You Can Grow Your Own Potatoes Even If You Don’t Have a Garden So your basil died in a freeze and you accidentally overwatered your tomatoes. We get it. Not everyone has a green thumb. (Gardening can be super tricky even if you do!) That said, there’s one crop that’s surprisingly easy to grow — and it just so happens to be a perennial favorite (literally): potatoes. With a few simple tips, you’ll be well on your way to enjoying home-grown spuds for mashing, smashing, and roasting. Read on to learn more about how to grow potatoes in your garden — or even on your balcony or patio. Potatoes originated in the Andes mountains of South America, where local farmers cultivate more than 4,000 potato varieties. They’re a member of the nightshade family, along with tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant. Like the other nightshades, potatoes are a warm season crop that require a frost-free growing season. One intriguing difference between potatoes and other nightshades is that, instead of sprouting ...