Potato
The potato is originally from the high and cool areas of the Andes mountains. It was grown as a food crop thousands of years ago. When Spanish
conquistadores came to South America in the 1500s they took potatoes back to Europe. It took nearly 200 years for the potato to become a widely grown
crop. In the 1780s the farmers in Ireland began growing potatoes because they grew well in the poor soils. They also have most of the vitamins that
people need to live. When a potato plague destroyed the crop in 1845 the Irish Potato Famine killed many people. The potato plant is now grown in many
different parts of the world. Captain William Bligh planted potatoes on Bruny Island, Tasmania in 1792. In Australia they are now the largest
vegetable crop.