Building a Stardew Valley silo isn't just some optional late-game goal. It’s actually the very first thing you should do if you don't want to starve your animals or go broke buying hay from Marnie. Honestly, most new players make the mistake of clearing all the grass on their farm with a scythe on Day 1. Don't do that. You’re literally throwing away free money and food.
If you cut that grass before you have a silo, it just vanishes into the void. Once that silo is standing on your land, though, every swipe of your blade sends hay directly into storage. It's magic. Sorta.
How to Get a Stardew Valley Silo Without Wasting Time
You need to head over to the Carpenter’s Shop. Robin is the one who handles all the heavy lifting. Her shop is north of town, right near the mountain lake where you probably go to catch those annoying bullheads. She’s open most days from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, but don't bother showing up on Tuesday because she’s at her exercise class at Pierre’s.
The Shopping List
Robin doesn't work for free, and she definitely doesn't provide the materials. You’ll need to bring her a specific pile of junk from your farm.
- 100 Gold: This is incredibly cheap. You can get this by selling a few parsnips or some forageables like leeks and wild horseradish.
- 100 Stone: Just go break some rocks. The big grey ones on your farm are the easiest source, but the Mines work too.
- 10 Clay: This is usually the bottleneck. You find clay by tilling the soil with your hoe. Look for those little "artifact spots" that look like three wiggling worms.
- 5 Copper Bars: You’ll need to smelt these yourself. Get 20 copper ore from the Mines (starting at level 2), grab some coal, and toss them in a furnace.
Once you have the goods, talk to Robin at her counter and select "Construct Farm Buildings." You’ll have to scroll through the menu—the silo is usually one of the first options.
Where Should You Put the Thing?
Robin takes two days to build it. You’ll see her hammering away at the site starting the next morning.
Placement matters more than you think, but also less than you think. You don't need the silo near your coop or barn. Since the hay magically teleports from the silo to the hoppers inside your animal buildings, you can tuck the silo away in a far corner of the map where it won't get in the way of your crops. A lot of players hide them behind the farmhouse or along the northern cliff face.
The footprint is small: just a 3x3 square.
The Clay Problem
Let's talk about the clay. It’s frustrating. You might spend all day hoeing the beach or your farm and come up with nothing but mixed seeds and disappointment.
Pro tip: The Mines are actually a decent place to farm clay. If you find a large patch of dirt on one of the early floors (like level 5 or 15), hoe the whole thing. If you don't get what you need, leave the mines, go back in, and the dirt patches will have reset. It’s a bit grindy, but it works. Also, the beach in winter is a goldmine for clay because you’re already digging up Winter Roots and Snow Yams anyway.
Managing Your Hay Supply
A single Stardew Valley silo holds 240 units of hay. That sounds like a lot. It isn't.
If you have a fully upgraded barn and coop, you're looking at 24 animals. They each eat one hay per day. That means one silo only lasts you 10 days in the winter. Winter in Stardew is 28 days long. You do the math.
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Basically, you’re gonna want at least two or three silos eventually.
To Scythe or Not to Scythe?
There is a strategy to this. Don't clear-cut your grass.
Grass spreads. If you leave little tufts of grass scattered around, they will grow back and fill in the gaps. If you cut it all to the ground, you’re stuck waiting for it to slowly creep back from the edges or buying Grass Starter from Pierre for 100g a pop. That's a ripoff.
Wait until the end of Fall. On Fall 28, go absolutely wild with your scythe. Cut every single blade of grass on your farm. Since everything dies on Winter 1 anyway, you might as well fill your silos to the brim before the frost hits.
What Happens if the Silo is Full?
This is a neat trick that a lot of veteran players use. If your silo is full but you still have grass to cut, go inside your coop or barn.
Walk up to the hay hopper (the little box that gives you hay). If you have an empty spot on your feeding bench, you can pull hay out of the hopper and put it in your inventory. You can pull out as much as you want! Just toss that hay into a regular wooden chest. Now your silo is empty again, and you can go back outside to harvest more grass.
You can effectively store infinite hay in a single chest this way, though it only works if you haven't upgraded to the "Deluxe" buildings with auto-feeders yet. Once the auto-feeder is installed, the hopper locks up because it thinks the animals are already fed.
Why This Matters for Your Bottom Line
If you don't have a silo and you run out of grass, you have to go to Marnie. Marnie charges 50g per piece of hay.
To feed a single cow through the winter without a silo, you’d spend 1,400g. If you have a full barn, that’s nearly 17,000g just to keep your animals from being "grumpy." Building a silo for 100g and some rocks is the single best investment you can make in your first year.
It's also about the mood of the animals. If they don't eat, they don't produce. No milk, no eggs, no mayonnaise, no money. A silo is essentially an insurance policy against poverty.
Technical Limitations and Realities
You can't move a building while it's being under construction. If you realize you put the silo in a spot that blocks your favorite shortcut to the forest, you have to wait until Robin finishes it. Once it's done, you can go back to her shop during business hours, select the construction menu again, and use the "Move Buildings" icon.
Moving buildings is instant and free. Thank goodness.
Also, keep in mind that the silo only collects hay when you use a Scythe or a Golden Scythe on grass. It does not collect hay if you use a sword or if you're clearing weeds (the leafy/thorny things). Weeds give you fiber. Grass gives you hay. Know the difference, or you'll be very confused why your silo is still empty after a day of "harvesting."
Immediate Next Steps for Your Farm
- Check your inventory: See if you have the 10 clay. If not, go to the beach or the Mines and start hoeing.
- Locate your copper: Smelt 5 bars tonight so they're ready for the morning.
- Visit Robin: Get the construction started before Tuesday so you don't get locked out by her yoga schedule.
- Stop scything: Seriously, leave the grass alone until that silo is finished. Your future self will thank you when the snow starts falling.