Sweet surprise for Waroona farmer
Waroona's Peter Ferraro is known for growing prize-winning vegetables but he had the surprise of his life when preparing the ground for a winter crop at his Hamel farm.
The 76-year-old unearthed a sweet potato weighing 6.4kg with a length of 90cm.
"It is the size of a big baby," Mr Ferraro said.
"I have been planting vegetables for about 20 years and I have never seen anything this big."
Mr Ferraro said he put only two plants from cuttings in the ground last November.
They went on to produce many sweet potatoes - including his big beauty.
He credited the terrific yield to the care and attention he gave his crops, as well as building up the sandy soil with manure.
"I treat my vegetables like children," he said.
"I look after them, feed them well and they are happy."
Mr Ferraro grows a variety of vegetables such as corn, tomatoes and chilli and enjoys giving them to family and friends.
He has won many first prizes for his broad beans in the Waroona Agricultural Shows throughout the years.
The world's heaviest sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) weighed 37kg on March 8, 2004, and was grown by Manuel Perez Perez of Spain, according to the Guinness World Records.
'It is the size of a big baby' - Peter Ferraro
