The Top 10 Varieties of Sweet Potatoes to Grow in Your Garden

Botanical Name: Ipomoea batatas

There are over 400 different varieties of sweet potatoes and all are not created equal. Like apples, it all depends on personal taste. One of the many benefits of growing your own food is that you are able to try different varieties that you cannot obtain from the grocery store or farmers' market.

However, it is important to keep certain factors in mind when deciding which variety of sweet potato to grow in your garden. Do you have limited space or are you only able to grow in a container? Then selecting a bush variety would be better than a vining one. Are you located in a northern climate? Most sweet potatoes prefer hot climates with long days and warm daytime as well as nighttime temperatures; that's why they're commercially grown in the southern half of the US and other warmer climates. But there is a variety that is bred just for northern growers. When growing sweets, the right growing conditions are necessary to have a successful yield of tubers. Here are some of the top growing varieties of sweet potatoes.

This is one of the world's most popular sweet potato varieties because it has a high yield during harvest and it's highly disease tolerant. The 'Beaureguard' was initially bred at the Louisiana State University in 1987 to help with the failing sweet potato market. Today, it is commonly grown in Southern US. If you want to grow 'Beaurguards' you'll need a large garden plot as the vines can reach 3' to 6' in length.

This is the best variety for those living in northern regions because it will mature in 90 days under cooler temperatures. This variety needs ample space to grow because the vines can reach 40" long. Many find the taste to be flavorful and moist with a deep orange flesh and red skin.

For the gardener who doesn't care about looks, but is searching for taste, "Jewel" is considered the "Queen of Sweet Potatoes" and is the leading spud planted in North Carolina for commercial growers. The tubers are short and chunky compared to other varieties, but it is plentiful in yield having six sweets resulting from just one plant. The harvest date is 120 to 135 days from planting and most folks claim they're worth the long wait.