- Potatoes are harvested after 100-120 days depending on planted varieties;
- The signs that indicate that potatoes are ready to be harvested are that their leaves turn yellow and fall down.
- Before harvesting, make sure the skin of tubers has hardened. To harden skin, let plant tops dry naturally or cut the top of plants 2 weeks before harvest the process known as dehaulming. When the potato tuber skin is hard, it is not easy to damage at harvest.
- Do not leave mature potato tubers for more than 2 weeks in the soil after removing the tops. This will avoid attack by soil insects and rotting.
- Harvest potatoes when the weather is good i.e dry weather as this is a good time for quicker drying of tubers and healing of skin wounds. Wet soil makes harvesting difficult and may lead to tubers getting diseases.
- Potato harvesting is done by hand when the soil is soft or a hoe but it is carefully used so as to avoid wounding the potatoes. Harvest can also be done using appropriate machinery,
- Avoid wounding potatoes while harvesting and remove all of them from the field;
- Remove diseased or infected potatoes from the yield.
Potatoes that remain in the field can host pests and diseases in the next farming season in case the weather does not kill them.