Sweet Potato, Bayou Belle

A Southern favorite with deep orange flesh and beautiful red skin.

If you're looking for a sweet potato that combines excellent flavor, attractive color and impressive production, Bayou Belle deserves a place in your garden.

Bayou Belle produces beautiful storage roots with dark red to red-purple skin and rich, deep-orange flesh. Beneath that colorful exterior is a sweet, flavorful interior with a firmer texture than many traditional orange-fleshed varieties—especially when baked.

Excellent Flavor & Kitchen Performance

Bayou Belle has sugar content comparable to Evangeline, while its flesh retains more firmness after baking. The result is a sweet potato with plenty of flavor that doesn't become overly soft or watery when cooked. It is excellent for baking and roasting and also works beautifully for fries, mashed sweet potatoes, soups and casseroles.

Big Plants. Big Harvests.

Bayou Belle is a vigorous, spreading plant that produces roots early and has a very high yield potential. NC State reports that Bayou Belle consistently produces approximately 10% more than Beauregard under comparable production conditions. Root shape is generally improved over Beauregard, although individual roots can vary somewhat in shape and size.

The vines spread across the soil surface, so give plants plenty of room to grow. Depending on growing conditions, vines can extend several feet.

A Great Choice for the Home Garden

Bayou Belle was originally developed with processing in mind, but don't let that fool you—it has very good eating quality and is an excellent choice for the home gardener. NC State lists it as an early variety with high plant production and a short period before the roots are ready for harvest.

For best results, plant slips once the soil has warmed to at least 65°F. Grow in full sun with loose, well-drained soil, and keep plants well watered while they become established.

Bayou Belle at a Glance

Days to Maturity: 95–110 days Skin: Red to red-purple Flesh: Deep orange Flavor: Sweet and rich Texture: Moist with a firm baked texture Growth Habit: Vigorous, spreading vines Yield: Very high Sun: Full sun Soil: Loose, fertile, well-drained soil Uses: Baking, roasting, fries, mashing, soups and casseroles

Disease Resistance: Resistant to Fusarium wilt; moderately resistant to root-knot nematode Special Feature: Approximately 10% higher yield than Beauregard in reported trials

Bayou Belle brings together the classic flavor of an orange-fleshed sweet potato with beautiful red-purple skin and outstanding garden performance.