Best Sprinkler Layouts in Stardew Valley – Sprinkler Guide

With Stardew Valley Update 1.6 around the corner, many players will want to brush up on improving their farm. This guide will explain the best Sprinkler layouts in Stardew Valley so you can get the most out of your crops with the least work.

Best way to lay out your Sprinklers in Stardew Valley

Before we get into this list, it should be stated that there are infinite ways to set up your crops in Stardew Valley. The player community is incredibly talented, and you can do much with your farm. However, this guide will simplify the process by focusing on the most efficient layouts for the average player starting out on their farming journey. As such, we are going to break this into three categories.

Best early-game Stardew Valley Sprinkler layout

During the opening hours of Stardew Valley, you will only have access to the basic Sprinkler. And because we won’t have a lot of crops that we can farm yet at this point in the story anyway, it’s best to keep your early-game layout simple. For efficiency’s sake, you will want to layer your Sprinklers out in a diagonal pattern so that each seed is being hit with water with overlap. The layout also allows you to use fewer Sprinklers, giving you maximum coverage.

Best mid-game Stardew Valley Sprinkler Layout

In the mid-game, you will eventually get access to the Quality Sprinkler, a major upgrade for your crops. Because your crop area will be much wider, you must protect your produce from birds. So, for this Sprinkler layout, you will want to create a giant cross pattern with 20 Quality Sprinklers. In the middle of this, you will place a Scarecrow to scare off predators from trying to steal your food.

Best late-game Stardew Valley Sprinkler Layout

At a glance, the late-game Sprinkler layout might look less complex than the other patterns. But that is on purpose! That is because the Iridium Sprinkler is the most efficient watering system in Stardew Valley, as it covers a staggering 24 tiles. So, because of its incredible efficiency, the best late-game layout is actually pretty simple. Create two 5×5 squares with the Iridium Sprinkler in the middle. And then leave a space between the next square to put a Scarecrow down. You can then duplicate this pattern throughout your farm.

All Sprinklers in Stardew Valley – Sprinkler types explained

Your crop layout options are limited when starting your farm in Stardew Valley. For the game’s opening hours, you must use your trusty Watering Can to water your Parsnip seeds manually. However, your farming capabilities substantially open up once you unlock Sprinklers.

You will unlock your first Sprinkler after reaching Level 2 Farming. This is done by raising crops. So clear out those overgrown weeds, and get to planting those seeds! Overall, there are three Sprinkler types in Stardew Valley, and below what each one does:

• Sprinkler – Waters four tiles every morning.
• Quality Sprinkler – Waters eight tiles every morning.
• Iridium Sprinkler – Waters 24 tiles every morning.

How to unlock Sprinklers in Stardew Valley

As mentioned above, you will unlock your first Sprinkler after reaching Level 2 Farming. However, you will need to spend a lot of time progressing the main story before you can unlock the other Sprinklers in the game. You can find how to unlock each Sprinkler in Stardew Valley and their crafting recipes here:

• Sprinkler – Unlocked with Level 2 Farming.
  • Crafted with 1 Copper Bar and 1 Iron Bar.
• Quality Sprinkler – Unlocked with Level 6 Farming.
  • Crafted with 1 Iron Bar, 1 Gold bar, and 1 Refined Quartz.
• Iridium Sprinkler – Unlocked with Level 9 Farming.
  • Crafted with 1 Gold Bar, 1 Iridium Bar, and 1 Battery Pack.

Once you have the basic Sprinkler layouts in Stardew Valley down, you can start experimenting and try to come up with more complicated designs. There is also the Pressure Nozzle mechanic, which allows you to increase the tile spaces your Sprinklers can reach. So, as you prepare for Stardew Valley Update 1.6, make sure to build off the foundations of the basic Sprinkler layouts to upgrade your farm.

Stardew Valley is available on iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC.