--- title: Mars: Scientists Think Potatoes Can Grow on Red Planet description: Scientists in a preliminary study think they've discovered evidence that potatoes would be able to grow on Mars — like in 'The Martian' canonical: https://time.com/4697264/potatoes-grow-on-mars-the-martian/ author: Abigail Abrams article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-03-09T20:13:23.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:49:11.987Z article:section: Science og:title: Scientists Think Potatoes May Be Able to Grow on Mars og:description: Just like in 'The Martian' og:url: https://time.com/4697264/potatoes-grow-on-mars-the-martian/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt88532452f45b76c8/6988bdc9e20a870d05a9468c/mars-planet-growing-plants-space-potatoes.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5099 og:image:height: 2868 og:image:alt: This oblique view of the lower mound in Gale crater shows layers of rock that preserve a record of environments on Mars. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Scientists Think Potatoes May Be Able to Grow on Mars twitter:description: Just like in 'The Martian' twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt88532452f45b76c8/6988bdc9e20a870d05a9468c/mars-planet-growing-plants-space-potatoes.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 01:31 video:published: 2017-02-27 section: health topics: organic food, pesticides, budget grocery shopping, produce selection, organic meat, baby food, antibiotics in farming, USDA organic standards, food prices genre: explainer, consumer advice tones: informative, practical, reassuring, encouraging emotions: reassurance (medium), concern (low), satisfaction (low) sentiment: positive audience: budget-conscious shoppers, parents, health-minded consumers, grocery shoppers organizations: USDA products: organic produce, organic meat, organic baby food transcript_source: automatic transcription transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # Scientists Think Potatoes May Be Able to Grow on Mars > Sponsored content. 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Future Proof is TIME's weekly climate and energy newsletter, written by senior correspondent Justin Worland. It connects the energy transition to the decisions reshaping business, technology, policy and markets. #### Where can I follow the energy transition as a business story? Future Proof covers climate and energy as an economic and business story rather than only an environmental one. It publishes every Friday and is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who writes Future Proof? Justin Worland, a senior correspondent at TIME and an award-winning climate journalist, writes Future Proof. #### Is Future Proof free? Yes. Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/newsletters?i=6162da12-e7fa-469b-973e-467d380b7eb1&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Here's When It's Worth to Buy Organic MONEY [Watch (HLS stream): Here's When It's Worth to Buy Organic MONEY](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/MVvCNCUk.m3u8) (1:31)  _Published 2017-02-27. Prioritizing which items on your grocery list should be bought organic can help you save money and make healthier choices._ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary The video explains how budget-conscious shoppers can decide which foods are worth buying organic. It defines organic farming practices and advises prioritizing fruits and vegetables with thin or edible peels, along with organic meat and baby food. It notes that organic labeling is regulated by the USDA and that the price premium is often small. ## Key points - Organic foods are grown and processed without synthetic fertilizer, synthetic pesticides, prophylactic antibiotics, or hormones. (00:00) - Fruits with thick peels, such as bananas, avocados, and pineapples, are less likely to have absorbed agricultural chemicals. (00:00) - It is important to buy organic fruits and vegetables when you cook or eat the peel. (00:29) - Non-organic cucumbers, carrots, eggplant, and apples that are eaten whole are best bought organic. (00:38) - Organically raised poultry, pork, and beef are given feed free of synthetic pesticides and fertilizer and do not receive antibiotics. (00:48) - Buying organic baby food limits exposure to unnecessary antibiotics and chemicals during a child's most sensitive time. (00:59) - Anything labeled organic must meet the strict regulations of the USDA's National Organic Program. (01:06) - Organic prices range from a few cents more for fruits and vegetables to a couple dollars more for meat. (01:16) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:29] Choosing organic produce wisely. Introduces organic food and explains that thick-peeled fruits are less likely to contain pesticides. - [00:29 to 00:48] Which produce to buy organic. Advises buying organic when the peel is eaten and for thin-skinned produce eaten whole. - [00:48 to 01:06] Organic meat and baby food. Recommends organic meat at the counter and organic baby food to limit antibiotic and chemical exposure. - [01:06 to 01:31] Regulation and cost of organic. Covers USDA organic standards and the modest price premium for organic items. ## Key quotes - [00:00] narrator: "budget-conscious consumers can get the most bang for their buck by choosing wisely" - [00:48] narrator: "Splurge at the meat counter." - [01:13] narrator: "buying organic doesn't have to hurt your pockets." ## Questions this video answers - What does it mean for food to be organic? [00:00] - Which fruits and vegetables are worth buying organic? [00:29] - Which fruits with thick peels have less pesticide absorption? [00:00] - Is it worth buying organic meat? [00:48] - How much more does organic food typically cost? [01:16] - What regulations govern the organic label? [01:06] by [Abigail Abrams](https://time.com/author/abigail-abrams/) ## Abigail Abrams Mar 9, 2017 8:13 PM UTC  This oblique view of the lower mound in Gale crater shows layers of rock that preserve a record of environments on Mars. This oblique view of the lower mound in Gale crater shows layers of rock that preserve a record of environments on Mars. Universal History Archive—UIG/Getty Images by [Abigail Abrams](https://time.com/author/abigail-abrams/) ## Abigail Abrams Mar 9, 2017 8:13 PM UTC When Matt Damon’s fictional astronaut grew potatoes to keep himself alive on Mars in [_The Martian_](http://time.com/4055413/martian-movie-review-science-accuracy-matt-damon/), you may have been skeptical. But now real scientists have evidence that his plan wasn’t so impossible. Last year, scientists from the [International Potato Center](http://potatoes.space/mars/live-video.html) set out to discover whether potatoes can grow under Mars’ atmospheric conditions, hoping to prove the tubers can flourish under extreme climates on Earth. Working with NASA, they planted potatoes in soil from the Pampas de La Joya desert in Southern Peru, the organization [said in a statement.](http://cipotato.org/press-room/blog/indicators-show-potatoes-can-grow-mars/) This dry, salty environment contains “the most Mars-like soils found on Earth,” NASA scientist Chris McKay said in the statement. When researchers placed the potatoes in a hermetically sealed CubeSat built by engineers from the University of Engineering and Technology (UTEC) in Lima, the plants started to grow. The CubeSat delivers nutrient-rich water, and controls the temperature, air pressure, oxygen and carbon dioxide levels to mimic Mars. There’s even a live stream of the experiment can be viewed below. “If the crops can tolerate the extreme conditions that we are exposing them to in our CubeSat, they have a good chance to grow on Mars,” said Julio Valdivia-Silva of UTEC. This is just an initial experiment, and potatoes on the Red Planet would need to be kept in a greenhouse with carefully regulated temperature, water and air quality, just like in the CubeSat. After all, when the side blew off the greenhouse Damon’s Mark Watney built in _The Martian_, his potato plants were in bad shape. In the meantime, the scientists are hopeful their discovery could lead to breeding potatoes that could stand up to coming climate changes and help address food insecurity here on Earth. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4697264/potatoes-grow-on-mars-the-martian/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4697264/potatoes-grow-on-mars-the-martian/"},"headline":"Scientists Think Potatoes May Be Able to Grow on Mars","datePublished":"2017-03-09T20:13:23.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:49:11.987Z","description":"Just like in The Martian","url":"https://time.com/4697264/potatoes-grow-on-mars-the-martian/","keywords":["Mars","Space","NASA","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt88532452f45b76c8/6988bdc9e20a870d05a9468c/mars-planet-growing-plants-space-potatoes.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Abigail Abrams","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/abigail-abrams/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt88532452f45b76c8/6988bdc9e20a870d05a9468c/mars-planet-growing-plants-space-potatoes.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"This oblique view of the lower mound in Gale crater shows layers of rock that preserve a record of environments on Mars.","caption":"This oblique view of the lower mound in Gale crater shows layers of rock that preserve a record of environments on Mars.","creditText":"Universal History Archive—UIG/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/tag/mars/","name":"Mars"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4697264/potatoes-grow-on-mars-the-martian/","name":"Scientists Think Potatoes May Be Able to Grow on Mars"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Here's When It's Worth to Buy Organic MONEY","description":"Prioritizing which items on your grocery list should be bought organic can help you save money and make healthier choices.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/MVvCNCUk/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2017-02-27T16:28:18.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/MVvCNCUk.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4697264/potatoes-grow-on-mars-the-martian/","duration":"PT1M31S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4697264/potatoes-grow-on-mars-the-martian/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```