Is there a way to win the Harvest Festival in Spring Year 1?

[GamerJustin]

Hello everyone, I was wondering if there is a way to win the Harvest Festival in Spring Year1? Every time I try I lose. I entered it with a 1.5 Star Turnip Fresh.

[Guest]

Winning a festival also depends on who your competition is. Giorgio is the most difficult, followed by Elise, Eda and Fritz. The fact your turnip is fresh will help. The lowest star quality I have ever entered in a harvest festival was 3 stars cotton (not fresh), and I won my first try. I think that you can maybe win with such a low star quality since this is your first Harvest festival, but it will take a lot of resetting. The Stars have to align, and make sure that your competing either against all NPCs or Fritz because I don't think you'll have any chance against the others. May the RNG be with you

[Arcy]

The only Festival I had a hard time winning in Year 1 was the very first Cow Festival.

You can get Potato Seeds at 1* from the secret jumping spots, watering them every other day (or daily) and fertilizing them every day should bump them up enough to win the first Harvest Festival. Make sure to pick them as late as possible to maintain the "Fresh" status.

You can also trade by then.

[Shan O 123]

If you end up trading, make sure you do it before the festival otherwise it'll be too late.

[Musashi]

Another possibility is to plant something and to not water it while it is in the seed stage. As long as it doesn't sprout, it will not wither no matter how many days pass. If you are lucky and get a lot of sunny days in a row (or you control the weather so that you don't get rainy days) you will be able to fertilize it longer. Best if you combine it with getting a 1* seed from the jumping spots. After it sprouts, just water it every other day as said above. While it may be too late for you to do this, it might be useful if you restart in the future. I managed to get a 2.5-3* turnip that way (can't remember the exact number).