New to the game? No worries, this section will get you moving in the right direction!

Starting a New Game

Once the game's loaded up, press START to call up the menu, and select New Game. You'll want to have a MEMORY CARD with at least 4 blocks free as well, for saving your game later.

Enter Your Name

Pick what you want the villagers to call you. The maximum number of letters you can have is 8, so keep it short.

Enter your Birthday

Here's where you pick when your birthday is. Sometimes you'll get postcards on your birthday from people who really like you.

Name Your Farm

Now you choose what the farm will be called. As with your name, the maximum length is 8 letters.

Name Your Dog

Of course, you don't start out with nothing at all! Pick a name for your canine companion, but remember that 8 letters is still the limit.

Start Farming!

That covers everything, so if you like your choices, select This is OK to begin the game. If you want to change something, pick Try again. If you pick Try again, you'll have to re-enter everything, though.

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	Childhood is full of happy memories, like the one where you visited grandpa's farm, all those years ago. There was a girl in those memories, but maybe she was just a dream... Now that grandpa has passed on, the farm has been left to you, and all that you have to keep you going is that one memory. The farm is a mess, but the dream of restoring it drives you on.
	The villagers are, of course, skeptical of what you can possibly do to restore your grandfather's old farm. They've decided to give you three years to prove your worth, at which point you'll either be allowed to stay, or get kicked out of town. It's your decision of how you plan to go about restoring the farm, but you'll have to get it done before the deadline hits.
	And thus it begins...

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Set up your PlayStation (see the PlayStation manual for details), open the disc lid, and insert the Harvest Moon: Back to Nature CD. Close the CD lid and turn on the power. A MEMORY CARD can be inserted for saving games, as well (4 blocks per save).

Controls

L1 Button	Whistle for your dog
L2 Button	Whistle for your horse
R1 Button	Cycle between tools in the rucksack
R2 Button	Cycle between items in the rucksack
Button	View the rucksack; get more information on a menu option
Button	Cancel options; run while not in menus (hold down)
Button	Use equipped tool; eat item in hand
Button	Confirm menu choices; pick up and throw items
Directional Pad	Moves the cursor in menus; moves your character out of menus
START Button	Calls up the Main Status menu
SELECT Button	Calls up the Map Screen menu
ANALOG Mode Switch	Enables or disables analog control
Left Analog Stick	Moves the cursor in menus; moves your character out of menus

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These are the screens that you'll deal with on a regular basis while playing the game.

Main Screen - The game takes place here.

1 - Your character - Self-explanatory.
2 - Current season icon - Self-explanatory; each season has 30 days.
3 - Current day of season - Self-explanatory.
4 - Current day of week - Self-explanatory; Saturday and Sunday are listed in blue and red, respectively.
5 - Current time - Self-explanatory.

Rucksack - This is where you'll find your inventory.

1 - Current tool in hand - This is the tool you'll use if you hit on the main screen.
2 - Current item in hand - This is the item you're holding right now. Pressing will cause you to throw it while in the main screen.
3 - Tools in rucksack - These are the other tools you have on hand.
4 - Items in rucksack - These are the other items you have in your rucksack.
5 - Help window - This is where you'll see descriptions of items if you press while the cursor is on them.

Map Screen - This will let you track things down.

1 - You are Here icon - This is your current location on the map, roughly.
2 - Dog is Here icon - This is your dog's current location on the map, roughly.
3 - Help window - This will give you a description of any location you press on.

Press SELECT to call up the farm map. See Farm Map for details.

Main Status - The first screen of the status subscreen.

1 - Farm name - What your farm is called. See Getting Started for details.
2 - Player name - What your character is called. See Getting Started for details.
3 - Power Berries - How many Power Berries you have. Power Berries boost stamina, allowing you to work longer.
4 - Farm building completion score - How many expansions you have to the farm, in percentage form.
5 - Recipe book pages - Total number of successful new recipes made.
6 - Wife's name and affection - Self-explanatory; won't appear until you're married.
7 - Child's name and affection - Self-explanatory; won't appear until you have a child.
8 - Dog's name and affection - Self-explanatory; see Getting Started for details.
9 - Horse's name and affection - Self-explanatory; won't appear until you have a horse.
10 - Current funds - How much money you have on hand right now.
11 - Current chicken feed - How much feed you have for chickens.
12 - Current livestock fodder - How much fodder you have for cows and sheep.
13 - Current fish food - How much food you have for the fish pond.
14 - Current lumber - How much wood you have stored in the lumber shed.
15 - Total chickens owned - Self-explanatory.
16 - Total cows owned - Self-explanatory.
17 - Total sheep owned - Self-explanatory.
18 - Total fish owned (in pond) - Self-explanatory.
19 - Total number of animals that have died on the farm - Self-explanatory.
20 - Farm completion score - How complete the game deems your farm. Not used at all in terms of winning the game.
21 - If you ever catch any legendary fish, a small picture of the fish you've caught will show up down here.

Harvest - This is the list of what you've shipped. Very self-explanatory.

Livestock - These are the subscreens for chickens, cows, and sheep.

1 - Chicken picture - This will tell you if a chicken is a chick, healthy, or sick.
2 - Chicken name - What you've named a chicken.
3 - Chicken affection - How much the bird likes you; the more affection, the better the eggs.
4 - Chicken age - How old the chicken is; just for reference.

1 - Cow picture - This will tell you if a cow is immature, healthy, or sick.
2 - Cow name - What you've named a cow.
3 - Cow affection - How much the cow likes you; the more affection, the better the milk.
4 - Cow age - How old the cow is; just for reference.

1 - Sheep picture - This will tell you if a sheep is immature, healthy, or sick.
2 - Sheep name - What you've named a sheep.
3 - Sheep affection - How much the sheep likes you; the more affection, the better the wool.
4 - Sheep age - How old the sheep is; just for reference.

Helpers - These are the available Harvest Sprites.

1 - Helper's name and face - Self-explanatory.
2 - Helper's affection - How much the Harvest Sprite likes you. The more a Sprite likes you, the more likely he is to offer to help.
3 - Current job - An icon representing the current task the Sprite is assigned to.
4 - Days left - How many more days a Sprite has left of doing a given job.

Tools - These are your tools and their power levels.

1 - Progress bar - How much mastery you have over a tool.
2 - Ore icons - What level(s) you can upgrade a tool to.
3 - Percentage - How much mastery you have over a tool in relation to its current level.

Earnings - This is an overview of your earnings over the last year.

1 - Earnings - How much you've made so far this season
2 - Expenses - How much you've spent so far this season
3 - Season earnings overviews - A brief overview of the last 4 seasons' profits.
4 - Season earnings description - The game's outlook on a given season's profits.

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This is a map of the farm, obviously.

1 - Your house - This is where your day begins, and where you can store tools (and other goods once you've upgraded it).
2 - Apple tree - This little tree will produce 3 apples per day during Fall. It's also a good spot for a beehive...
3 - Mailbox - You'll find various announcements and greetings here. Any mail left unread for 30 days is removed from the mailbox automatically.
4 - Fish pond - This is where you can raise fish, and there's even a bin next to it for fish food. You can also draw water from this pond for watering crops.
5 - Shipping bin - Place crops and other sellable goods in this to sell them. The shipper stops by daily at 5:00PM to empty it, and you can also use the shipping bins in the barn and chicken coop.
6 - Chicken coop - Your poultry lives here. It starts out being able to hold 5 chickens, and can be expanded to hold 10.
7 - Water mill - Can be used to make Chicken Feed out of Corn. 1 Corn = 10 Chicken Feed.
8 - Doghouse - Mostly decoration. Feel free to ignore it.
9 - Barn - This is where livestock is raised. It can hold 10 cows and/or sheep at first, and can be expanded to hold 20.
10 - Wood shed - This is where lumber is sent automatically when you cut wood. You can use lumber for fences and expansions.
11 - Stable - Your horse lives here. Keep him inside the stable during bad weather.
12 - Field - Were the crops are sewn and reaped. You'll have to clear it up to use it.

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Your base of operations, the house has a lot of stuff you can do in it.

The Calendar - This lets you check for upcoming events and festivals.

The Toolbox - You can store and retrieve tools from this box.

The Bookshelf - Change game settings here, as well as get basic help.

Configuration - Here's what you can change:

Movement Controls
Type 1 - Up moves you northwest, left moves you northeast, down moves you southeast, right moves you southwest. Default controls.
Type 2 - Up moves you northeast, left moves you southeast, down moves you southwest, right moves you northwest. Reverse of default controls.
Type 3 - When facing northwest or southeast, game uses Type 1 controls. When facing northeast or southwest, game uses Type 2 controls. Very confusing and disorienting.

Vibration - Set to ON or OFF. When ON, DualShock controllers will vibrate at certain times.

Sound CR - Set the sound output to stereo or mono. Which you should pick depends on your TV's output capabilities.

Show clock - Lets you turn on or off the small clock/season/date display in the top right corner of the main screen. The game is more like the mainstay series with the clock off, and makes for a more challenging gameplay experience.

Kitchen and Cabinet - Once you expand your house, you'll have access to these. The cabinet can store non-food items, and the fridge in the kitchen can store food. You can cook meals in the kitchen.

Television - You can get precise weather data for the next day from the weather channel, watch entertainment TV, find out about upcoming events, or get a tutorial via the TV.

Diary - Once your work is done for the day, you should use the diary to end it and go to bed. Writing in your diary allows you to save the game, while reading a diary loads a saved game. Exchanging animals can only be done with a farm that is not the same as your own.

Improving the House

The house is pretty cramped at first, but you can change that. Once you've expanded the chicken coop, Gotz will offer to expand your house, for a price. This first expansion is critical, as it gives you a refrigerator and cabinet to store things, as well as a kitchen to make your own food in.

With the kitchen built, a new variety show will be shown on Saturdays, called TV Shopping. You can order cooking utensils off of it to increase your kitchen's cooking capabilities. Just watch the program to the end, go to the Inn, and order the utensil. You have to do this on the same day that you see the utensil up for sale, though. Utensils ordered off of TV Shopping will be delivered three days later (or four days if that day is a festival).

Not sure what to cook? Giving gifts to villagers will sometimes cause them to tell you new recipes. Be sure to have something to write their recipes down on, though, because the game doesn't remember them for you! When you have the ingredients and utensils necessary, try cooking up what some villagers have taught you how to make!

Once you've expanded the house, you can expand it again later, after the barn is enlarged. The second expansion doesn't have as much impact as the first one, but it will make it clear to any girls who are interested that you're ready to be a family man.

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The heart of farming is the planting and tending of crops in the field. This is a guide to how to plant most effectively.

Step 1 - Till

Clear up the area, and dig out some soil into usable crop-growing land with the hoe. For useful plot formations, see below these steps.

Step 2 - Plant

Once you've got the land prepared, stand in the middle of your planting area and hit while holding a bag of seeds you want to plant. You can't reposition seeds once they've been planted, so plan ahead!

Step 3 - Water

With the seeds in the ground, fill up your watering can and use it on them. You'll have to water your seeds daily, and as you do, they'll mature day by day.

Step 4 - Harvest

The last step is to harvest your crops. You can do this by pressing in front of them. Crops can then be shipped, stored, used in a recipe, or given as a gift. You could also just toss them on the ground, but that would be a waste.

Planting Patterns

There are two very useful planting formations you can use. First is the basic planting technique:

This will allow you to get the best harvest from your crops when you still have an under-leveled watering can.

The next formation is the most obvious to use, but only works well if you have a Silver or better watering can:

If your watering can isn't leveled up sufficiently, you won't be able to hit the middle crop, and it will just be a space-taker no matter how you look at it.

Growable Crops

This is a list of each and every crop in the game.

Seeds	Name	Crop	Season	Buy Price	Sell Price	Grow Time	Regrow?	Rank
	Turnips		Spring	120G	60G	5 days	No	#7
	Potatoes		Spring	150G	80G	8 days	No	#11
	Cucumbers		Spring	200G	60G	10 days	6 days	#12
	Cabbages		Spring	500G	250G	15 days	No	#4
	Strawberries		Spring	150G	30G	9 days	6 days	#14
	Tomatoes		Summer	200G	60G	9 days	4 days	#8
	Corn		Summer	300G	100G	15 days	4 days	#6
	Onions		Summer	150G	80G	9 days	No	#13
	Pineapples		Summer	1000G	500G	21 days	6 days	#2
	Pumpkins		Summer	500G	250G	15 days	No	#4
	Eggplants		Fall	120G	80G	10 days	4 days	#3
	Carrots		Fall	300G	120G	8 days	No	#5
	Sweet Potatoes		Fall	300G	120G	6 days	3 days	#1
	Green Peppers		Fall	150G	40G	8 days	3 days	#9
	Spinach		Fall	200G	80G	6 days	No	#10
	Orangecup Fruit		Hothouse	1000G	60G	9 days	No	#15

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This is an overview the various animals of the game. Though they're not required for a farm to be successful, some animals can nonetheless contribute quite a bit to a farm's profits. Here's how to obtain, raise, and (sometimes) profit from the animals of the game.

The Dog

Your faithful canine companion is with you the whole time, and you might as well get to know him. Pick up your dog daily, and be sure to whistle to him as well. Don't leave him or any other animals outside during bad weather.

At the beginning of the first Fall, the merchant Won will stop by to sell you a dog ball, which you can use to play with your dog and train him for the Dog Races on Winter 10. Winning doesn't give you anything, but it does show just how well you and your dog get along.

The Horse

If you visit Yodel Ranch during the first Spring, Barley will give you a pony, free of charge! To take care of it, be sure to brush it daily, and whistle to it as well. If you forget to get your pony from Barley early on, just plant a nice big pasture to impress Barley, and he'll give you one as a gift.

Once your pony is mature (Barley will check in on him when he is, and might take him away if you mistreated him), you can ride him about the farm, which makes him stronger and a better competitor in the Local Horse Race.

Chickens

Chickens are easy to tend to. Just Be sure to feed them daily, and they'll love you in no time! But don't slip up on feeding them, or they'll stop laying eggs for a few days. You can incubate eggs to grow more chickens, and this actually is a very good idea if you want more hens. Chickens can be bought from Chicken Lil's, open every day but Sunday from 11:00AM to 4:00PM.

A happy chicken is a tough chicken. If you have a hen who likes you enough, you can take a stab at winning the Sumo Chicken Festival on Summer 7. Hens that win the contest begin laying Golden Eggs!

Cows

Cows are decidedly more high-maintenance than chickens. They're still not tough to care for, though. Talk to your cows daily, and be sure you feed them, too! Cows who aren't fed don't produce milk for a few days. Once a cow matures (you'll know, trust me), you can use the Milker tool (sold by Saibara the blacksmith) to draw milk from them. Cows can be bought from Yodel Ranch, open every day but Monday, from 9:00AM to 3:00PM.

Every year, on Summer 20, you have a chance to strut just how happy one of your cows is at the Cow Festival. If your bovine is the best of show, it'll produce Golden Milk!

Sheep

Sheep are similar to cows, in that you need to talk to and feed them daily. Their wool won't grow as fast if you forget to feed them. You can clip wool from your sheep using the Clippers (bought from Saibara), though keep in mind that it'll be 5 days before their wool grows back if you do this. Like cows, sheep can be bought from Yodel Ranch, open every day but Monday, from 9:00AM to 3:00PM.

A well-loved sheep can win the Sheep Festival on Fall 21. Doing so will cause them to start producing Gold Wool! You can only enter an unshorn sheep in the contest, though, so plan ahead if you want your woolly buddy to win.

The Maker Machines

There are three Maker machines you can buy: the Mayo Maker, the Cheese Maker, and the Yarn Maker. The Mayo Maker won't be for sale until the chicken coop is upgraded, and you can't get the Cheese or Yarn Makers until you've expanded the barn AND bought the Mayo Maker.

Maker machines boost how much money your animals can make you. The Mayo Maker lets you turn eggs into mayonnaise, which sells for considerably more. The Cheese Maker lets you convert milk into cheese, which sells for a lot. The Yarn Maker lets you make yarn from wool, and yarn sells for more than anything else.

But the Maker machines aren't cheap! At 10,000G a pop, you'll have to think ahead if you plan to get them. You'll also need Adamantite, a rare ore which can't be found in the normal mines...

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You can't do much about the farm without your tools. This is an overview of all the handy items that you can work with.

Upgradeable Tools
These tools are the indispensable primary tools of the game: the hoe, sickle, ax, hammer, and watering can. Once you've used them enough, you can upgrade them by digging up the appropriate type of ore from the mines, taking the tool to Saibara, and having him upgrade them.

Sickle	Hoe	Ax	Hammer	Watering Can
This tool is, of course, used to cut down grass and weeds. It can also cut down crops, so be careful about using it!	Used to plow dirt, so that you can plant seeds. You can also use it to get rid of seeds on tilled soil if you decide you don't want them there. And finally, it can be used to dig in the mines.	You can cut branches up to make lumber with this tool, and once it's been upgraded, it can cut down tree stumps, as well.	The hammer's primary purpose is to break rocks, though it can also be used to un-till soil. Once the hammer is copper, it can break larger rocks, and once it's silver, it will be able to tackle the large, misshapen rocks strewn about the field.	The watering can is the only way to get water to your crops, short of hiring the Harvest Sprites to water for you. Refill it at any place where there's fresh water.

Other Tools
These are just a few of the tools you'll find during the course of the game. Others exist, so keep an eye out for them!

Rucksack	Basket	Brush
The rucksack lets you tote around items. It starts out pretty small, but you can buy a better one at the Supermarket, and an even better one than that a bit later.	The basket lets you carry up to 30 crops around in it for shipment. This can really speed up the harvesting process.	Your horse loves to be brushed, and you'll need this to brush him. Saibara sells it.
Milker	Clippers	Fishing Rod
The Milker lets you draw milk from matured cows. You can buy it from Saibara.	Clippers let you gather wool from sheep. You can buy them from Saibara.	If you ever want to start a fish pond (or just need a fish for a recipe), you'll need this to catch them. Greg the fisherman has this, and he'll gladly give it to you if you ask him for it.

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Mineral Town is no small place, despite appearances. Here's an overview of the various areas of the valley.

1 - Mother Hill - At the base is a hot spring, a mine, and a waterfall. Further up the mountain is a lake and a natural flower garden, and at the peak is the best view for miles around!

2 - Woodcutter's House - This is where Gotz lives. He's the man to talk to if you ever need to upgrade a building, or if you just need spare lumber. Open 11:00AM to 5:00PM on weekdays, closed on the weekends.

3 - Your Farm - This is your base of operations, of course! Set on the outskirts of the village, but right in the middle of the valley, it makes a fine hub for getting to just about anywhere.

4 - Chicken Lil's - The poultry farm here sells chickens, feed, and animal medicine. Stop by if you need to stock up! Open from 11:00AM to 4:00PM daily, but closed Sundays.

5 - Yodel Ranch - Barley runs this place, and sells cows, sheep, fodder, and various tools to help with taking care of livestock. He's the man to see if you want to fill your barn up. Open from 9:00AM to 3:00PM every day but Monday.

6 - Blacksmith and Winery - Saibara the blacksmith works here, and he will upgrade your basic tools and sell you new tools... for a price. Open from 10:00AM to 4:00PM every day but Thursday. The Aja Winery is right next door, where you'll find grape beverages for sale. Open from 9:00AM to 12:00PM daily, closed Saturdays.

7 - Library - A useful source of information, the library is run by the shy Mary. Open 10:00AM to 4:00PM daily, closed Mondays.

8 - Supermarket - Your one-stop shop for seeds, ingredients, and storage mediums. Expect to become a regular customer here! Open 8:00AM to 6:00PM every day but Tuesday and Sunday.

9 - Clinic - If you're ever feeling ill, or in need of medicine to chase off sickness, stop by the clinic and get some first aid. Open 9:00AM to 6:00PM daily, closed Wednesdays.

10 - Church - Though there's not much to do here, you can confess your sins at certain times. You may get married here some day. Open 10:00AM to 5:00PM daily.

11 - Mineral Beach - The hottest hangout during the summer, and a fine place to fish. Kai runs a concession stand here during the summer, from 8:00AM to 11:30AM, and 1:00PM to 5:00PM.

12 - Rose Square - Festivals are held here most of the time. If it's a holiday, this is probably the place you need to be!

13 - Inn - Doug runs his inn here at the heart of the village. Stop in for a quick meal some time, or kick back and talk with the local patrons. Open from 8:00AM to 9:00PM daily.

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Not only is time working against you, but your body has its limits, as well. As you work, you drain your stamina, and eventually you'll start to get fatigued.

Stamina and Fatigue

Stamina will drop as you use tools, and once you're out, fatigue will begin to raise. You can get a general idea of how much energy you have left by the pantomimes your character makes as he continues to work. It's a good idea to take a break before your fatigue gets too high, because if it does, you might get sick and lose the rest of the day!

If you don't recover from fatigue, it can lead to bad things. Most notably, you can pass out if you let your fatigue get too high. If you just let it get moderately high, you might end up starting the next day later than usual. Deal with fatigue before it becomes a problem.

When it's raining or snowing, you'll get fatigued even before your stamina has run out. This means that you can't work as long during bad weather, but fortunately, you won't have to. When it rains, your crops are watered for you, after all.

Restoring and Increasing Stamina
If you're running low on energy, there's a few ways to recover. The simplest way is to take a dip in the hot springs. Their potent healing powers can recover your energy completely in 50 minutes at the start of the game, and they help ease fatigue as well.

The second method to deal with stamina drain is to eat something, be it crops, food you've made, or pre-made dishes from one of the shops in town. You can also use Bodigizer and Turbojolt medicine to heal up (Bodigizer restores stamina, while Turbojolt recovers from fatigue).

Increasing your energy is a very good idea, and something you should aim to do. Power Berries, mystic fruit from a legendary tree, raise your stamina by a bit, allowing you to work longer. There are 10 of them in the Mineral Valley area, so you may want to find them all. There's also a secret berry that has mysterious and wonderful effects...

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The people of the village don't trust you much at the start of the game, but a few thought-out gifts can change their opinion of you quickly.

Knowing What to Give
Unless you know what people like already, you might not know what to give people. Experiment, and try giving them various things. Their facial reactions will tell you more than their response does as to if they like something or not.

Getting to Know Them
Sometimes, you may find yourself in an event involving a villager. If you play your cards right, you might be able to get on that villager's good side, and they'll like you better. Of course, if you're careless, you might end up having them dislike you...

Strut Your Stuff
People may not like braggarts, but who doesn't admire a skilled contender? By winning contests at festivals, you can up people's opinions of you by quite a bit. It's a good reason to compete!

Talk it Out
Of course, just talking to people can have a positive effect, too. People are always more talkative during festivals, and will like you better if you chat with them during these events.

Birthday Gifts are the Best Gifts
People love getting presents on their birthdays. What better time could there be to offer up a favorite item to somebody than their special day? Wrap the item up, and they'll like it even better! Of course, if you give them something they hate for their birthday, they might never speak to you again, so you might want to make sure you're giving them what they want...

Falling in Love
There are five girls in the village who are close to your age, all of whom are bachelorettes. Like the villagers, they appreciate gifts, but maybe they might even be interested in you? If you find a girl that you really like, shower her with attention and gifts that she likes, and she just might see you in a new light, given enough time.

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The seasons of the year determine the pace of your farming, as well as how much you can produce.

Spring

The start of the growing season, Spring has mild weather (with the occasional rainy day), cool temperatures, and lots of events.

1 New Year's Day	2 Louis' Birthday	3	4 Bold's Birthday	5	6	7
8 Goddess Festival	9	10	11 Saibara's Birthday	12	13	14 Spring Thanksgiving
15 Staid's Birthday	16 Elli's Birthday	17 Barley's Birthday	18 Local Horse Race	19 Lillia's Birthday	20 Elli's Birthday*	21
22 Cooking Festival	23	24	25	26 Aqua's Birthday	27	28
29 Greg's Birthday	30 Sasha's Birthday

Item	Value	Location(s)
Bamboo Shoot (3)	50G	Hot Springs area
Blue Grass (2)	100G	Hot Springs area, Gotz' house

Tips for Spring
Since you'll either be new to the farm or recovering from winter, it's a good idea to plant early. Don't forget to forage, too; an extra 350G a day can add up quick. If the profits just aren't cutting it, a bit of mining may be in order, too.

New Year's Day (Spring 1)
Though you can't attend it the first year, the New Year's celebration takes place every year in the Square, as well as at the Inn.

Goddess Festival (Spring 8)
A dancing event, it's traditional for boys to ask their girlfriends to come with them to it on the day before the dance. Don't expect to have a date for this festival the first year.

Spring Thanksgiving (Spring 14)
Show your appreciation for the girls of the village, and bake them cookies today.

Local Horse Race (Spring 18)
The stakes are up, and the betting is rampant! Though you cannot participate the first year beyond gambling, you may one day be the winner of this equestrian challenge!

Cooking Festival (Spring 22)
This contest is a good chance to show off your cooking prowess. Of course, you need a kitchen to stand a chance.

Summer

Summer marks the start of the bulk of the growing season. Things start taking longer to grow, but are worth more. And there are a lot more competitive festivals during this season, too.

1 Opening Day	2	3 Popuri's Birthday	4 Harris' Birthday	5	6 Cliff's Birthday	7 Sumo Chicken Festival
8	9	10 Popuri's Birthday*	11 Basil's Birthday	12 Tomato Festival	13	14
15	16 Timid's Birthday	17 Ann's Birthday	18	19	20 Cow Festival	21
22 Kai's Birthday Ann's Birthday*	23	24 Fireworks Display	25 Thomas' Birthday	26	27	28
29 Zack's Birthday	30

Item	Value	Location(s)
Red Grass (2)	100G	Hot Springs area, Gotz' house

Tips for Summer
You should definitely cut down withered Spring crops immediately, and start planting summer crops as soon as possible. Since crops take so long to grow during this season, you'll be left to mining and fishing as your only source of profit for most of the early part of the season.

Opening Day (Summer 1)
This challenging swimming contest opens up the season every year. The trick to winning is timing, not speed.

Sumo Chicken Festival (Summer 7)
A great chance to show off how strong your prize hen is. You can urge your hen on in this contest, but you should keep an eye on the ring while doing so. Urging your hen out of the ring will just cause you to lose.

Tomato Festival (Summer 12)
What could be more fun than tossing food around? Join a team and make some ketchup on your opponents' faces!

Cow Festival (Summer 20)
Got a cow that's happy? Enter them in this contest, and they just might make best of show!

Fireworks Display (Summer 24)
View the fireworks from Mineral Beach, as the season is brought to a close with a bang.

Fall

The growing season hits its peak during this, the harvest season. Everything grows fast and regrows even faster. Festivals are plentiful, and more laid-back than summer.

1	2 Gotz' Birthday	3 Music Festival	4	5 Stu's Birthday	6	7
8	9 Harvest Festival	10 Hoggy's Birthday	11 Manna's Birthday	12	13 Moon-Viewing Day	14 Chef's Birthday
15 Karen's Birthday	16	17 Doctor's Birthday	18	19	20 Carter's Birthday	21 Sheep Festival
22 Anna's Birthday Karen's Birthday*	23	24	25	26	27 Rick's Birthday	28
29	30

Item	Value	Location(s)
Mushroom (4)	70G	Hot Springs area, Gotz' house, Mother Hill
Poisonous Mushroom	100G	Gotz' house
Wild Grapes (2)	50G	Mother Hill
Truffle	500G	Mother Hill
Green Grass (2)	100G	Hot Springs area, Gotz' house

Tips for Fall
As with Spring and Summer, plant early and you'll reap the benefits later. Since crops grow so fast during this season, it's to your advantage to plant as many of the more valuable crops as you possibly can.

Music Festival (Fall 3)
Welcome autumn with a night of music. Held at the Church, you can participate in this festival yourself. Just be sure you're on time!

Harvest Festival (Fall 9)
To celebrate the season's yield, the villagers all have a hot-pot meal in the Square. Come and participate, but don't come empty-handed!

Moon-Viewing Day (Fall 13)
Go to the top of Mother Hill and view the harvest moon in all its glory with the girl that likes you best.

Sheep Festival (Fall 21)
Here's your chance to show off your happy sheep. If your sheep is happy enough, it could be the winner of the year!

Winter

The season of rest, Winter is the ideal time to tie up loose ends that the growing season didn't allow you to tend to before. It should prove a welcome change of pace compared to the frantic growing seasons.

1	2 Kano's Birthday	3	4	5	6 Gray's Birthday	7
8	9	10 Dog Race	11 Doug's Birthday	12	13 Ellen's Birthday	14 Winter Thanksgiving
15 Duke's Birthday	16	17	18	19 Won's Birthday	20 Mary's Birthday	21
22 Nappy's Birthday	23	24 Star Night Festival	25 Mary's Birthday*	26 May's Birthday	27	28
29 Jeff's Birthday	30 New Year's Party

Nothing to forage in winter

Tips for Winter
Winter is a good time to stock up on lumber, as well as mine for rare ores and upgrade things that you didn't have time to upgrade during the growing season. Since you need livestock to make a steady profit during this season, the first winter will probably be fairly rough on you.

Dog Race (Winter 10)
Show the town just how much your dog loves you, and how well-trained he is! But don't expect to win just because he loves you; your pup needs to know your scent, too!

Winter Thanksgiving (Winter 14)
To show their appreciation for you, girls will give you chocolate today. Just one more incentive to make friends with the village girls!

Star Night Festival (Winter 24)
If you ask a girl on the 23rd, she may invite you over to have dinner with her family on this day.

New Year's Party (Winter 30)
Ring out the old and ring in the new! Go to the peak of Mother Hill at midnight, and join in to watch the first sunrise of the year.

* - If your birthday coincides with one of the eligible girls' normal birthday, they will have their birthday on this day instead.

With that, you should be ready to begin your own Harvest Moon experience! Good luck, and have fun!

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Version Beta (16 March 2004)
* First public release of the manual
* Some images and data missing

Version 1.00 (16 March 2004)
* First finalized version of the manual
* All sections and images completed

Version 1.10 (17 March 2004)
* Manual Update Log section added
* Design Credits section added
* Added shop hour data to The Village section
* Added detailed options data for the bookshelf in the Your House section (thanks to Laserion for suggesting this)

Version 1.11 (17 March 2004)
* Correction of various typos and spelling errors

Version 1.12 (23 March 2004)
* Made a few minor changes (none of which are particularly of note)

Version 1.13 (24 March 2004)
* Added Back to Top links
* Added link to the Portal page of the site

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Game Design Credits

MARUCOME/Victor Interactive Software

Directors
Masayuki Kisaki
Teru Kurouta
Rouge Kaizuke
Magoichi Oritake

Programmers
Syou Kondo
March

Designers
Katsumi Takatsuki
Katsura Design
Mitsuharu Okanomoto
Yuki Ya

Composer
Miyuki Homareda

Debugger
Dai Kondo

US Executive Producers
Kiro Maekawa
Natsume Inc.

US Product Managers
Graham Markay
Natsume Inc.

US Localization Managers
Sachiko Yamauchi
Natsume Inc.

Special Thanks to
Masahiko Yoshizawa
Victor Interactive Software Inc.

Character Design
Matsuyama Igusa

Victor Interactive Software Inc.
Creative Staff

Director
Yasuhiro Wada

Original Game Design
Setsuko Miyakoshi
Tomomi Yamatate

Character CG
Shinichi Hayakawa
Shunosuke Ozaki

System Graphics
Noriaki Kajimoto

Special Thanks to
Hiroshi Inoue
Takashi Ueda
Hikaru Nakano

Producer
Yasuhiro Wada

Executive Producer/
Victor Interactive Software Inc.
Seiichi Kizu

(c)2000 Natsume Inc.
(c)1999, 2000 MARUCOME, Victor Interactive Software Inc.

Manual Design Credits

Original Manual Design
Natsume Inc. and Victor Interactive Software Inc.

New Manual Design
Sky Render

New Manual Contributors
Laserion

Harvest Moon: Back to Nature and its manual are (c)1999, 2000 MARUCOME, Victor Interactive Software Inc., and Natsume Inc.

Original Manual Scans

You can find archival scans of the original manual in 256-color PNG format here.

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