Spring marks the awakening of a new year in Stardew Valley, and for players, it’s an opportunity to set the foundation for a thriving farm. This season is primarily devoted to organizing the farm, which involves clearing land, planting crops, and gathering resources essential for expansion and upgrades.
However, Spring offers much more than just a fresh start. It’s a unique season filled with specific crops to plant, fish to catch, items to forage, and exciting events to prepare for—laying the groundwork for the forthcoming summer season.
Last Updated on March 28, 2025, by Usama Ali: The arrival of Spring in Stardew Valley ignites a renewed enthusiasm among players, offering a plethora of new adventures and challenges. With the recent release of Update 1.6, players—both veterans and newcomers—are treated to an enriched experience filled with novel events, enhanced interactions, and the ongoing charm of Springtime farming.
Even though the Spring season may feel repetitive after the first year, it is essential to focus on key activities to maximize farm productivity. Not only are there birthdays to celebrate, but there are also exciting events that players should anticipate.
10
Complete Spring-Based Bundles
For those aiming to finish the Community Center bundles, focusing on specific Spring bundles is crucial. Key bundles include the Spring Foraging Bundle, the Spring Crop Bundle, and the Quality Crop Bundle—all of which require items exclusive to Spring.
Make sure to collect a dandelion, leek, horseradish, and daffodil for the Spring Foraging Bundle. For the Spring Crop Bundle, grow at least one potato, cauliflower, parsnip, and green bean. Additionally, gather five golden parsnips for the Quality Crops bundle.
Achieving five golden parsnips for the Quality Crops bundle can be challenging. Players should utilize Basic Fertilizer, available at Farming level 1, which only requires some sap from trees. Applying this fertilizer before planting parsnips will enhance the likelihood of yielding quality crops.
9
Catch The Legend Fish
A notable fish that can only be caught in Spring is the Legend. This elusive fish has a narrow availability window; it only appears during rainy weather at the Mountain Lake and requires a fishing level of 10. Despite not being necessary for any bundles or quests, the Legend can sell for 5,000 to 15,000 gold depending on its quality and potential buffs the player can acquire.
The difficulty of catching the Legend is compounded by its erratic swimming patterns. Players may benefit from consuming dishes that provide fishing buffs, such as Fish Tacos, Dish ‘O The Sea, Seafoam Pudding, Fish Stew, Escargot, and Lobster Bisque, before attempting to catch it.
8
Build And Fill The Silo
The Silo is a practical initial building due to its low resource requirements, primarily serving to store hay for animals. Constructing a silo early in Spring enables players to gather sufficient hay to alleviate feeding concerns later. This approach avoids reliance on purchasing hay, which can strain early-game funds.
By the second Spring, players typically have multiple animals (such as cows and chickens), all of which require daily hay, especially during winter. Thus, Spring becomes vital for replenishing hay supplies. As grass regrows, players need to use the Scythe to replenish the Silo, making it imperative to maximize hay collection this season.
7
Plant A Variety Of Spring Crops
Opinions on the best Spring crops vary widely among players. While strawberries are highly sought after, their seeds are exclusively available during the Egg Festival, which occurs mid-Spring. Alternative crops to consider include potatoes, cauliflowers, and rhubarbs.
Potato and cauliflower seeds can be conveniently purchased at Pierre’s Shop, whereas rhubarb seeds must be acquired from the Desert Oasis. Players are advised to cultivate a diverse array of crops unless they have saved a substantial stockpile of strawberry seeds from the previous year.
6
Participate In the Desert Festival
A significant highlight from Update 1.6 is the introduction of the Desert Festival. This exciting three-day event takes place in the Calico Desert from the 15th to 17th of Spring, marking a transformative addition to the seasonal festivities and providing players with new objectives and rewards to integrate into their gameplay.
The Desert Festival becomes accessible once players repair the bus to the desert, emphasizing the importance of completing either the Vault Bundle in the Community Center or the JojaMart development path in Update 1.6.
The festival offers numerous activities, rewards, and unique shops for players to explore. It also introduces a special currency—Calico Eggs—used to purchase items from various stalls. Players can earn these eggs by engaging in festival challenges, betting on races, or accomplishing fishing tasks for Willy.
Beyond shopping, the festival features engaging attractions, including Emily’s Outfit Services, offering to craft a new outfit for players once per day, and the Chef’s booth, where players can exchange ingredients for random food items that provide temporary buffs.
5
Get Strawberry Seeds At The Egg Festival
During the Egg Festival, players not only enjoy the egg hunts but should ensure they acquire as many strawberry seeds as possible, priced at 100 gold each. Each strawberry crop can be sold for 120 gold, with a growth cycle of eight days, followed by regrowth every four days for continuous harvests.
Given the Egg Festival occurs on the 13th of Spring, players should buy seeds and consider saving some for the following year to maximize their harvest and profit from planting strawberries early.
Strawberries also yield excellent profits when processed into wine—players should prioritize making strawberry wine if they have Kegs available. Alternatively, producing strawberry jelly is another way to increase the selling price of this beloved crop.
4
Prepare For Eight Birthdays
Celebrating villagers’ birthdays by gifting them items they cherish can lead to a significant boost in friendship points. In Spring, there are eight birthdays to keep track of: Emily, Kent, Lewis, Haley, Pam, Pierre, Shane, and Vincent. Collect gifts ahead of time to make their special days memorable.
Each villager has preferred gifts—Emily enjoys wool and amethysts, Kent appreciates roasted hazelnuts, Lewis prefers hot peppers, and so forth. Notably, many enjoy daffodils, a common spring forage. However, care must be taken with Lewis, who is neutral towards them, and Shane, who dislikes them. Players can opt for beer or pizza for Shane’s gift.
3
Get Someone To Four Hearts Before The Flower Dance Festival
The Flower Dance Festival occurs on the 24th of Spring, providing players with a chance to dance with a chosen bachelor or bachelorette to boost their affection. Inviting someone to dance requires speaking to them twice, although they will decline if less than four hearts are achieved.
While reaching four hearts in the first year is feasible, it demands commitment. Potential dance partners include bachelorettes like Abigail and Penny, alongside bachelors such as Alex and Harvey.
2
Forage For Spring-Only Items
This season is also prime for foraging, with specific items like wild horseradishes, daffodils, leeks, dandelions, spring onions, morels, and salmonberries being exclusive to Spring. These items prove useful for Community Center bundles and are favored gifts among certain villagers—Krobus adores wild horseradish, while George cherishes leeks.
Additionally, many of these Spring finds can be transformed into more valuable products, such as wines or jellies. Notably, salmonberries are available only from the 15th to the 18th of Spring, making it vital to collect them during this limited timeframe.
1
Prepare For Summer
As Spring comes to a close, players should also prepare for the Summer season. It’s important to remember that all Spring crops will die, except for coffee beans, which will carry over to the next season. Summer introduces new foraging items, signaling the end of Spring foraging, although some common mushrooms will return in Autumn.
Players should ensure they have adequate gold available by the end of Spring to purchase seeds for the upcoming season, maximizing planting opportunities for an early harvest. This transition period is also an ideal time to expand the farm’s growing areas.
Since Kegs are vital for producing top-quality artisan goods, players should focus on crafting as many Kegs as possible during Spring. Kegs require Oak Resin, Copper Bars, Iron Bars, and Wood, so tapping oak trees and mining during favorable days is a smart approach to ensure a well-prepared farm for the lucrative Summer season ahead.