Stardew Valley: Island Farm Guide

Stardew Valley is known for having a plethora of seed crops you can grow and play with, and the list of crops has gotten longer since the game’s 1.5 update. An additional area for farming is what you need when there is no longer enough room for all the new seeds or tree saplings you might want to try growing on your main farm.

The Ginger Island Farm is perhaps one of the main highlights of the newest update. This guide will tell you what makes the Island Farm tremendous and why it needs to be recognized more, so continue reading to learn all about planting crops on Ginger Island’s tropical soil.

What you Need to Know About the Island Farm

On the western side of Ginger Island, there is a large field of ploughable land called the Island Farm. Lush tropical trees may surround the area, but it has 878 tiles that you can use for farming. There is a lot more to unpack about the Island farm, and we are glad to list all the perks and also downsides you will get from tending to this secondary farm:

Pros:

• The Island Farm has an abandoned house you can restore by giving 20 Golden Walnuts to the island’s local parrots. You can save your progress here by sleeping, and you can also decorate the insides of the Island farmhouse at your own preference. Additionally, you may also repair the mailbox next to the house in exchange for 5 Golden Walnuts. At the left side of the farmhouse, there is an Obelisk that can instantly take you back home you can unlock for 20 Golden Walnuts.

• Crows do not fly by this region, so you will not need Scarecrows on the Island Farm to keep these birds from ruining your crops.

• Although the Island Farm is quite similar to the Beach farm by layout and design, any type of sprinkler works perfectly fine here.

• Probably its most amazing feature is you can grow any crop on its soil, similar to what you can do on your main farm’s greenhouse. This means, regardless of the season, you may plant any kind of seed crop here without worrying about them withering the day after.

• Another impressive thing about the Island Farm is that no matter how much time passes, its soil can keep the fertilizer for a long time as long as it has a crop growing in it.

Cons:

• Unfortunately, you can not place buildings on the Island Farm. So you can not decorate it as elaborately as you can your main farm in Pelican Town.

• Even though you can own a farmhouse on the island, you still can not bring your spouse or children to live there with you. Spending your time on Ginger Island for too long may risk friendship decay with the NPCs you have left behind in Pelican Town.

• The Island farm has some neat qualities, but it does not come with the island for free. You will have to work on getting Golden Walnuts to gain full access to the farm. Gathering these Walnuts might be a field day to most players, but it can be tedious to some.

How to Unlock the Ginger Island Farm

As stated above, you can only fully unlock the Island Farm after doing some minor exploring. But if you haven’t been on Ginger Island yet, here is a link as your guide that can help you get to this side of the map.

1. When you arrive at Ginger Island for the first time, you will see a beach with three different paths that will lead you to the north, east, and west parts of the Island. The only path you can initially access is the right side of the beach, and the other two are blocked with huge sleeping turtles. The eastern part of the island is where you will see a Jungle, and this is where you can also get your very first Golden Walnut.
2. To remove the sleeping turtle that is obstructing the way to the north, give one Golden Walnut to the Parrot inside the house on the north side of the Jungle. You may exit the Jungle after that, and you will witness a sentient fireball hovering towards the north. Follow the fireball that will usher you to the Volcano Dungeon.
3. Golden Walnuts can be dropped from enemies, most commonly by Tiger Slimes. Kill a bunch of these baddies to collect them. You can also mine rocks and look for rare treasure chests as some of them can also contain Golden Walnuts.
4. After gathering 10 Golden Walnuts, you may head back to the beach and give the walnuts to the parrot to awaken the turtle that’s blocking the passageway to the Island Farm.

The Best Crops to Plant on the Island Farm

The Ginger Island Farm specializes in helping you maximize your profit by allowing you to raise perennial and seasonal crops all year round. For those who would like to know which crops and trees are the best to have on your secondary farm, we have included a list of the most exceptional and beneficial crops available in the game:

• Pineapple: A summer crop that was added in the 1.5 update. You can use Pineapples to diversify your crops, plus you can not deny that these are the perfect fruit to grow in a tropical setting. Pineapples can be a worthy investment since they can grow back even after being harvested. They can also be turned into Pineapple Wine, and you can make a fortune selling heaps of these wines after processing them in casks.

• Ancient Fruit: The mother of all fruit crops. Ancient Fruit sells best when it is turned into an aged artisan product. And having a large enough area for Ancient Fruits to grow while being able to keep them perpetually is the reason why most prefer to have them on the Island Farm.

• Star Fruit:  Star Fruit is another fruit crop that can only grow in summer, and it is one of the best crops to raise on the Island Farm. The only downside to investing in this fruit is its inability to regrow after harvest, but its profitable wine can make us look past this drawback.

• Fairy Rose: A flower crop that is not only lucrative on its own, it can also be turned into an artisan product worth selling. Fairy Rose Honey can be sold in a fair amount of gold, and it can be produced by placing Bee Houses nearby the flowers. Fairy Rose can also be used as an ingredient to craft a Fairy Dust, which can let you immediately gather products from artisan machines.