Crop type: Sweet Potatoes
Ipomoea batatas ‘Evangeline’ PBR
Common name: Sweet potato ‘Evangeline’
Crop slug: sweet-potatoes
This Allotment Pro editorial draft summarises the cited RHS cultivar profile and its linked crop guidance. Check the sources and adjust cultivation decisions for local conditions.RHS cultivar profile
1 - Overview
‘Evangeline’ is a tender herbaceous perennial treated as an annual in the UK. It scrambles across the ground or climbs with support to about 3.5m. Its attractive green leaves are edible, and the underground storage roots have dull orange skin and extremely sweet pale-orange flesh.
This Plant Breeders’ Rights cultivar is very vigorous and needs a long hot summer. The parent RHS guide describes its flavour as sweeter than most cultivars and recommends greenhouse growing for best performance. Its heat requirement and substantial vine growth make it a strong choice for a roomy protected structure rather than an exposed plot.
2 - Size
- Ultimate height
- 2.5–4 metres
- Ultimate spread
- 0.1–0.5 metres as recorded by the profile
- Time to maturity
- 1 year
- Habit
- Climbing and trailing
The stems reach approximately 3.5m when trained. Use canes or strings to take the vigorous growth upward, or allow it to trail where there is ample room.
3 - Growing conditions
- Suitable soils
- Clay, loam or sand
- Moisture
- Moist but well drained
- Soil pH
- Acid, neutral or alkaline
Plant in deep fertile soil that holds steady moisture but drains freely. The long-season storage roots need consistent water and warmth to swell. Large containers are suitable provided they have enough compost volume and dependable irrigation.
4 - Position and hardiness
- Light
- Full sun or full light under cover
- Aspect
- East-, north-, south- or west-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- Hardiness
- H2 — tolerant of low temperatures but not freezing, approximately 1–5°C
Keep ‘Evangeline’ frost free and give it the longest, hottest season available. Outdoor planting is possible only after all frost danger has passed, while a greenhouse gives the very vigorous vine the heat it needs to form a worthwhile crop.
5 - Colour and seasonal interest
| Season | Foliage | Storage roots |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | Fresh green slips and young leaves | — |
| Summer | Vigorous edible green foliage | Dull orange skin developing |
| Autumn | Green before lifting | Extremely sweet pale-orange flesh |
| Winter | Deciduous or lifted | Stored briefly for kitchen use |
The cultivar is identified by its dull orange skin and paler orange interior rather than the red exterior of Beauregard or pale skin and cream flesh of Bonita. Its long, leafy climbing stems are an equally prominent feature during summer.
6 - Botanical details
- Family
- Convolvulaceae
- Native to Great Britain and Ireland
- No
- Lifecycle
- Tender herbaceous perennial grown as an annual in the UK
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Habit
- Climbing and trailing
- Name status
- Accepted
- Plant Breeders’ Rights
- Yes
Genus
Ipomoea includes annuals and perennials, often with twining stems, as well as evergreen shrubs. Leaves may be simple, lobed or dissected, and flowers are tubular or funnel-shaped. ‘Evangeline’ is cultivated chiefly for its edible foliage and swollen underground roots.
7 - How to grow
Cultivation
Grow in deep fertile soil in a frost-free place with full light. It can go outside after frost danger has passed but needs a long hot growing period to produce roots; under glass is the more reliable choice. A large container can be used.
Train the vine up a cane to save space, spread it as ground cover or let it trail over a container. Young leaves are edible, but harvesting them limits plant size and reduces the root crop. Follow the parent guide for establishment temperatures, pot size, spacing, watering, feeding and lifting before frost.
Propagation
Propagate from storage roots by producing slips that include a growing bud. Root and establish slips in warmth before moving them to the final position.
Pruning
No pruning is required. Tie in stems when training vertically and shorten only growth that exceeds the available space.
Pests
Potential pests are glasshouse red spider mite and glasshouse whitefly. The vigorous foliage should be checked beneath the leaves throughout warm protected growth.
Diseases
‘Evangeline’ is described as generally disease-free. Avoid frost, waterlogging and physical damage to lifted roots, and use any bruised roots promptly.