We’ve been growing our own pineapples for years. First of all, because it’s fun and they’re easy to grow; second, because NOTHING tastes like a homegrown fully ripe pineapple!
I first became interested in pineapples when my Grandpa Jud started growing them in our hometown of Ft. Lauderdale.
As I wrote back in 2014:
His name was Judson Greene and he was a sailor and a brilliant carpenter. When I was a kid, he stood ten foot tall. If you dropped him on a desert island, he could build a sloop from laminated twigs, find a way to varnish it (twice), then sail back to home port before dinner. He had traveled about the tropics in the Navy, done scientific research, and still managed to raise five children, the oldest of whom was my mother.
Grandpa was also an inveterate experimenter, which is perhaps where I get my own exploratory drive. He planted a rubber tree in his back yard, grew a mahogany in the side yard, and was always toying with the idea of converting his whole house to solar power.
When he discovered in his 70s that you could grow pineapple plants from the tops of store-bought pineapples, he hatched an idea. Visiting the local grocery store, he asked the woman behind the food prep counter what she did with the pineapple tops that were removed when they made fruit salads. When he found out they were being thrown away, he asked if she’d save him some. She did – an entire black trash bag full.
Grandpa called my younger sisters and their friends together and made them an offer: for each pineapple top they planted in his back yard, he’d pay them a nickel.
Pineapple plants were soon scattered here and there all through the backyard landscaping. About two years later, the bounty started trickling in, and wow – those pineapples were the most delicious golden fruits. The ones the coons didn’t steal were shared regularly with visitors, who were all amazed to realize they were homegrown. For the next decade, until his death, Grandpa had pineapples … and his army of young planters grew up enjoying the fruit.
Fast forward a few decades later and we’re having pineapple success again, this time in Lower Alabama.
We grew that from a top planted about three years ago. We planted it in a 15-gallon pot of potting soil and compost and kept it in the greenhouse to keep it from freezing in winter.
The flavor was amazing. We let it sit on the counter for a few more days to completely ripen, then Rachel served it with ham we got from a local farm.
I actually traded 60 bags of expired seed and feed from Atmore Farm & Garden for an entire pig, which worked out great for us and for the farmer. I don’t eat wheat anymore, but if I did, this would have made for an amazing pizza.
Absolutely delicious. If you’re not growing pineapple, I highly recommend giving it a try, climate and greenhouse space permitting.
Here’s how to grow one from a top:
And here’s how to grow FOUR pineapple plants from a single top:
Pineapples are quite undemanding and generally grow with almost no issues, provided you don’t swamp them with water.
