[Spoilers] Best crop for ginger island?

[qwerty]

I have just unlocked the ginger island farmhouse but I am not sure on what crops to fill it with. Starfruit and ancient fruit seem to be the best choices but I have already filled my greenhouse with ancient fruit. Are pineapples worth it in the long run since I don't want to replant all that starfruit?

 

[Phate4569]

Ancient Fruit is going to be your best bang-for-the-buck. Especially in the fact that you never need to replant it like Star Fruit.

 

[imnvs]

Pineapple are ancient fruit but not as valuable. (Regrow 7 days.) You're better off with ancient fruit.

I like having just a few fairy roses and beehouses going too, for low-maintenance cash.

 

[hexnessie]

I do full-on Starfruit with Deluxe Speed-Gro, cutting the growing time to 10 days.

I also plant some extra Ancient Fruit bushes on the riversides where it's not worth it to place sprinklers - so I use Deluxe Retaining Soil.

ETA: The Deluxe Soil does not vanish on Ginger Island - whatever fertilizer you put in, stays indefinitely, so it's just a one-time expense.

On the left side of the river, near the pond, there's a couple of plantable dirt patches. I put a single Fairy Rose there and surround it with 16-18 hives.

 

[Giant Octopodes]

Depends on what machines you have of course. Crops themselves only offer so much profit, taking just about anything and running it through a preserves jar or keg is going to net far more profit than even the best raw crop. That being said, the best items for machines are also the best ones from a raw crop standpoint, Starfruit and Ancient Fruit. If you don't feel like replanting, and don't have the Ancient Fruit to spare to break them down into seeds, Hops are also a fine option but they require a HUGE amount of Kegs. Coffee and Pineapples are options as well but are half as profitable or less than the other options listed.

If you're going Pineapples I'd definitely recommend Preserves Jars over Kegs, in general Preserves Jars maximize the value produced per day while Kegs (on high end input ingredients) maximize the value derived from the raw materials. Both have their merits.

 

[Hill Myna]

ETA: The Deluxe Soil does not vanish on Ginger Island - whatever fertilizer you put in, stays indefinitely, so it's just a one-time expense.

In my experience, it won't run out if you plant a re-harvesting crop on Deluxe Retaining Soil. But if you put a single-harvest crop on it, it runs out the moment you harvest the crop. I could very well be wrong, and it could be that I play on Switch, so I don't have the numerous fixes/improvements that 1.5.5 brought. I'd just make sure with a quick test before you plant hundreds of Starfruit!

But to answer the question, I feel like a greenhouse full of Ancient Fruit is enough money to supply all your needs in the long term, especially if you're not super high on friendship and other requirements for Perfection. And your time is precious, so plant re-harvestable crops because they require less effort. Plant some Coffee to keep your legs pumping, plant some Corn, Eggplants and Tomatoes for all your culinary needs, plant some Pineapple because Pineapple!

Fruit Trees will harvest every day; you can buy Taro Tubers for two Bone Fragments each at the Island Trader (when you unlock it, if you haven't already) so you don't even have to leave the Island for seeds. Hot Peppers are great for Pepper Poppers!

But there are also some surprising don't-s: Don't place Scarecrows, you don't need them on the Island (and there is no need to scare the lovely parrots), don't hope for Giant Crops (they can't appear on Ginger Island), and don't forget to leave paths so you can walk through your beautiful farmland.

Hope this helps, have fun!