You will raise your skill more quickly if you Farm more often, although once every 6 hours is about the most often you will be able to.
Your crops should begin to ripen about 3-4 5 days after you planted them but this is not precise. Each tile will grow at a different rate and if you sow 10 seeds at the same time then those ten tiles may ripen individually at different times over 3-4 5 days.
You will rarey rarely lose a harvest if you harvest at the same time every day. Crops that are ripe can often, though not always, still be properly harvested at the same time the following day.
Your crops will be ripe when the top of the crop (when groomed) is exactly level with the top of a Small Barrel placed in the tile.
Your crops need to be harvested within about 8 24 hours of becoming ripe. If you Harvest early you will get reduced yield and if you Harvest late you will get reduced yield. If you are only getting one potato, or whatever, anyway then you will get nothing from early or late harvesting.
At higher skill levels you should be able to harvest early or late without losing all of your crop.
# Sow
# Farm (at least once per day. Every time the field requires it preferedpreferred...)
# Harvest (when your crop is level with the top of a [[Small Barrel]])
# Sow (always replant at least one seed from your harvest)