Quick answer

Plant and water your starting Parsnip Seeds, meet the town, and use the early days to try fishing and foraging. On Spring 2, read Willy's letter and visit the beach before 5 p.m. for the Bamboo Pole. When the Mines open, explore them in short trips rather than sacrificing every farming day.

Source: Stardew Valley Wiki

A flexible first-week route

  1. Day 1: Clear only enough space for your starting seeds. Till, plant, and water them. Keep some energy for a look around the farm and town.
  2. Day 2: Water before leaving. Follow Willy's letter to the beach before 5 p.m. if you want to start fishing.
  3. Over the next few days: Harvest the parsnips after their four-day growth time, then decide whether you enjoy crops, fishing, or foraging most.
  4. From Spring 5: The Mines become accessible. Bring food and leave yourself time to get home; there is no requirement to rush to the bottom.

Source: Stardew Valley Wiki

Choose one early priority

Crops give you a repeatable morning routine. Fishing can fill the rest of a day once you have the Bamboo Pole. Foraging costs no seed money and teaches you how the valley connects. Mining adds materials and combat, but it opens a few days later. Pick the loop you enjoy; this is an open-ended game.

Source: Stardew Valley Wiki

Build a day around your energy

Water first so you know how much time and energy remain. After that, choose one outing: fish, gather forage, talk to villagers, or explore a few mine floors. The game does not force you to complete every activity each day. Food restores energy, and sleeping before midnight gives a fuller recovery than going to bed very late.

Source: Stardew Valley Wiki

Mistakes that actually matter

Do not plant more crops than you are willing to water each morning. An unwatered crop does not die, but it does not advance toward harvest that day. Check the calendar before planting late in the season because most crops die when the season changes. If you chose Meadowlands Farm, your opening differs: you start with a coop and two chickens, and receive hay instead of parsnip seeds.

There is no penalty for pursuing a slower first Spring. The Getting Started quest teaches the crop loop; it does not require you to maximize income or reach the bottom of the Mines before summer. If a day gets away from you, resume your preferred activity the next morning.

Source: Stardew Valley Wiki

A small checklist before summer

  1. Decide whether your current crop area is comfortable to water; shrink it if the morning routine feels like a chore.
  2. Keep a few food items for days when you want to fish or mine longer.
  3. Visit the places connected to Pelican Town so that future errands are easier to plan.
  4. Before buying late-season seeds, check that their growth time fits the remaining days.

Source: Stardew Valley Wiki

Sources and scope

This guide is based on the linked game documentation, checked on 2026-10-02. It has not been labeled as hands-on tested, and no specific game version is claimed.