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Today, the potato is America’s favorite vegetable, but the origin of potatoes began far away from the United States.
Potatoes were first cultivated more than 8,000 years ago by the Inca Indians in the Andes Mountains of southern Peru and northwestern Bolivia. They developed thousands of varieties suited to the region’s different climates, altitudes, and soils.
Not only were potatoes an important food to the Andean people, but the crop was central to their culture. For example, some ancient civilizations measured time by how long it took a potato to cook.
Centuries after their domestication, potatoes were brought to Europe by Spanish Conquistadors in the 1500s. Europeans were initially wary of the new crop and used potatoes primarily as animal feed.
However, potatoes thrived in Europe’s cooler climate, especially in Ireland, making them a practical and economical way to feed a growing population. By the 1700s, they had proliferated across the continent and were considered a staple crop.
From Western Europe, potatoes traveled to Eastern Europe and Russia and then continued along established trade routes into China and India. Potatoes also appeared in Africa, particularly in the highland regions, not long after.
Potatoes arrived in the United States (then just a collection of colonies) in the 1620s, when the Governor of the Bahamas sent a gift box containing potatoes to the governor of the colony of Virginia.
They didn’t become popular, though, until Thomas Jefferson served potatoes at the White House, giving them an aristocratic seal of approval.
Potatoes are grown as annual plants. Depending on the climate, potatoes are planted and harvested at different times of the year. For example, in the northern United States, fields are typically planted in the spring and harvested in the fall. The part called a “potato” grows underground. The potato grows on a specialized underground stem called a stolon. So, although potatoes grow underground, they are stems, not roots, and are known as “tubers.”
Nowadays, potatoes are grown in almost every region in the United States—more than 38 states grow potatoes. Since 2000, over one million acres of potatoes have been planted and harvested each year.
Did you know: In October 1995, the potato became the first vegetable to be grown in space. NASA and the University of Wisconsin, Madison, created the technology with the goal of feeding astronauts on long space voyages, and eventually, feeding future space colonies.
Potatoes and sweet potatoes are not in the same family despite both being tubers that grow underground.
One of the differences is that while potatoes are tubers, sweet potatoes are the enlarged roots of the sweet potato plant, known as root tubers.
Sweet potatoes belong to Convolvulaceae, the same family as morning glory.
A hybrid plant exists called ‘tomtato’ that grows tomatoes and potatoes in one plant.
Potatoes are easy to grow; unlike other crops, they do not require large amounts of fertilizer or chemical additives and use less water than other crops.
Potatoes are grown as annual plants. Depending on the climate, potatoes are planted and harvested at different times of the year. For example, in the northern United States, fields are typically planted in the spring and harvested in the fall.
The part called a “potato” grows underground. The potato grows on a specialized underground stem called a stolon. So, although potatoes grow underground, they are stems, not roots, and are known as “tubers.”
Potato flowers tell you that the plant is starting to produce the tubers we grow them for under the soil. Flowers on the potato plant bloom towards the end of their growing season. A potato plant grows almost 60 centimeters or 24 inches in length. They grow at the height of 4,000 meters above sea level. The plants bloom in different colored flowers like white, blue, purple, red, and pink. The color correlates to the type of potato that is growing. Red flowers mean it is a red potato plant.