This guide has everything you need to know about planting trees in Stardew Valley.
Trees do not require much nurturing. They are different from what you call scarce since they are found almost anywhere in Stardew Valley. Besides their abundance, trees are the main source of wood in the game.
To maximize your earnings using trees, you must learn to maximize your tree production. For starters, plan and decide where you will mostly plant your trees.
Fortunately, the valley has plenty of tillable soil to plant tree seeds and saplings.
Where to Plant Trees in Stardew Valley
Greenhouse
One of the most ideal places to grow Fruit Trees is the Greenhouse. This enclosed building is suitable for growing all kinds of crops and trees. Any tree seed you plant here will mature and bear fruits throughout the year, regardless of the season.
However, the greenhouse can only be unlocked after you complete the Pantry Bundle in the Community Center. You can also get a Joja Membership and pay them to rebuild the greenhouse as an alternative.
So, although the Greenhouse is an excellent place for tree production, acquiring it might take some time.
The Farm
The Pelican Town farm can provide a spacious area for all types of trees to grow. There are seven different farm layouts, each offering unique challenges and advantages that may affect how you plant and manage your trees.
The Standard Farm gives you the ultimate versatility because of its large and square size. You can choose this layout to mass-produce trees on your farm. The Forest Farm has plenty of foraging opportunities. But you can also grow Fruit Trees all over the place for decorating purposes.
Placing trees near your house can make tapping and log farming more efficient. Trees can also be planted and arranged to improve the farm’s visual appeal.
Outside the Farm
Initially, you may think the farm is the only area large enough to cultivate trees. As you progress through, you’ll discover areas outside the farm where you can also create a forest.
For example, you can turn the Quarry into a tree farm. The Quarry is located next to the Mines. It can only be accessed after completing the Crafts Room Bundle in the Community Center. You can also donate money to Joja Corp, and their workers can help you fix the bridge to the Quarry.
Once you unlock the Quarry, you can clear out the debris and rocks. Bring your tree seeds or saplings and plant them on the soil. Aside from the Quarry, you can also grow and multiply your trees on the Railroad, the area around the massive train station south of the mountain.
It’s important to note that only Common Trees can grow outside your farm.
Ginger Island Farm
The Ginger Island farm has features that are advantageous for tree cultivation. While it isn’t as large as your main farm, you can grow all sorts of trees here that sprout fruits all year round, just like the Greenhouse. When decorating, summer trees like Banana and Mango Trees can also add a more colorful, tropical look to your Island Fam.
What Kind Of Trees Should You Plant in Stardew Valley
Common Trees
Various types of trees can be found in Stardew Valley. The most common are Oak, Maple, and Pine Trees. Mahogany trees may be specified as Common Trees, but you’ll only be able to find Mahogany Tree Stumps at the start of the game. You can read more about Common Trees below:
Oak Tree
Oak Trees can be identified by their oval shape. When chopped down or shaken, they can drop Acorns, which can be planted to grow more Oak Trees.
Putting a Tapper on an Oak Tree will produce Oak Resin, Kegs, and Deluxe Speed-Gros crafting material.
Maple Tree
Maple Trees look similar to Oak Trees, but their leaves are darker in color and more spaced apart. These trees drop Maple Seeds when shaken or chopped down.
Tapping a Maple Tree will give you Maple Syrup. This tree sap is used to make Bee Houses and Maple Bars.
Pine Trees
Of all the Common Trees, the Pine Tree is the most recognizable due to its tall, cone-shaped appearance. Chopping Pine Trees will give you Pine Cone seeds.
Pine Trees produce Pine Tar when tapped. It is a crafting resource for making Loom, Rain Totem, and Speed-Gros.
Mahogany Tree
Mahogany Tree is the only wild tree that you can log for Hardwood. You’ll know it’s a Mahogany Tree if it has a dark brown trunk and branches and square-shaped leaves. Mahogany Seeds often drop from a chopped or fallen Mahogany Tree.
When tapping a Mahogany Tree, it produces Sap. It is a universally hated gift, but Sap is perhaps one of the most important crafting materials. Sap can be crafted into fertilizers, fishing bobbers, and fiber seeds.
Fruit Trees
The trees that produce fruits are Apple, Orange, Cherry, Apricot, Peach, Pomegranate, Banana, and Mango Trees. They can be grown from store-bought saplings and take an entire season to grow before producing fruit. Fruit trees bear fruit daily as long as it’s in season. Here are what you must do to acquire their seeds:
Cherry Tree
When planted on your main farm, Cherry Trees bear fruit only in Spring (but it’s a different story if you plant them in your Greenhouse or the Ginger Island Farm!) You can purchase Cherry Tree Saplings from Pierre at the General Store for 3,400g. The Traveling Merchant may also sell the saplings at a random price, ranging from 2,550g to 4,250g.
Apricot Tree
Apricot Tree is another tree that provides apricots daily, but only in Spring. They are sold at Pierre’s Store for 2,000g. The Traveling Merchant may also have them on random days. Apricot is also one of the ingredients you’ll need to make Fruit Salad.
Orange Tree
Orange Trees give you Oranges when they mature. They only bear fruit in Summer. Their saplings can be bought from the General Store for 4,000g, but the Traveling Merchant may sell them for a lower price if you’re lucky enough to find them there.
Peach Tree
Peach Trees produce Peaches during Summer. Their saplings can be purchased cheaply, costing 6,000g each. Pierre always has them in stock in his store. The Traveling Merchant may also sell them on random days.
Banana Tree
Banana Tree produces Bananas that sprout only in Summer. With Banana, Milk, and Sugar, you can make Banana Pudding. Get Saplings from the Island Trader at Ginger Island to grow Banana Trees. The Island Trader will give one in exchange for 5 Dragon Teeth. Golden Coconuts that drop from Palm Trees also sometimes contain Banana Saplings.
Mango Tree
Mango is the main ingredient of the Mango Sticky Rice dish. Only Mango Trees bear this tropical fruit. Mango Tree Saplings can be exchanged for Mussels at the Island Trader’s shop. You’ll need 75 Mussels to get one Mango Tree Sapling.
Apple Tree
This type of tree only produces Apple fruit in Fall. Pierre from the General Store sells Apple Tree Saplings for 4,000g. The Traveling Cart store may also have these Saplings on some days. Apple is also needed to make the refreshing Cranberry Candy juice.
Pomegranate Tree
Pomegranate Trees sprout fruit in the Fall season. Their saplings are available in the General Store. Pierre sells them for a heaping 6,000g. You can buy them from the Traveling Merchant at a reduced price if you’re lucky enough to find them in her cart.
Others
Mushroom Trees and Tea Bushes can’t be purchased in the general store. These trees are unavailable until you acquire their crafting recipes. Below, you’ll find more information on these trees:
Mushroom Tree
Mushroom Trees give you different types of mushrooms when you use tappers on them. They may produce Common, Red, or Purple mushrooms. Mushroom Trees thrive in any season. However, you can only obtain their seeds in Mr. Qi’s Store in his Walnut Room on Ginger Island.
Read: Stardew Valley Skills and Professions Guide
Mushroom Tree Seeds can only be obtained in the late game. But there’s an instance where Tree Stumps can turn into Mushroom Trees. This random and rare event may trigger on any day starting Fall 2. After that, there’s a high chance Mushroom Trees will spread all over the farm if they have space to grow.
Tea Bushes
Tea Bushes are a type of tree that comes from Tea Saplings. They sprout Tea Leaves that can be turned into Green Tea. You can obtain the sapling recipe from the friendly NPC Caroline, but not after gaining Two Relationship Points with her and triggering her heart event scene. To trigger this event, you must go to her sunroom inside her house during the day in sunny or cloudy weather.
After deciding where to set up your trees and what seeds to plant, here’s what you need to do next.
How to Plant Trees in Stardew Valley
1. Clear the land
Wherever you plant your tree seeds, make sure it’s clear from all kinds of debris. It should have enough space around it for the tree to grow. Note that you can not also plant tree seeds on tilled soil.
2. Plant the seed or sapling
The game will not allow you to plant any seed if any objects are around it. You can plant a tree seed in a suitable spot without any nearby obstructions.
Common Trees: These trees require two free spaces or tiles on each side, meaning you’ll have to remove any weeds, rocks, or floor paths around them.
In addition, Common Trees do not need to be frequently replanted because they can spread their seeds by themselves. But if you want to improve your tree farm’s layout, consider all the requirements above to allow it to mature fully.
Fruit Trees: These trees need two open spaces in every direction.
You may sometimes get a notification that says your Fruit Tree could not grow overnight. It means your tree is placed too close to an object. Whether it be wild grass or a sprinkler, you must remove it to let your tree grow.
Other Trees: Like Common and Fruit Trees, Mushroom Trees also require room to multiply. Meanwhile, Tea Saplings do not need to be spaced apart. You can plant them on any tile or spot, even if other objects surround them. But you can also put them in Garden Pots should you want to keep them indoors. You can even use Tea Bushes as fences to contain the animals inside them.
3. Wait for the tree to mature
Perhaps a tree’s most attractive feature is it does not need to be watered to grow. The important thing to remember is that trees have different growth cycles. Common Trees go through five growth stages and have a 20% chance to advance daily.
Therefore, a regular tree’s growth cycle will vary. But if you apply Tree Fertilizers on trees found in the wild, they are guaranteed to mature each day. You must reach Foraging Level 7 to learn the crafting recipe to get Tree Fertilizers. The recipe will then tell you you’ll need 5 Fiber and 5 Stones to craft it.
Unfortunately, Tree fertilizers can’t be sprinkled on Fruit Trees or Tea Bushes. However, Fruit Trees have a sure chance of maturing fully after 28 days if objects like grass or debris do not hinder their growth.
As mentioned above, fruit-bearing trees produce fruit when they are in bloom. But there may be a rare chance that they get struck by lightning on a stormy day. When that happens, they will turn dark grey and only give you coal. But don’t worry. They will return to their colorful, normal selves after four days.
Conclusion
Trees may not be everyone’s bread and butter, but they play an important role in the game, including resource gathering, crafting, and farm aesthetics. Without them, it’s impossible to make progress in Stardew Valley. So try to gather more seeds and plant more trees in Stardew Valley to make the most of their resources!
More Guides
