How to get Rare Seeds in Stardew Valley

There’s lots of seeds to plant and grow in Stardew Valley, and one of the hardest to come by is the Rare Seed. When planted, a Rare Seed will grow and produce Sweet Gem Berries, which sell for a high price, or can be used in a couple of different ways. 

There are many things to bear in mind when trying to get yourself some Rare Seeds, most of all how you get your hands on them in the first place. Don’t worry; here’s everything you need to know. It all gets a little expensive in the beginning, but you can make some good profit on the crops.

How to get Rare Seeds in Stardew Valley

The only way to get Rare Seeds to begin with is by visiting the Traveling Cart, which shows up in the Valley on Fridays and Sundays. Rare Seeds sell for 1,000 Gold, and they’re guaranteed to be in stock at the Traveling Cart in either Spring or Summer. There is a 10% chance of the Traveling Cart having five stacks of Rare Seeds, but you’ll usually only be able to buy one a day. 

There’s also a chance that the Seeds will appear as stock outside of Spring or Summer, though this is not guaranteed by any means, with only a 1.26% chance of occurring. 

Rare Seeds will only grow in the Fall and take the entire season to grow, so you usually have to plant them on the first day of Fall in order to harvest any crops from them. However, you can use any fertilizer that improves growth rate, such as Hyper Speed-Gro, which speeds growth by at least 33%. 

You can use a Seed Maker to produce more Rare Seeds from grown Sweet Berry Gems, but it will reduce your profits dramatically. If you’re aiming to make the most Gold, you’re better off purchasing from the Traveling Cart, even if the available stock is limited. 

What are Rare Seeds used for?

While Rare Seeds are only used for planting, the resulting crop of Sweet Berry Gems is far more useful. 

Firstly, a Sweet Berry Gem is required as part of the Rare Crops Bundle in the Pantry (Remixed) when trying to complete the Community Center. This is the most common use for a Sweet Berry Gem.

Sweet Berry Gems can also be used in the spool of the Sewing Machine in order to make a White Turban, and be used as red dye in the dye pots at Emily and Haley’s house.

The most likely reason that you’d be growing Rare Seeds is to make a profit. Here’s the selling price for Sweet Berry Gems at each quality level:

Last but not least, you can give Sweet Berry Gems to Villagers as a gift. Most of them feel pretty neutral about it, but there is a statue of Old Master Cannoli in the Secret Woods that, when given a Sweet Berry Gem, will reward you with a Stardrop in return.