gem Berry = 3,000g!)
🍷 Processing
Start Keg empire with Year 1 Oak Resin stock
🎯 The Year 2 Leap
With a proper Year 1 foundation, Year 2 income can be 5-10× higher. A Greenhouse full of Ancient Fruit + 50 Kegs = 500,000g+ per season.
📚 Related Guides & Tools
Last updated: June 2025 • Verified for Stardew Valley 1.6