Stardew Valley Beginner's Guide: How to Nail Your First Season
A complete beginner's guide to your first Spring in Stardew Valley on PC — what to plant, how to make money fast, who to talk to, and the mistakes to avoid. Covers keyboard and mouse controls.
Starting Your Farm the Right Way
You've inherited your grandfather's old farm. It's overgrown, you have 500g to your name, and Spring has 28 days. Don't panic — Stardew Valley is one of the most forgiving games once you understand its rhythms.
The single most important tip: Energy is your main resource. You have a limited stamina bar each day. Spend it wisely — farming, mining, and fishing all drain it. When you run out of energy, go to sleep (pass midnight and you'll pass out and lose gold).
This guide covers Stardew Valley on PC (keyboard and mouse). Default key bindings are used — remap under Options → Controls. The most important keys to know from the start:
- E — Open inventory / backpack
- M — Open the map
- Esc — Open menu / settings
- Left-click — Use held tool or interact
- Right-click — Place item, open chests, talk to NPCs
Day 1–3: Planting Your First Crops
On Day 1, visit Pierre's General Store (open 9am–5pm, closed Wednesdays). Buy as many Parsnip Seeds as you can afford. They cost 20g each, grow in 4 days, and sell for 35g — a modest but reliable profit.
Clear your farm first: Equip your tools from your hotbar (1–9 or scroll the mouse wheel to switch), then left-click to use them — scythe on weeds, axe on stumps and branches, pickaxe on rocks and boulders. Clear enough space for 9–15 crops; don't exhaust yourself clearing everything on Day 1.
Planting and watering: Select seeds from your hotbar, left-click tilled soil to plant, then equip your watering can and left-click each crop tile. One watering-can click uses 2 energy, so only plant as many crops as you can water without hitting zero stamina.
Plant Cauliflower on Spring 1 if you can afford it (80g per seed at Pierre's). It takes 12 days to grow, sells for 175g, and is required for the Community Center Spring Crops bundle. It's the single best early profit crop in Spring.
Press E to open your inventory and check your seed stock. You can also access the Community Center bundles from the menu to track what you still need to collect.
Making Money Fast: The Mine
Don't just farm — the mine is your best early income source. Access it from the northeast of town (it opens after Day 5 — travel there on your map with M). Each floor you descend drops copper, iron, and eventually gold ore, plus gems.
Copper ore + a furnace = copper bars = better tools. Upgrade your watering can at the Blacksmith (Clint, east side of town) so it waters a 3×3 area per click — hold the left mouse button to charge it. This saves enormous energy every day.
Sell gems (Amethyst, Topaz, etc.) from the mine directly for quick cash. Diamonds are worth 750g each. Drag them from your inventory (E) to your shipping box — the wooden box outside your house — at the end of each day, or sell them directly at the shop.
Mine survival tips:
- Bring food to restore health and energy — forage around town or buy from Willy's Fish Shop
- Right-click staircase tiles to descend floors; prioritize finding stairs over killing every enemy
- Aim to reach floor 40 (iron ore) by the end of Spring
- Press Tab to switch between your combat weapon and tools quickly
Who to Talk To Every Day
Pelican Town has 12 marriageable NPCs and many others. Talking to and gifting people builds relationship points (hearts on their profile page — press E → Skills/Profile).
- Talk to everyone every day: walk up and left-click to start conversation (free +20 relationship points each)
- Give 2 gifts per week per person — left-click a person while holding the gift item in hand
- Universal loves: Golden Pumpkin, Pearl, Rabbit's Foot, Prismatic Shard, Magic Rock Candy
- Universal likes: Daffodil, Dandelion, Leek (all free forage in Spring — just walk over them to pick up)
Priority relationships early on: Penny (Melon, Poppyseed Muffin), Haley (Sunflower, Coconut), and Linus (Blueberry Tart, Sashimi) for Community Center help.
Check your TV every morning — left-click it from inside your farmhouse. The Weather channel tells you tomorrow's forecast. If rain is coming, your crops water themselves — spend that energy in the mine or socialising instead. The Fortune Teller channel shows your daily luck, which affects mining drops and fishing.
End of Spring Checklist
By Spring 28 you should ideally have:
- ✅ At least 2,000–4,000g saved
- ✅ Copper tools (watering can, pickaxe, hoe) — upgrade at Clint's Blacksmith
- ✅ A furnace built (10 copper ore + 25 stone — recipe from Clint after your first copper)
- ✅ A backpack upgrade (2,000g at Pierre's — press E and notice you have 12 extra slots)
- ✅ First few Community Center bundles started (enter the Community Center in town to check)
Key bindings cheat sheet
| Action | Default Key |
|--------|------------|
| Open inventory | E |
| Open map | M |
| Open menu / journal | Esc |
| Use tool / interact | Left-click |
| Place item / talk | Right-click (or face NPC + left-click) |
| Switch hotbar items | 1–9 or scroll wheel |
| Pick up item | Left-click |
| Check item info | Hover (tooltip appears) |
| Open crafting menu | Esc → Craft |
| Sleep / end day | Walk to bed → left-click |
Summer crops are more profitable. Blueberries (80g seed, 3 harvests per plant) and Starfruit (400g seed, sells for 750g+ as wine) are your Summer goals. Save money during Spring to invest heavily on Summer Day 1.