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I don’t know about you, but I put a lot of work into my fictional farm in Stardew Valley. (If only I had the motivation to do everything with the same amount of care!) As I advanced, I developed multiple avenues of generating gold regularly.
Later on in the game, when I had the money, that included growing trees from saplings. I didn’t read about them at all, though, so when I actually planted them, I was frustrated by a repeating message every morning:
“Your Pomegranate tree wasn’t able to grow last night.”
It left me asking myself: why aren’t my Stardew Valley trees growing? The good news is, getting your trees to grow beautifully is easy. I’ll tell you the basics here and explain what keeps them from growing.
The Basics of Growing Trees
I’m going to start by guiding you through some of the essentials of tree growth in Stardew Valley. That way, you’ll be well on your way to getting started.
Here are some common questions you might have if you’re new to the game:
Where do you get seeds to grow trees?
Unlike other plants you cultivate, you don’t actually grow trees from seeds. You purchase them as saplings and plant the whole sapling wherever you want. You don’t even need to till the ground to plant them, which is nice for conserving stamina.
You can get saplings for fruit trees from Pierre’s General Store in town. They tend to cost at least a thousand gold, so make sure you’re generating a decent income before you start investing in them.
How long does it take for a Stardew tree to grow?
When you start buying fruit tree saplings, you’re kind of playing the long game. Every single one, no matter which kind you get (or even if you buy all of them!), takes a full season to grow.
That’s right – 28 whole days. This is why adding fruit trees to your farm in Stardew Valley takes both time and planning. Each type has a particular season it bears fruit in, so ideally, you plant them well in advance of that season.
What types of trees are there?
There are a handful of fruit tree types you can grow:
- Apple
- Apricot
- Cherry
- Orange
- Peach
- Pomegranate
Each season except winter has two types of fruit trees that bear fruit in it. Apricot and cherry are spring trees, orange and peach are summer trees, and apple and pomegranate are autumn trees.
When I first played, I just planted a metric crap ton of pomegranate trees because pomegranates sell for a decent amount of gold. Now, though, I’d recommend growing at least one of each type so you can complete bundles more easily.
Do stumps grow back in Stardew Valley?
Periodically, you’ll come across tree stumps on your farm or scattered around Stardew Valley. If you leave them alone, they won’t regrow.
However, there’s still an argument for leaving them in place on your farm: there’s a possibility that stumps will plant another seed in the ground. If you’re hoping to cultivate a source of wood that’s closer to home, you might choose to leave the stumps in place.
I personally remove them. They take up space I could allot to other resources and could even prevent my other trees from growing. (I also honestly think they’re kind of an eyesore, but that’s a matter of opinion.)
Here’s Why Your Trees Aren’t Growing
If you’re getting the same message I did every single morning about a fruit tree not growing, I’d be willing to guarantee there’s one reason behind it: inadequate space.
In Stardew Valley, your entire farm is divided into square tiles. You can think of your tree as sitting on one big tile, surrounded immediately by eight tiles that form a square around it.
If anything gets in one of those eight tiles, your sapling stops growing. It could be grass, stones, or fallen branches – anything will cause you to get that message about your tree being unable to grow.
Be sure to check out your tree (or, if you’re like me, meticulously comb through your entire orchard of them) to root out any obstructions around the sapling. Once you clear them out, your tree should resume growing as normal.
Wrap Up
Running a farm in Stardew Valley takes thought. You’ll likely have tons of aspects to focus on, such as livestock, crops, bee houses, kegs, and even your trees.
Growing an orchard is worth it, though. Once the trees mature, they’ll produce fruit every day for one season out of the year, allowing you to stockpile fruits for preserves or wine.
Trying to decide which crops you should grow in the beginning? I suggest looking at our guide to the best summer crops for year one. We’ll tell you what to grow in terms of profit and maturation time.