Best farm types in Stardew Valley

The first choice you’re presented with in Stardew Valley is also one of the most important: What type of farm will you start with?

In Stardew Valley, your late grandfather leaves you with a farm in a great state of disrepair, and while you can’t change the state the farm is in, you do have a choice over what kind of farm it will be. This decision has huge implications on your farm’s terrain, spacing, and the sort of resources you can get more immediate access to.

There are seven farm types to pick from when you start a new game in Stardew Valley. These are the best.

Best Stardew Valley farm types

Forest farm

The forest farm type is a personal favorite of mine, and the added value the forest farm provides more than makes up for the slight reduction in space.

The forest farm’s most important feature is the renewable tree stumps on the west side. These stumps replenish every day, providing you with eight stumps worth of Hardwood every day, which is crucial to a couple of farm upgrades and numerous recipes for items like the Cheese Press, the Cask, and various Totems. The forest farm also provides seasonal forage items and berry bushes.

Hill-top farm

The hill-top farm brings a miniature, replenishable version of the mine to your farm. In the southwest section of the farm, players can mine Stone, Ore nodes, and Geodes. The general consensus among players is that the most effective way to farm items from the hill-top area is to wait for the fourth day after clearing the area.

Standard farm

The standard farm is the most simplistic as it’s just a big plot of tillable land that provides more surface area for farming than any other farm. While it doesn’t have the special perks the other farm types have, it provides the most space for creative builders who like large and audacious farm designs.

Riverland farm

Fishing fanatics will love the riverland farm. Players can catch fish that are found near the town or in the Cindersap Forest, meaning they only have to venture out to the beach if they’re trying to go for a fishing completionist path.

There are three other types of farms available to choose from:

• The wilderness farm
• The four corners farm
• The beach farm

The four corners farm is the multiplayer design, and while it does provide some value with a little bit of something from the other types, the layout is annoying for single-player playthroughs. The wilderness and beach farms, on the other hand, are for experienced players who want to be challenged. The wilderness farm spawns monsters at night but doesn’t provide any extra value that makes up for the inconvenience, and the beach farm is mostly sandy soil that doesn’t let you use sprinklers.