<P> Early colonists in Virginia and the Carolinas may have grown potatoes from seeds or tubers from Spanish ships , but the earliest certain potato crop in North America was in Londonderry , New Hampshire in 1719 . The plants were from Ireland , so the crop became known as the `` Irish potato '' . Potatoes were planted in Idaho as early as 1838 ; by 1900 the state 's production exceeded a million bushels ( about 27,000 tonnes ) . Before 1910 , the crops were stored in barns or root cellars , but , by the 1920s , potato cellars or barns came into use . U.S. potato production has increased steadily ; two - thirds of the crop comes from Idaho , Washington , Oregon , Colorado , and Maine , and potato growers have strengthened their position in both domestic and foreign markets . </P>
<P> Early colonists in Virginia and the Carolinas may have grown potatoes from seeds or tubers from Spanish ships , but the earliest certain potato crop in North America was in Londonderry , New Hampshire in 1719 . The plants were from Ireland , so the crop became known as the `` Irish potato '' . Potatoes were planted in Idaho as early as 1838 ; by 1900 the state 's production exceeded a million bushels ( about 27,000 tonnes ) . Before 1910 , the crops were stored in barns or root cellars , but , by the 1920s , potato cellars or barns came into use . U.S. potato production has increased steadily ; two - thirds of the crop comes from Idaho , Washington , Oregon , Colorado , and Maine , and potato growers have strengthened their position in both domestic and foreign markets . </P>
when were potatoes first eaten in north america
when were potatoes first eaten in north america
in 1719
in 1719