Gardeners know that-despite the limited options that you see in the grocery store-there’s much more to potatoes than the traditional Idaho white potato. The nutrient-rich skin provides 45% of your daily vitamin C and 18% of potassium, plus many more nutrients. The tuber develops from underground stems called stolons once the plants are 6 to 8 inches tall, or around 5 to 7 weeks after planting. The edible part of the potato is the underground “tuber” which is an enlarged underground storage portion of the potato plant. According to the Maine Potato Board, this vegetable arrived in the American Colonies in 1621 when the Governor of Bermuda sent potatoes to the Governor of Virginia at Jamestown. however, they can be grown as a winter crop in warmer climates. Potatoes are related to peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants, but are adapted to higher elevations and harsher growing conditions they were first documented by the Incas in Peru. The potato ( Solanum tuberosum) is a cool-weather vegetable that typically yields bigger crops in the northern portion of the U.S. That said, there are a few things you can do to elevate your crop. They do well in most soils and almost always produce plenty to go hunting for at harvest time.

Potatoes aren’t fussy vegetables, which makes them a fabulous choice for first-time growers.

Our Potato Growing Guide covers planting, growing, harvesting, and storing potatoes. Potatoes taste better when you grow your own! Nutrient-rich “taters” epitomize the joy of gardening-satisfying to plant, quick to grow, and fun to dig up.

Fs19 planting potatoes field 8 us map