After gaining independence from France in 1960, the Central African Republic was ruled by a series of autocratic leaders; by the 1990s, calls for democracy led to the first multi-party democratic elections in 1993. Ange-FÃ©lix PatassÃ© became president, but was later removed by General FranÃ§ois BozizÃ© in the 2003 coup.
To check for crop maturity, dig up one or two plants, if the skins on the tubers are thin and rub off easily, the crop is not fully mature. The skins on mature potatoes remain firmly attached to the tubers. Roll-over image to enlarge. Rubbing the thumb across this potato shows the potato skin firm and stays in place. Roll-over image to enlarge. Rubbing the thumb across this potato shows the skin rubbing off and is not yet ready for harvesting to store. However now you have ripped it from its home you might as well eat it tonight.
Step 4. Harvest potatoes any time after the potato vines die back. This is generally a few weeks after the potato plants bloom. Harvesting soon after the vines die will yield small potatoes, and waiting longer will yield larger potatoes. Harvest potatoes any time between the time when the vines die and the end of the growing season.