Crops can be harvested at any time after the first growth level, but harvesting too early or too late results in zero return. Players with a farming skill of 15 or more can determine when a field is ready to harvest by activating a farming tool. The growth status of nearby tiles can be seen in the tool-tip when hovering over the tile. When a field reaches optimal height it will be the same height as a [[small barrel]], no taller, no shorter. The colour of the field is also possible marker, as it changes to a yellowish-green or golden when ripe. Not recommended in the dark. {{smiley}}
The [[maximum slope]] on which you can sow seeds is 8; attempting to sow seeds on a greater slope results in a message "The ground is not flat enough for crops to grow. You need to flatten it first". The slope '''does not ''' appear to effect growth speed or , but crop qualityis unknown.
Sowing on a sloped tile takes into account it's compound slope, however. That is, it's slope both North-South (NS) and East-West (EW). For example, the slope can be level EW and 8-steep NS. Or 4-steep EW, 4-steep NS etc.