🌱 Core Keeper — Crop & Farming Database
Your complete reference for Core Keeper farming. All data is based on the 1.0 full release and the game's gardening skill mechanics.
Quick Navigation: - Crop Profit Table (All Biomes) - Farming by Biome - Cooking & Crop Processing - Gardening Skill Guide - Sprinklers & Automation
🧮 How Farming Works in Core Keeper
Core Keeper uses a real-time growth system (not day-based like Stardew). Seeds grow in minutes of real time, and crops need:
- Tilled soil — use a Hoe on dirt or ground
- Water — use a Watering Can or sprinklers (water once per growth cycle)
- Light — torches or glow tulips nearby (optional but speeds growth)
Growth formula: Base growth time × (1 − Water bonus − Light bonus). With water and light, crops grow ~40% faster.
🌾 Crop Profit Table
Below is every crop in Core Keeper ranked by Profit Per Minute (PPM) — the gold standard for deciding what to plant.
| Crop | Biome | Seed Cost | Growth (min) | Regrows | Harvest Yield | Sell Price | Profit | PPM | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🌶️ King Pepper | Rare (Larva) | 0g* | 12 | No | 1–3 | 100g | ~200g avg | 16.7g | Rare drop, huge value |
| 🍍 Pineapple | Desert | 40g | 15 | No | 1 | 120g | 80g | 5.3g | Best desert crop |
| 🎃 Pumpkin | Meadow | 30g | 10 | No | 1 | 80g | 50g | 5.0g | Great early crop |
| 🥕 Carrot | Dirt | 8g | 2 | No | 1 | 18g | 10g | 5.0g | Starting crop |
| 🌶️ Fire Pepper | Forlorn Metropolis | 50g | 14 | No | 1–2 | 110g | 95g avg | 6.8g | Endgame staple |
| 🍇 Grape | Desert | 25g | 7 | No | 1 | 60g | 35g | 5.0g | Good mid-game |
| 🌾 Wheat | Clay | 10g | 5 | No | 1 | 24g | 14g | 2.8g | Used for cooking |
| 🌶️ Pepper | Clay | 12g | 3 | No | 1 | 24g | 12g | 4.0g | Decent early cash |
| 🌿 Cotton | Meadow | 10g | 5 | No | 1 | 20g | 10g | 2.0g | Needed for armour |
| ☕ Coffee | Sunken Sea | 20g | 6 | Yes (4min) | 1–2 beans | 12g bean | — | Varies | Buff item, not for profit |
| 🌾 Rice | Sunken Sea | 15g | 4 | No | 1 | 30g | 15g | 3.8g | Good underwater crop |
| 🌸 Lotus | Sunken Sea | 20g | 8 | No | 1 | 45g | 25g | 3.1g | Deco + crafting |
| 🌺 Seaflower | Sunken Sea | 18g | 6 | No | 1 | 36g | 18g | 3.0g | Crafting material |
| 🍄 Giant Mushroom | Mold | 15g | 5 | No | 1–2 | 30g | 20g avg | 4.0g | Good mold crop |
| 💎 Amber Pumpkin | Rare (Meadow) | 0g* | 14 | No | 1 | 200g | 200g | 14.3g | Random pumpkin mutation |
| 🧊 Crystalized Water | Crystal | 0g* | 8 | No | 1 | 80g | 80g | 10.0g | Harvest from crystal nodes |
*Special seeds: King Pepper drops from Larva Hive, Amber Pumpkin is a random mutation, Crystalized Water is mined.
💡 Top Profit Crops by Stage: - Early (Dirt): Carrots → fast cash, 5.0 PPM - Mid (Clay/Meadow): Pumpkin (5.0 PPM) + Peppers (4.0 PPM) - Late (Desert): Pineapple (5.3 PPM) + Grapes (5.0 PPM) - Endgame (Metropolis): Fire Pepper (6.8 PPM) - Jackpot Drops: Amber Pumpkin (14.3 PPM), King Pepper (16.7 PPM)
🌍 Farming by Biome
🟫 Dirt Biome (Starting Area)
| Seed Source | What You Get | Strategy |
|---|---|---|
| Break grass | Carrot Seeds | Plant immediately for food + cash |
| Slime drops | Mixed seeds | Save for later biomes |
🟥 Clay Biome
Accessible after defeating Glurch. Clay soil is ideal for: - Wheat — needed for Bread (best early healing food) - Pepper — decent profit, good for Spicy Cuisine
🟩 Meadow / Forgotten Ruins
After Ghorm is defeated: - Pumpkin — your best mid-game cash crop - Cotton — needed for armour progression
🟦 Sunken Sea (Underwater Farming)
Requires a Diving Set or underwater base. Crops here grow well with natural water: - Rice — grows fast, good food source - Coffee — infinite harvests, great for speed buffs - Lotus / Seaflower — crafting materials
🟧 Desert of Beginnings
- Pineapple — highest base profit crop
- Grape — good profit, fast growth
🔥 Forlorn Metropolis (Endgame)
- Fire Pepper — best profit per minute in the game
- Requires Galaxite-tier tools to survive this biome
🍳 Cooking & Crop Processing
Farming isn't just about selling raw crops — cooking dramatically increases their value.
| Recipe | Ingredients | Sell Price | Value Add | Buff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥗 Basic Salad | Any 2 vegetables | 60g | 2x raw value | +HP regen |
| 🍞 Bread | 3 Wheat | 72g | 3x raw value | +Max HP |
| 🌮 Spicy Wrap | 2 Pepper + 1 Wheat | 85g | ~2x raw | +Mining Speed |
| 🍍 Pineapple Juice | 3 Pineapple | 240g | 2x raw | +Movement Speed |
| 🥧 Pumpkin Pie | 2 Pumpkin + 3 Wheat | 200g | 2.5x raw | +Defence |
| ☕ Coffee | 5 Coffee Beans | 60g | 1x raw | +Move Speed (short) |
💡 Cooking Tip: Processing crops through cooking at least doubles their value. Always cook before selling!
🌿 Gardening Skill Guide
Leveling your Gardening skill unlocks major farming bonuses:
| Level | Unlock | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Basic Hoe | Start tilling |
| 2 | Watering Can (Copper) | Water 3 tiles at once |
| 5 | Crop Quality Chance | Base 10% chance of +1 yield |
| 8 | Sprinkler (Tin) | Automates watering |
| 12 | Watering Can (Iron) | Water 5 tiles at once |
| 15 | Double Harvest Chance | 15% chance of double yield |
| 18 | Sprinkler (Gold) | Larger range |
| 22 | Watering Can (Gold) | Water 7 tiles at once |
| 25 | Master Farmer | +25% growth speed, +25% yield |
Fast leveling method: Plant Carrots (fastest growth) in bulk, harvest, replant. Each harvest gives 10–30 XP depending on yield.
💧 Sprinklers & Automation
| Sprinkler Type | Materials | Range | Water per Cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🔵 Tin Sprinkler | 10 Tin Bars, 5 Fibre | 3×3 (1 tile radius) | 1 water |
| 🟡 Gold Sprinkler | 10 Gold Bars, 5 Copper, 3 Fibre | 5×5 (2 tile radius) | 1 water |
| 🟣 Scarlett Sprinkler | 8 Scarlett Bars, 10 Gold, 5 Fibre | 7×7 (3 tile radius) | 1 water |
Automation tip: Connect sprinklers to a water source via canals or place them on tilled soil. One watering per growth cycle is all a crop needs. Pair with conveyor belts for auto-harvest collection.
📊 Profit Strategy Summary
| Play Style | Recommended Crops | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 🏃 Speed Runner | Carrots → Pumpkins → Pineapples → Fire Peppers | Max PPM progression |
| 🍳 Chef | Wheat, Pepper, Pumpkin | Cooking gives 2–3x value |
| 🎨 Crafter | Cotton, Lotus, Seaflower | Needed for armour/decorations |
| 🤖 Automator | Any regrowable + Sprinklers | Set-and-forget income |