WNC woman now holds Guinness World Record for growing tallest potato plant
Thanks to roses and a do-it-yourself video
By Brittany Whitehead
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NEBO, North Carolina (WLOS) — It’s official — a McDowell County woman’s potato plant has set a world record.
In August 2023, News 13 spotlighted Cecelia Smith in a Carolina Moment feature.
The Nebo woman grew her plant, named “Gertrude,” and it has reached a height of 11 feet, 3 inches.
It all started when she watched a video on how to grow a rose from a potato. Smith asked her mother for a rose from her then-recent Valentine’s Day bouquet, and from there, the rest is history.
She contacted the Guinness Book of Records, which confirmed for her that Gertrude was, in fact, the tallest potato plant in the world.
Previously, a plant grown by a man from the United Kingdom held the record at 9 feet, 4.1 inches tall.
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