How to get better quality crops in Tales of the Shire

If you want to cook better meals in Tales of the Shire, then you need to know how to get better quality crops. As is the way with farming simulators, your crops are marked with a star rank which corresponds to their quality. Although there's nothing wrong with a one-star product, if you want to make more premium meals and satisfy anyone you're feeding a bit more, higher-quality crops are key.

Unusually though, fertiliser and soil enhancements don't play a part in Tales of the Shire, and you need to think a bit more strategically about how to increase the star quality of your crops. Luckily, once you've got the hang of it, it's not too tricky at all, and you'll be on your way to two and three-star crops in no time. Here's what you need to know.

How to get better quality crops in Tales of the Shire

The not-so-secret solution to getting additional stars on your crop quality is by making sure they have a happy environment to grow in to start. This sounds strange, especially if you haven't started farming in Tales of the Shire. Basically, each crop will have a preference as to whether or not it wants to grow alongside another, which is signified by a yellow smiley icon that pops up around your crop when you go to plant it.

Placing two crops next to each other which both have these smiley icons means that they work well together. If you're met with a purple, sad face instead, that means the crop doesn't have the best growing environment. There's a chance it might want to grow on its own, or it just doesn't match well with the other things you've got planted in that bed. This doesn't just apply to edibles either, as flowers also react to any crops planted around them.

Each crop also needs a certain amount of space, signified by a big ring around the seed when you plant it, which means you will inevitably run out of space if you're a bit of a green thumb. If you've filled the five vegetable/flower beds your Hobbit hole comes with, head to Farmer Cotton in the town and you'll be able to purchase beds of all shapes and sizes to accommodate your crops.

Once you've unlocked clubs and started dedicating some time to fulfilling the gardening club requests, you'll also be able to buy higher-quality seeds from Farmer Cotton. Increasing your gardening skill via these tasks is also a guaranteed way to add another star to your harvest, alongside making sure every plant is as happy as it can be.