By Brandy Centolanza

Contributing writer

A pair of families in Carrollton were recently shocked to find that what they believed to be a rather large rock in their shared garden was instead a massive sweet potato weighing 17.2 pounds.

In November, ahead of the first frost of the season, Carey Byrd and James Hardin, friends who took up gardening together a few years ago, were digging up vegetables at night wearing headlamps when they made the discovery. 

“It was such a surprise,” Byrd said. “Our kids thought it was just the ugliest, funniest thing they’ve ever seen.”

Byrd began gardening during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her in-laws had allowed her to utilize space on their property for her garden, but then they decided to downsize.

“I was so happy for them for so many reasons, but I was also sad to lose my garden,” she said.

The Hardins, who live in the same neighborhood as the Byrds, offered up a portion of their back yard for another garden. The two families, who have four children between them, decided to share in the responsibilities and care for the garden while teaching their kids about the benefits of gardening.

“I loved the idea and we sat down and planned all the lovely veggies we would grow together,” Byrd said. “Their daughters drew pictures to make a logo, the HardinByrd Farm. Anything you can plant, we planted.”

Besides sweet potatoes, the families have grown potatoes, broccoli, carrots, beans, peas, onions, pumpkins, greens and other vegetables.

“It’s nice to be self-sufficient and know where your food comes from,” Hardin said. “That’s also what motivated us. It’s hard work, but there is some satisfaction with growing it all in your own back yard.”

Everyone in the families pitches in, with the kids helping to plant, water and harvest. It’s been a few years of trial and error, but now rarely a meal goes by without them all enjoying what they’ve grown. 

“It’s been a lot of fun doing it with the kids and teaching them about nature,” Byrd said. “Everything is just more flavorful and tastes better. We’ve made a lot of vegetable broth, and we didn’t know what to do with our carrot tops, so we made carrot top pesto that was really good.”

Discovering what she describes as their “behemoth” sweet potato was definitely one of the highlights of their gardening journey. A medium-size sweet potato typically weighs just under half a pound. While Virginia does not keep weight records for sweet potatoes, a couple in Alcova Heights reported growing a 7-pound sweet potato back in 2012. Last year, in neighboring North Carolina, a woman grew a sweet potato that weighed 13.11 pounds. The world record for heaviest sweet potato? 81.9 pounds.

So, what do the Hardins and Byrds plan to do with their sweet potato? Right now, the vegetable is curing alongside the rest of their potato batch and should be finished sometime in January. Then, they plan to donate it to a shelter for needy families to enjoy.

Next season, the families hope to expand their garden and grow even more vegetables.

“This was an accident, but I think we will try it again and grow one big potato every year,” Byrd said. “Gardening is a lot of fun. If you don’t have the space for one, find a neighbor who will let you play in their yard like I did.”