“I quickly realized that more than any other vegetable, the potato evokes strong reactions in people. As the head of communications for the International Potato Centre in Peru put it, 'No one gets worked up over lettuce like they do the potato.'”  Elizabeth A. Johnson¹ 

Whether we grow our own potatoes or simply enjoy eating them, potatoes are fascinating. They have journeyed from a wild plant in the Andes to a global staple and even space travel. Potatoes have also profoundly affected agriculture, culture, and society throughout the centuries.

Fun potato history

• Potatoes were first cultivated by the Andean people in southern Peru and northwestern Bolivia.  The earliest verified potato remains date to 2,500 BC near the coastal region of Ancón Peru.  Evidence suggests that potatoes may have been cultivated as far back as 3,400 BC, although preservation issues make it difficult to confirm.  Some even speculate that cultivation began between 8,000 to 5,000 BC, making potatoes one of the earliest domesticated crops. 

  • Good Old Cultural Practices:  Traditional Incan cultivation practices involved building terraces for drainage, soil preservation, and frost exposure.  They also incorporated crop diversity and cultural rituals (reflecting profound respect for the land).

  • Pre-Columbian Incas cultivated a bitter, frost-resistant variety of potatoes (chuño) that could be transported by camelids during the expansion of the Incan empire. 

• The Irish Potato Famine, also called the Great Famine, was a period of mass starvation and disease in Ireland from 1845 to 1852.  It was the perfect storm resulting from virtually complete dependence on essentially a monoculture of potatoes (“Lumpers”) for nutrition by Irish farmers, lack of incorporation of Incan growing practices, and the inevitable arrival of blight.  

  • About 1 million Irish people died from starvation and disease, and more than 2 million emigrated, mainly to the United States, Canada, Britain and Australia.

  • Ireland’s population fell sharply and remained lower for generations.

  • Irish culture, politics, land reform movements, and relations with Britain were profoundly affected. 

• Soaring potatoes:  NASA and the University of Wisconsin-Madison first cultivated potatoes in space aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1995.  Potatoes adapted well to tight spaces and a controlled environment, providing a dense source of carbohydrates, energy, fiber, and essential vitamins during long missions.  

Closer to Home

Potatoes are well adapted to Minnesota gardens so long as basic good cultural practices are used.²   There are many resources available to the home gardener particularly from University Extension programs which have posted many helpful sites.³

Key Growing Tips

• Right plant, right place:  Select approved cultivars for a sunny, well-drained, slightly acidic location

• Section and dry potatoes before planting

• Fertilize and water regularly

References:

¹ https://www.azquotes.com/quotes/topics/potatoes.html

² https://extension.umn.edu/garden-and-home/yard-and-garden/gardening-in-minnesota/growing-potatoes

³ Botany and history: https://milnepublishing.geneseo.edu/botany/chapter/potato/

Cultivars (North Dakota):  https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/potatoextension

Soil health:  https://potatosoilhealth.cfans.umn.edu/

How to grow:  https://extension.illinois.edu/gardening/potato

Growing for home use:  https://plantvillage.psu.edu/topics/potato/infos and

https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/how-to/growing-potatoes-home-garden and

https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/potato/

Growing to scale:  https://extension.psu.edu/potato-production

Disorders (large scale): https://www.vegetables.cornell.edu/crops/potatoes/