Have you ever tasted a pineapple, fresh picked, warmed by the sun, and dripping with nectar from the gods? The flavor of a fresh, backyard grown pineapple is unsurpassed. There isn’t anything so amazingly delicious as this. You must experience if for yourself! They are so easy to grow and caring for them is minimal. Be sure to protect fruits from the critters who enjoy them too.
Next time you buy a pineapple, save the top, the part with the green blades. Another place to get them is your local grocery store that prepares packaged fruit. They often give you all the tops from what they prepare that day. Ask them to save them for you and give them your name. Be sure to pick them up the next morning or they will go out to the trash by mid morning. Once, I received twenty eight tops, and I planted them all! Dry them on a patio for 3 days. Plant in the ground in a sunny to party sunny area in your yard, or you can plant them in a pot. They will sprout roots and will grow larger. Feed them worm tea.
In a year and a half you will have a pineapple forming at the top. Pick when it smells sweet and fruity. Watch it every day. Don’t let the squirrels get it. You may need to build a chicken wire fence around it for protection from our furry friends as they may get to eat it before we do. They know exactly when the fruit is perfectly ripe and unfortunately, 96.5% of the time, they will beat us to it! Nothing is more disappointing than having squirrel or mouse chew marks in your most delicious prize. Its worth protecting! Once it is perfectly ripe, cut it, and peel and eat immediately if possible. If not quite fully ripe, let sit on a windowsill to ripen. Don’t let it go for too long as it will start to ferment.
Fresh pineapple is such a delicious fruit and it is so easy to grow in Florida. They can withstand a little freeze, endure drought, like dappled shade, and grow well as borders to a landscape bed. The tops can be had for free with a little asking around and they couldn’t be easier to grow. May everyone have the rewarding experience of tasting their own backyard grown pineapple!
For more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pineapple; checkout my other articles at Suzanne's Articles
Comments
I love pineapples! A friend gave me six tops, and I planted them. They are just beginning to really grow. Can't wait to get fruit!
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