Sprinklers, Junimo Huts, Auto-Grabbers, and Hoppers can handle most of the daily grind on your farm. This guide covers every vanilla automation tool available in Stardew Valley as of Version 1.6.15, from early-game sprinklers through late-game Hopper setups. No mods required.
Current version: 1.6.15 (PC) · Full 1.6 Patch Notes
Game link: Stardew Valley on Steam
Quick Reference: Every Automation Tool
| Task | Tool | Unlocked | Cost / Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watering | Sprinklers | Farming 2 / 6 / 9 | Crafted |
| Fertilizing | Enricher (sprinkler attachment) | Qi's Walnut Room | 20 Qi Gems |
| Extended watering range | Pressure Nozzle (sprinkler attachment) | Qi's Walnut Room | 20 Qi Gems |
| Crop harvesting | Junimo Hut | Wizard's Tower (post-Goblin Problem quest) | 20,000g + 200 Stone + 9 Starfruit + 100 Fiber |
| Animal product collection | Auto-Grabber | Farming Level 10 | 25,000g at Marnie's Ranch |
| Animal petting | Auto-Petter | Joja route or rare drops | 50,000g (Joja) or Skull Cavern / Golden Mystery Box |
| Machine loading | Hopper | Qi's Walnut Room | 50 Qi Gems (recipe) or 10 Qi Gems (each) |
Crop Automation
1. Sprinklers: Stop Watering by Hand
Sprinklers fire at 6:00 AM and water all adjacent tilled tiles. Get off the watering can as fast as your Farming level allows.
| Sprinkler | Farming Level | Coverage | Recipe |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Sprinkler | 2 | 4 tiles (cardinal) | 1 Copper Bar + 1 Iron Bar |
| Quality Sprinkler | 6 | 8 tiles (3×3 area) | 1 Iron Bar + 1 Gold Bar + 1 Refined Quartz |
| Iridium Sprinkler | 9 | 24 tiles (5×5 area) | 1 Gold Bar + 1 Iridium Bar + 1 Battery Pack |
Skip the Basic Sprinkler. Its cross-shaped coverage wastes space. Save your bars and craft Quality Sprinklers once you hit Farming 6. If gold is tight, Krobus sells one Iridium Sprinkler every Friday for 10,000g in the Sewers.
Sprinkler Attachments (1.6 Addition)
Patch 1.6 added two attachments you can snap onto any sprinkler. Buy both from Qi's Walnut Room on Ginger Island for 20 Qi Gems each. You can equip one attachment per sprinkler, not both at once.
- Pressure Nozzle: Extends the sprinkler's watering range by one tile in every direction. An Iridium Sprinkler with a Pressure Nozzle covers a 7×7 area (48 tiles). This is the better pick for large outdoor farms.
- Enricher: Loads fertilizer onto tilled soil when you plant seeds in the sprinkler's range. You fill the Enricher from your inventory. Pick this for Greenhouse or Ginger Island setups where you plant once and harvest many times.
Layout Tip
A single Iridium Sprinkler with a Pressure Nozzle covers a 7×7 grid. Leave one walking path between each grid block. For a standard farm, four Iridium Sprinklers with Pressure Nozzles can cover a field that takes minutes to plant and zero effort to water.
2. Junimo Huts: Hands-Free Harvesting
Junimo Huts send out tiny Junimos each morning to pick mature crops in a 17×17 area centered on the hut. You collect the harvest from a storage slot inside the hut.
How to Unlock
- Complete the Community Center (or the Joja Warehouse).
- Finish the "Dark Talisman" and "Goblin Problem" quests. You trigger these by visiting the Railroad after the Community Center is done.
- Bring Magic Ink to the Wizard. This unlocks his building catalog, which includes the Junimo Hut.
Build Cost
20,000g, 200 Stone, 9 Starfruit, and 100 Fiber. The hut occupies a 3×2 footprint on your farm.
Limitations
- Junimos stay inside on rainy days and during Winter.
- They cannot harvest Giant Crops or anything in Garden Pots.
- They do not replant seeds. You still need to till, fertilize, and plant yourself.
Raisins Boost (1.6 Addition)
Place Raisins inside the Junimo Hut's inventory to give the Junimos a 20% chance to double their harvest on each crop tile. Both copies match the same quality. Junimos consume one Raisin per week (except Winter). Make Raisins by putting 5 Grapes into a Dehydrator.
Pair this with Ancient Fruit in the Greenhouse: the crop regrows without replanting, Junimos pick it, and Raisins give you a one-in-five shot at doubling each harvest. No daily effort from you.
Animal Automation
3. Auto-Grabber: Collect Products Without Milking or Shearing
Place an Auto-Grabber inside a Barn or Coop and it collects milk, wool, eggs, and other animal products each morning. It works like a chest. Walk up to it and grab your goods.
Unlock: Reach Farming Level 10. Buy one from Marnie's Ranch for 25,000g. You need one per building.
What It Catches
| Building | Products Collected |
|---|---|
| Barn | Milk (cow/goat), Wool (sheep), Ostrich Eggs |
| Coop | Eggs (chicken, duck, dinosaur), Void Eggs, Duck Feathers |
Truffles are not collected. Pigs drop truffles outdoors, outside the Auto-Grabber's range. You still pick those up by hand.
Trade-offs
You lose the Farming XP and friendship points you would earn from milking or shearing by hand. If your animals are at max hearts and you are at Farming 10, this costs you nothing. Before then, visit the barn yourself when you want to build friendship faster.
4. Auto-Petter: Keep Animals Happy Without Daily Visits
Place an Auto-Petter in a Barn or Coop and it pets every animal in the building each day. It prevents friendship decay and nudges mood upward.
The Auto-Petter does not replace manual petting for friendship gains. It provides a reduced bonus compared to your hand. If you are pushing toward 5 hearts for iridium-quality products, pet them yourself too. If you are maintaining animals you already maxed, the Auto-Petter handles it.
How to Get One
| Route | Source | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Joja Route | Buy from JojaMart for 50,000g | Reliable. Available after completing the Joja Community Development Form. |
| Community Center Route | Skull Cavern treasure rooms (~3.6% chance), Golden Mystery Boxes (~0.5% chance), dangerous Mines drops | Rare. Stack luck buffs (Lucky Lunch, Magic Rock Candy) and go deep in Skull Cavern on high-luck days. |
Machine and Processing Automation
5. Hoppers: Auto-Load Your Processing Machines
A Hopper sits behind a machine (Keg, Furnace, Preserves Jar, Cheese Press, etc.) and feeds it raw materials whenever the machine finishes its previous batch. You fill the Hopper with a stack of ingredients and walk away.
Unlock: Buy the crafting recipe from Qi's Walnut Room on Ginger Island for 50 Qi Gems. Individual Hoppers cost 10 Qi Gems each if you skip the recipe.
Crafting cost: 10 Hardwood + 1 Iridium Bar + 1 Radioactive Bar.
How to Place Them
Set the Hopper on the tile directly behind or beside a machine so its output faces the machine's input. Load ingredients by interacting with the Hopper. The machine pulls from the Hopper when idle.
The Catch
You still collect the finished product by hand. Machines stop processing until you empty the output slot. Hoppers save you the loading step, not the collection step.
This works best for fast-cycle machines or bulk processing:
- Furnaces: Load coal and ore into the Hopper. The furnace smelts continuously until you empty the bars.
- Kegs with coffee beans: Coffee processes fast (about two hours). A single Hopper keeps one Keg running through most of the day.
- Cheese Press: Drop a stack of milk in the Hopper and collect cheese in batches.
6. New 1.6 Machines Worth Knowing
Patch 1.6 introduced two processing machines that pair with your automated workflow:
| Machine | Input | Output | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dehydrator | Fruit or Mushrooms | Dried Fruit, Dried Mushrooms, Raisins (5 Grapes) | Buy recipe from Pierre for 10,000g |
| Fish Smoker | Any fish + 1 Coal | Smoked Fish (2× sell price, keeps quality) | Buy recipe from Willy for 10,000g |
The Dehydrator matters for automation because it produces the Raisins you feed to Junimo Huts. Set one up near your Grape supply and keep a steady flow going.
Putting It Together: Season-by-Season Automation Roadmap
| Phase | Goal | What You Need |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1, Spring–Summer | Quality Sprinklers for your main crop field | Farming 6, Iron/Gold Bars, Refined Quartz |
| Year 1, Fall–Winter | Upgrade to Iridium Sprinklers, push Farming to 10 | Iridium from Skull Cavern or Krobus, Battery Packs from Lightning Rods |
| Year 2, Spring | Auto-Grabbers in Barn/Coop, start Goblin Problem quest | 25,000g per building, Community Center completed |
| Year 2, Summer | Junimo Huts on main farm, Dehydrator for Raisins | 20,000g + materials per hut, 10,000g for Dehydrator recipe |
| Year 2+, Ginger Island | Pressure Nozzles, Enrichers, Hoppers from Qi's Walnut Room | 100 Golden Walnuts to unlock, Qi Gems from challenges |
Fully Automated Farm Checklist
- Crops: Iridium Sprinklers (with Pressure Nozzles) water. Junimo Huts harvest. Raisins boost yield.
- Animals: Auto-Grabbers collect products. Auto-Petters maintain friendship.
- Processing: Hoppers feed Kegs, Furnaces, and Cheese Presses. You clear output in batches.
- Greenhouse: Plant Ancient Fruit once. Iridium Sprinklers water it year-round. A Junimo Hut inside (if it fits your layout) or manual harvest when convenient.
Common Mistakes
- Crafting Basic Sprinklers: The cross-shaped pattern leaves gaps. Wait for Quality Sprinklers at Farming 6.
- Putting both attachments on one sprinkler: You get one slot per sprinkler. Pick Pressure Nozzle for range or Enricher for fertilizer, not both.
- Forgetting Raisins: Junimos eat one batch per week. If your Dehydrator runs out of Grapes, you lose the 20% double-harvest bonus.
- Ignoring the Greenhouse: Ancient Fruit in the Greenhouse with Iridium Sprinklers is the highest-value, lowest-effort crop loop in the game.
- Expecting Hoppers to collect output: They load machines, not unload. You still visit your Keg shed to pick up the wine.
FAQ
Can Junimos harvest in the Greenhouse?
No. Junimo Huts are outdoor farm buildings. You cannot place one inside the Greenhouse. Greenhouse crops need manual harvesting (or careful farm-layout placement near a Junimo Hut outside).
Do Auto-Petters give the same friendship as petting by hand?
No. They give a reduced daily bonus. For animals below max hearts, pet them yourself too. The Auto-Petter prevents decay and gives a partial boost.
Can I get Auto-Petters without going the Joja route?
Yes, but the drop rates are low. Skull Cavern treasure rooms give about a 3.6% chance. Golden Mystery Boxes sit closer to 0.5%. Use luck food and go on high-luck days.
Do sprinkler attachments work on Quality Sprinklers?
Yes. A Pressure Nozzle on a Quality Sprinkler bumps it from 3×3 to 5×5 coverage, matching a standard Iridium Sprinkler's range. Good mid-game option if you have Qi Gems but not enough Iridium.
What is the best crop for a fully automated farm?
Ancient Fruit in the Greenhouse. It regrows without replanting, sells well raw, and turns into high-value wine in Kegs. Starfruit works too but requires replanting after each harvest.
Does this guide work on console?
The 1.6 update has been released on all platforms. Sprinklers, Junimo Huts, Auto-Grabbers, and Hoppers work the same on PC, Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox. Specific version numbers may trail behind PC.