Garden for Free Part III - Pineapple

Prep your pineapple

(option 1) Remove the top of the pineapple with one 1-inch cut, leaving roughly 1 inch of pineapple “flesh”, along with the green top portion of the fruit. You are only using the top nonedible portion of the fruit, so cut the rest of the pineapple and enjoy. I love grilled pineapple.

(option 2) You can also twist off the green portion of the pineapple and let “cure” for a few days or up to two weeks. To cure a pineapple, just store it in a dry place without direct sunlight. If you go this route you do not need to soak in water, just plant directly in direct after you remove the lower leaves.

Sprout the pineapple 

Place the pineapple in 1/2 inch of water for 3 to 4 days.  I like to keep mine on my kitchen window bench which gets the afternoon sun. After 3 or 4 days, check the bottom of the pineapple, you should be able to see tiny white sprouts.. At this point you can remove all the flesh and some of the lower leaves, leaving a sprouted cone on the bottom of the plant. Once your pineapple top has sprouted, plant directly in dirt in a mid-size pot with good drainage.

At this point you can remove all the flesh and some of the lower leaves, leaving a sprouted cone on the bottom of the plant. Once your pineapple top has sprouted, plant directly in dirt in a mid-size pot with good drainage.

Let it grow

Make sure to plant your pineapple in a well-drained pot. These plants do not like to be water logged, and will not survive overwatering in general. Here you can see how far I cover the starter plant with dirt. 

Pineapple plants are pretty plants that have a tropical vibe, that would be great on a patio regardless if they grow fruit or not. But of course, fruit is my goal, which can be expected 24 to 36 months from planting depending when / what season you start.

Here you can see an example of one planted in May of this year. Really impressive growth! I plan to bring my plant indoors before the first freeze and return to the patio next spring.