Green Rain is a weather event added in Stardew Valley 1.6 that hits the valley on one day every summer: the sky turns green, moss covers the trees, and huge weeds and strange new trees sprout all over town for that single day. It is harmless to your farm, and it is one of the best days of the year to stock up on Moss, Mossy Seeds, Fiddlehead Ferns and Foraging XP.
Below we cover when it can happen, everything it changes, how the first year differs from later ones, and a checklist for making the most of the day.
Which Version This Covers
This guide covers Stardew Valley 1.6, the current version on PC, consoles and mobile, which is where Green Rain first appeared. The official 1.6 changelog only teases it as “a new environmental ‘event’ in summer.” Later patches tweaked it: 1.6.4 stopped gifting during the first Green Rain, and 1.6.3 made the mossy trees it leaves behind speed up moss growth on nearby trees.
When Green Rain Happens
Green Rain arrives once each Summer, every year, on a random day. It can only land on Summer 5, 6, 7, 14, 15, 16, 18 or 23.
You get one day of warning. The night before, the Weather Report on your TV stumbles through an odd forecast: “Um… There appears to be some kind of… anomalous reading… I… don’t know what this means…” When you hear that, plan tomorrow around foraging. The weather icon also changes on the day itself.
What Green Rain Does to the Valley
Everything below lasts one day and clears up the next morning:
- Weeds everywhere. Special weeds and Large Weeds spawn across the whole valley except the Beach and the Calico Desert. They spawn without destroying anything and vanish the next day.
- Moss on the trees. Every mature tree that can grow moss is instantly covered in it.
- Trees transform. Each mature Oak or Maple Tree has a 75% chance to turn into a temporary Green Rain Tree for the day, and more Green Rain Trees spawn in open ground.
- Saplings shoot up. Young trees get a big growth boost and skip ahead several stages at once.
- Electronics fail. TVs show green static, the telephone does not work, and the jukeboxes go silent. TVs on Ginger Island still work.
- The Old Mariner appears on the east side of the Beach, as he does on ordinary rainy days, provided you have repaired the bridge to the tide pools. He sells the Mermaid’s Pendant you need to propose, so it is a good day to check in if you plan to get married.
For heart events, Green Rain counts as a rainy day, so events that need sun will not trigger. Whether it also waters your outdoor crops is disputed: reports differ, and nothing official settles it. Water your crops as usual that morning to be safe, and remember that the Greenhouse and indoor Garden Pots always need your Watering Can.
Year 1 Versus Later Years
The first Green Rain plays out differently. In year 1:
- Most villagers stay indoors all day. Only Demetrius, Leah and Linus head outside.
- Buildings you can normally enter stay open at any hour, and some bedrooms open without the usual heart requirement.
- You cannot give gifts to villagers.
- Robin does not work on buildings that day.
From year 2 onward the event still happens every summer, but the town has seen it before and villagers react with different dialogue. Weddings are never held on a Green Rain day; a wedding that would fall on one is pushed to the next suitable day.
What to Do on a Green Rain Day
- Bring your Axe, Scythe and a weapon or tool for weeds. Large Weeds drop 2 to 3 Moss and 2 to 3 Fiber each, plus 15 Foraging XP, and have a 5% chance to drop a Mossy Seed. Ordinary Green Rain weeds have a 10% chance to drop Moss.
- Harvest moss from every tree. You do not have to chop the tree: one hit with any tool collects 1 to 2 Moss. Moss now goes into Speed-Gro (the official changelog says it “now requires 5 Moss instead of 1 Clam”) and Mushroom Logs.
- Chop the fern-like Green Rain Trees. The third type of Green Rain Tree drops 5 Fiddlehead Ferns when felled, plus 1 more from the stump. Fiddlehead Fern is one of the items the Chef’s Bundle at the Community Center asks for.
- Shake trees for Mossy Seeds. Green Rain Trees have a 5% chance to drop one when shaken or chopped.
- Budget your energy. Clearing weeds and chopping trees adds up fast, so pack food; our energy guide lists the best options, and an upgraded Axe (see which tool to upgrade first) needs fewer swings per tree.
What Green Rain Leaves Behind
Most Green Rain Trees outside the farm turn back into normal trees the next day, but some remain, and temporary ones on your farm can spread seedlings. Mossy Seeds you collect can be planted to grow your own Green Rain Trees. Two of the three types grow moss faster than normal trees, and the fern type can hold a Tapper that yields a Fiddlehead Fern every two days outside winter. Since 1.6, Oak and Maple Trees can also temporarily turn into Green Rain Trees each fall, then return to normal in spring.
If you are planning your summer fields around the event, our best summer crops guide covers what to plant, and the Stardew Valley hub has the rest of our coverage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Green Rain bad for your farm? No. Its weeds spawn without destroying anything and disappear the next day, and the tree changes are temporary.
How often does Green Rain happen in Stardew Valley? Once every Summer, on one of a handful of fixed dates between Summer 5 and Summer 23.
Can you predict Green Rain? Only a day ahead. The TV Weather Report gives a confused “anomalous reading” forecast the night before.
Does Green Rain water your crops? Reports differ, so water your outdoor crops that morning anyway. Indoor crops in the Greenhouse or Garden Pots always need watering.
Why can I not give gifts during Green Rain? Since patch 1.6.4, gifting is disabled during the year 1 Green Rain. It works again in later years.