Greetings!
Before today, I had noticed some changes in my yam plant, but I hadn't taken the time to check on it closely. As long as there were no weeds around it and it's receiving enough water from the rain, I felt less concerned. However, today I got closer and clearly saw the changes, which made me think that perhaps it has matured and it might be time for harvest.
Hold on,
In our farm at home, we don't wait until the leaves are completely dried before harvesting our yams. We harvest early when the leaves are still intact but the yam has matured. We leave the bud underground and still connected, so it can sprout and provide seedlings for the next planting season. That was exactly what came to mind this morning when I closely observed the leaves, especially the parts near the wall where I had rested the stake. Those parts are drying off, making me think it might be time to harvest, leave a bud, and allow it to grow larger, providing me with the seedlings I need for next year's planting. This is how we expand our yam collection at home.
The yam type is the one with yellowish flesh
But is it fully matured?
This is the question that came to mind when I saw the yellowing leaves. In some ways, it looks matured, but upon closer inspection of the newly produced, flourishing leaves, I'm getting the feeling that it might not be fully matured yet and I should give it more time.
If you look closely at the photo above, you'll see that it still looks fresh, like a plant that's just picking up.
If I weren't aiming to get seedlings from it, I wouldn't even be considering harvesting now. I would prefer to let the leaves dry off completely and harvest a fully matured yam.
How long has it been in the ground?
From what I learned during my days of farming at home, we would plant in March/April and harvest in October/November, which is about 7–8 months. Yes, it's the same type of yam because I brought it from home. When I checked my gallery for the date of the first photos I took when I planted it, I discovered that I planted it in mid-April, and this is already October. So, I think it's the perfect time to harvest. But I'm still hesitant because I don't want to harvest it too soon and end up with an immature yam that I can't eat—I'm not fond of eating yams that aren't fully matured.
Anyway, for the yam experts here, please take a look at the photos and let me know what you think. As I mentioned earlier, if I weren't aiming to get seedlings from this yam by harvesting and leaving the bud in the ground to grow larger, I wouldn't be thinking of harvesting it now. I need those seedlings because I don't want to buy them next year!
Thanks for reading.
Photos are mine