Keg before winter?

[Great Gherkin]

I'm in a bit of a predicament. During the summer, I spent about 2000 dollars (or is it coins?) on wheat. I grew it all expecting to use it in the winter to make beer. However, I just found out that, to make a keg, you have to be at level 8 in farming. I'm only level 5, and it's, like, the 7th or 8th of fall. Right now, I have 27 pumpkins, 14 corn, 15 cranberries, and about 30 eggplants. I'm not sure if I'll be able to make it to level 8 before winter. If I don't, I'll be stuck with over 100 wheat and nothing to do with it. Does anyone know if I'll make it? Or any ideas to help me get there before winter?

[I Kinda Fail]

Do you have animals? Petting and milking them gives like 5XP each.

Harvesting stuff with a scythe (amaranth, kale, wheat) doesn't give XP.

I don't think you'll make it unless you plant a lot more crops. Ignore the mines and friendship (except birthdays, I guess) and just fish at the mountain lake all day. You should be able to make 2-4k per day. Reinvest this in quick turnover crops if you have sprinklers, or the slow growing ones without sprinklers.

But really... 2k should not be very much money by that point in the game. It increases exponentially once you get kegs and preserve jars, sure, but a day at the mines should get at least 500g in gems, a day fishing 2-4k in fish, a day foraging about 1-3k in goodies...

[Great Gherkin]

I see. Well, part of my problem is that I save at least one of everything I find/grow/mine so I can have it for a community center bundle or for a quest. And 2000 may not have been a whole lot for the first summer for you, but it was about half of my money (probably because of my hoarding). I don't have any animals yet, but I'm buying a coop and a heater before winter.

Either way, thanks for the help! I'll definitely be spending time fishing, foraging, and mining this winter. I guess I just came to the conclusion that if plants don't grow, then there's nothing to forage, and that turned into "There's no way to make money during the winter. What am I gonna do?!"

Regarding my hoarding: what should I do about it? I'm saving the gold star crops for the "quality crops" bundle, and I'm saving blueberries for my preserves jar. I'm also saving a bunch of grapes for Vincent, and all the flowers I have are for Jas. I have all that wheat, and a bunch of junk that I'm not sure what to do with, but I don't want to throw it away, and I don't think it'll sell for much money. Have any suggestions?

[Mrrshan68]

From the sounds of your setup you have zero chance of getting there.
you would need to plant like 300 wheat to power to 8 in under a season, and that seems to be like 3x as much as all your current crops combined.

Dont worry though since the wheat sells for 25g and only cost you 10g so still profit.
Winter can still be good even if your income is lower, since you can farm materials for preserve jars or beehives etc and get ready for spring.

[I Kinda Fail]

In regards to hoarding
Sell: Sea urchins, coral, nautilus shells (or give to Demetrius, he loves them), gems from the mine
Save: favorite gifts like grapes, flowers - process your blueberries throughout winter, and farm winter seeds, crocus are a liked gift for almost everyone and crystal fruit make great wine/jelly

You may as well hold onto the wheat since it isn't worth much as is.

For a more laid back player, a general strategy is: Unless it's needed for a bundle, or it's a "favorite" gift, sell it. Sell gold star and silver star blueberries, but save gold star grapes. Sell gold star cranberries, save gold star fairy roses. If you have a lot (over 100) of something, sell half, and process the rest. (Jelly/wine.) Sell gold star, keep no star to process.

And like I said before, FISH. It'll rake in 2-4k per day at the mountain lake. Invest in seeds. And in the last week or so, start saving money for spring, unless you're using the money to build coops and barns.

[Great Gherkin]

Wow, that's a lot of info. Thanks again. One last question: how far along should my farm be by the second year? I'm anticipating having around 100-150 crops, a coop with some chickens, and all my tools upgraded at least once. I also want to get all my skills to at least level 5. Is all that too much to ask for? Or is that average? Or should I have had all that before now?

[I Kinda Fail]

Um. I have over 300 hours, so I'm not sure how efficient I was my first playthrough, but I'd say you should definitely have your skills at or around level 5 by the end of year 1... I have all my skills at level 10 by winter. :P But again, I know what I'm doing.

By the end of year 1, I'd say you should have a coop or barn (if you even want them), all your tools to copper at the minimum, but ideally iron. Your skills should be at least level 5...

For winter, I'd recommend spending your time: 1 day foraging (chopping trees, chatting with the townsfolk, checking the beach, and gathering crocus, crystal fruit, etc.) 2 days fishing (to build up around 5k minimum per week) and 4 days in the mines. (to build sprinklers, lightning rods, upgrade your tools, etc...)

I HIGHLY recommend focusing on sprinklers. Gold rocks show up regularly around level 80 in the mines, but you should still have a few just from monster drops if you're at level 60 in the mines. Try and get AT LEAST 6 quality sprinklers. Sprinklers are way more important than beehives or crab pots or whatever else people waste their bars on. As for tools, the most important to upgrade is the pickaxe.



I'd say your end goals should be
- Copper hoe, copper axe, fiberglass rod, iron(/gold if you can afford it) watering can and iron/gold pickaxe.
- At least one coop or barn, even if you don't put animals in it yet.
- At least 4 tappers for the bus stop trees - 2 maple, 2 oak, to make beehives and kegs down the road.
- Try and start spring with at least 10k, preferably 15k+. Make money by fishing and selling gems. (If you're worried about gifting, just save two types: Clint and Emily like most common gems, Abigail likes amethyst, Sebastian likes frozen tears, Penny likes emeralds. So you could save amethyst and jade, or emerald and topaz...)