How to Grow Beauregard Sweet Potato
Beauregard Sweet Potato
Ipomoea batatas 'Beauregard'
vegetableBeauregard is a high-yielding, copper-skinned sweet potato variety prized for its deep orange flesh, excellent flavor, and reliable productivity. It's the most widely grown commercial sweet potato cultivar in North America and adapts well to home gardens. This vining perennial is grown as an annual crop for its nutrient-dense tubers.
Growing Conditions
Soil
Growing Zones
Find your zone →Thrives in zones 7-10; requires warm soil and long growing season (120+ frost-free days)
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Growth Stages
Slip Production
4-6 weeksStarting from seed potatoes (or purchased slips). Seed tubers are bedded in warm soil and produce multiple sprouts with roots.
Maintain warm, moist soil (75-80°F). Keep in bright light. Slips are ready (4-6 inches tall) when roots develop, typically 4-6 weeks after bedding.
Establishment
4-6 weeksSlips are transplanted into garden beds. Young plants focus on developing runner vines and establishing root systems. Minimal tuber enlargement occurs.
Keep soil consistently moist but not waterlogged. Mulch around plants (2-3 inches) to retain moisture and regulate soil temperature. Provide support or manage vine spread (6-8 feet possible).
Vine Growth
6-8 weeksVigorous vining stage where plant produces dense foliage and extends runners across the garden. Underground, small tubers begin forming at nodes.
Water moderately; avoid overwatering or excess nitrogen fertilizer. Monitor for pests and disease. Manage vines if space is limited by pruning non-essential growth.
Tuber Enlargement
6-8 weeksTubers rapidly expand and accumulate starches and sugars. Foliage may show slight yellowing as plant redirects resources below ground.
Reduce watering frequency; allow soil to dry slightly between waterings to concentrate flavors. Avoid fertilizing. Continue pest monitoring.
Harvest Readiness
1-2 weeksTubers reach full size (8-10 inches long, 2-4 inches diameter typical). Skin has hardened and developed characteristic copper color.
Stop watering 1-2 weeks before harvest to cure skins in soil. Watch for first frost warning—harvest immediately before frost kills vines.
Common Pests
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Most serious pest. Use resistant varieties if available, rotate crops annually, destroy infested tubers immediately, apply spinosad or neem oil if damage detected early. Remove any wild Ipomoea species nearby.
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Rotate crops, trap with potato pieces buried in soil, encourage beneficial predators, apply beneficial nematodes to soil before planting.
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Encourage birds and beneficial insects, apply beneficial nematodes, hand-pick if populations are low, consider milky spore product.
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Use reflective mulch, spray neem oil or insecticidal soap, encourage parasitic wasps, manage weed populations nearby.
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Apply floating row covers early, use neem oil or spinosad spray, encourage beneficial insects, maintain garden sanitation.
Uses
Baking & Sweet Dishes
CulinaryBeauregard's naturally high sugar content (3-5% by weight) and creamy texture make it ideal for baked sweet potatoes, pies, casseroles, and desserts. The orange flesh provides beta-carotene and vibrant color. [source]
Savory Cooking
CulinaryMash, roast, or fry for side dishes, soups, curries, and stews. The slightly sweet flavor complements savory spices and works well in African, Asian, and Latin American cuisines. [source]
Nutritional Supplement
MedicinalRich in vitamins A, C, potassium, and manganese; high in dietary fiber and antioxidants. Supports eye health, immune function, and blood sugar regulation due to resistant starch content. [source]
Livestock Feed
HouseholdCulled or surplus tubers are excellent forage for chickens, pigs, and other farm animals. Vines are also nutritious animal feed when dried. [source]
Ornamental Vining
CraftBeautiful, vigorous vines with heart-shaped leaves add texture and greenery to gardens. Can be grown on trellises or allowed to sprawl across beds as edible landscaping. [source]
This is not medical advice. LizPlants is not a medical resource. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before using plants medicinally.
Harvest Tips
Harvest when first frost threatens or 100-120 days after planting, whichever comes first. Tubers must not experience frost or quality deteriorates. Dig carefully with a garden fork to avoid bruising (bruises promote rot in storage). Cure tubers at 80-85°F with 90% humidity for 10-14 days to harden skins and heal minor wounds—this improves storage and sweetness. Store at 55-60°F and 85% humidity; do not refrigerate. Properly cured tubers keep 3-4 months.
Fun Facts
- 🌱 Beauregard was named after Louisiana General P.G.T. Beauregard and released by Louisiana State University in 1987. It quickly became the dominant commercial variety in North America due to its consistency and disease resistance.
- 🌱 Sweet potatoes are not related to white potatoes at all—they belong to the morning glory family (Convolvulaceae), while regular potatoes are nightshades (Solanaceae). Despite the 'potato' name, they're an entirely different species.
- 🌱 Beauregard tubers develop the characteristic copper-orange hue and enhance in sweetness after the curing process, as starches convert to sugars. A properly cured Beauregard can have double the sugar content of a freshly harvested tuber.
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