The French were the first European inhabitants of what is now Prince Edward Island. They named the colony Îsle Saint-Jean (Saint John’s Island) and established their capital at Port-La Joye, near modern-day Charlottetown. There is no evidence that the French ever cultivated the potato on P.E.I. Just like in the rest of North America, the potato was introduced by the British, who took over from the French on the Island in 1758.

From the beginning, it was obvious that the Island was an ideal location for growing potatoes. The first Governor of the Island, Walter Patterson, reported in 1771 that the potato harvest was a "phenomenal success." By 1790, small amounts of potatoes were being exported to other colonies. Lord Selkirk further encouraged potato farming. In 1802 Selkirk brought settlers from the Scottish highlands to the area around Orwell Bay. He provided his settlers with potatoes to grow, and for the first few years the Highlanders survived almost exclusively on a diet of potatoes and cod. By 1806, John Stewart, in his book about the Island, could say of potatoes: "Potatoes are raised in great abundance, and in no country better."

Growing the Potato: Settler Style

The early settlers did not grow potatoes in the same way we do today. They did not have the benefit of large fields. The Island was almost entirely covered by a dense forest and settlers had to clear the woods tree by tree in order to make room for their farms. Even after they had chopped down all the trees in a field, the tree stumps, which were firmly rooted in the ground, still remained. Often it would take several years to completely clear a field of tree stumps.

To make the most of their cleared land, settlers took to planting potatoes in among the stumps while their efforts at clearing went on. The seed potatoes were planted, buried with ash and left alone until harvesting time. This method produced a source of food for the settlers and involved very little work. The settlers were left free to focus on other tasks, like clearing the land. This method of potato planting continued well into the 1800’s. The letters of Walter Johnstone, written in 1822, describe potato planting among newly cleared tree stumps, and describe the piles of earth covering the potatoes as looking like "mole-hills."

Ups and Downs

Statistics in 1805 indicate that of the 10,000 acres under cultivation on P.E.I. , 15% (1,500 acres) was devoted to potatoes. This acreage increased in time.

By 1820, over 40,000 bushels of potatoes were being exported to places as far away as the West Indies. By 1840, this number had increased to 124,000 bushels. However, potato production dropped drastically during the years of 1845-1850. The Island potato crop was hit by the same blight that had caused the potato famine in Ireland. Eventually the crop recovered from the blight, but the potato once again fell on hard times.

Between 1890 and 1920, there was a reduction in potato production and acreage on the Island once again. This slump happened because people weren't eating as many potatoes.

The modern potato industry for which P.E.I. is now world famous really began in the 1920’s, after the introduction of two new varieties of potatoes: Irish Cobbler and the Green Mountain and the invention of processing technologies.