Stardew Valley has graced our screens since 2016, and in that time we've got to grips with all the best tools and harvested every crop under the sun. There's a real sense of craftsmanship when it comes to creating the farms yourself, and there's a great community for sharing the best layouts that people have created.
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Farms can be centered on crops, livestock, machines, or even flowers. You can keep it mechanical and efficient, or prioritize a pretty and welcoming atmosphere. Whatever your taste, you're sure to find inspiration among our picks for the best farm designs.
Updated on September 7, 2022, by Gabrielle Huston: Neither the Stardew Valley fandom, nor its creator, stop working on this game. As new content is released, players find new ways to use it to their advantage. To keep up with it all, we've updated this article with more details about the featured farms and added a few new options for the Ginger Island farm.
This farm set-up is really focused on making as little work for you as possible. Before you advance far into the game, consider working on something like this so you can spend less of your time on tedious activities like feeding your animals and watering your crops.
Since this farm is on the wilderness map, it'll also be helpful that you don't need to take care of your animals and plants, because you'll be busy fighting off monsters! On this map type, creatures like Bats, Wilderness Golems, and Serpents will attack at night.
Here's a good example of a farm focused on animals. The barn and coop sections are segregated, but you could mix it up if you want to. With eight barns on the left-hand side all in the same area, with plenty of space to roam and grass to eat, it's like a little barnyard neighborhood.
You'll have the happiest cows, goats, pigs, and sheep in the valley. A similar design is in effect for the coops, but chickens, ducks, and rabbits don't need as much space. The crop section is nicely laid out too, with varying sizes to spice things up. The fences make sure everything is in order and complete the homey, farm life feel.
Ginger Island is a special new area you can explore once you've completed the Community Centre. There are lots of unique puzzles and challenges to take on and explore, but one of the best is the brand-new farm that you can build for yourself on the western side! Like the greenhouse, any crop can grow here any time of year.
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We'd suggest taking advantage of your new investment and growing expensive crops here year-round. Some of your best choices include Pineapples, Ancient Fruit, and Starfruit. This layout provides optimal room for crops to grow, as well as some added trees along the farm edge and on the beach.
For those who just want some plain old efficiency, this farm layout is based on producing as many resources as possible in the most compact way. It might not look the best, but there's a place and purpose for everything. The middle part is dedicated to crops and trees to ensure there's a steady flow of wood and income from crops.
On the left side, all things "animal" are featured, with a rather small and compact grass area. Animals might not have a ton of freedom roaming in this area, this layout definitely allows players to maximize profit quickly.
The deep forest farm type provides a lush, natural environment. However, at the same time, it takes away some much-needed space to make the biggest, most efficient farm. Luckily there are still ways to make it work. Here, crops are at the center, organized tidily wherever space allows.
The rest of the free space is used to create slightly more natural enclosures for the farm animals. The line between the paved paths and the grass fields in front of the barns ensures that there's a division between natural space, as well as organization. In this layout in particular, it's nice to see these two styles walk hand in hand efficiently.
This layout puts the original focus of any farm at the center of everything: Stardew Valley's crops. Dividing them into neat, symmetrical sections makes it easier to separate the different types. With all the tillable land that a Standard Farm brings, putting iridium sprinklers to use is the most efficient way to make use of that space, and farm as many profitable goods as possible.
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Putting barns and coops at the top of the map allows you to house livestock while keeping the focus on the crops. The sheds down the side of the map can be used to house kegs or preserve jars, acting like a little brewery. The stable by the entrance also allows quick access to town with your trusty steed.
This variation of the Forest Farm is very aesthetically pleasing, but still efficient with the rectangular plots for crops, complete with iridium sprinklers. The little flower patch at the bottom is also complemented by the bee houses, allowing you to make flavored honey throughout the year (apart from Winter).
The windmill works nicely as a central feature as well. Placing the sheds on either side of the greenhouse is a nice idea; it makes for quick trips for year-round crops to the kegs or jars indoors, making artisanal production swift and easy.
The beach farm is basically Stardew Valley's hard mode - you can't use sprinklers in the sandy areas (so, most of the map). This player has optimized the map by focusing primarily on all the different kinds of artisan goods that you can create, rather than the crops.
The entire beach has been divided into sections for certain uses. There are barns and coops in the north, along with fresh grass and space to create mayonnaise and cheese. In the south, there are trees for plenty of wood and fruit as well as kegs. Fish ponds are sprinkled across the map to fill excess space.
If you were really worried about optimization, you'd probably grow a lot of just one crop. That way, it all is ready to harvest at once, it all takes the same length of time to be preserved or processed, and so forth. No need to fall down the perfection/optimization rabbit hole, though!
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This Stardew Valley player opted to balance lots of wonderful crops with their sense of style and design. A beautiful path splits the garden in two, dotted with trees, and the various species of plants and trees serve to add pops of color - your eye just never gets bored!
This Standard Farm layout is divided beautifully and clearly. Lots of buildings are introduced, which is where most of the magic happens, ultimately keeping your outdoors farm looking tidy.
The coop and barn sharing space means that large animals and coop animals will graze together and give your farm a warm and inviting atmosphere. The square plots for crops keep things simple, with just enough plants to make the most out of the Junimoo helpers.
Check out this example of the hill-top farm map. The shed is a good addition to the southwest hilltop, which also leaves space for rocks and nodes to spawn for mining. The stone floor covering the area with crystal floor being used as a path adds a real mythical atmosphere.
The vineyard area in the bottom-left corner works well, with the sprinklers allowing several columns of crops to grow, with space to run in between them to harvest the goods. The scarecrows getting cozy with the crops conserves space, making a compact crops area in the middle of the map.
This lovely farm setup is perfect for the kind of player who's already done most of what Stardew Valley has to offer. While all the space is used thoughtfully, the player isn't worried about optimizing their output or harvesting a lot of a particular resource. They have plenty already, so they can afford to just make a little of everything.
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Since, as we said, the late-game player doesn't feel the need to cram their farm full of crops, barns, fishponds, etc., they also have time and space to add stuff that's not functional, just pretty. This player has added a few adorable tables in front of their greenhouse and sprinkled mushrooms throughout their other features.
When it comes to the Riverland option of all the farm maps, space for crops is more limited, so this design is a great solution. With a couple of islands dedicated to fruit trees, others a mixture of crops and buildings, the space is diversified to make use of all available resources.
Keeping the main area of crops near the house is a good idea as it allows a short trip to the shipping box. The tight rows of bee houses allow for easy honey collecting, and there's space for the Slime Hutch, to breed Slimes and harvest Slime Balls.
A much greener plan for the Standard farm, this layout is certainly an attractive one. The collectible scarecrows are lined down the middle to show them off, with only the necessary amount being used for the actual crops.
The Crystalariums match the Slime Hutch in color scheme, and the amount makes for a whole lot of gem replicating. The barn and the coop are separate, in different areas of the map to keep organization easy. Cheese and mayonnaise machines can be placed inside the sheds to keep it all compact and hidden away.
Since you may not visit your Ginger Island Farm every day, this optimizing method with a combination of honey, crops, and crystalariums is a perfect fit for players looking to fill up their wallet. It is a little intense to look at, though, so probably not for people who chase beauty.
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The Redditor who created this farm says that, when calculated based on how much they make when they sell everything at various times, it produces 550,000 gold daily. They are replicating diamonds in the crystalariums, producing fairy rose honey, and growing starfruit for wine.
This layout is all about profit. The perfect lines of beautifully organized fruit trees will produce plenty of fruit, which can be put into the masses of kegs arranged at the top of the space.
This allows for maximum earnings, as kegs, when they're done fermenting, will produce wines and juices, making far more money than the original crops. The pattern of the tree types makes the farm look pleasant to the eye as well, keeping extras like furnaces and bait bins out of the way at the very edge of the map. It's efficient and attractive.
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