How to Grow a Pineapple Plant

As summer rolls into town, fruits take center stage. Think watermelon piled high on the picnic table by the lake, strawberries perched on a smoothie poolside, and pineapples litter drinks on the beach, skewered with tiny colorful umbrellas. What fun!

As a gardener, I’ll enjoy my time frolicking, then compost everything I can. Basically, I’ll toss those watermelon rinds and strawberry greens directly into my bin to create the most luscious, “delicious” soil possible. But pineapple tops?

I’m sticking those in the ground and creating my own pineapple orchard. It’s easier than you think–a good thing!–and these beauties can become part of your landscape. #ediblelandscaping101

Simply cut the top from the fruit and stick it in the ground. No fuss, no worry, no special treatment. Your pineapple will grow to perfection. One caveat: The plant shown above took four years to become that size. (Patience is a virtue!)

Some of us gardeners can be a bit fussy when it comes to our gardens, preferring a more “sophisticated” approach to the rooting process. Okay, let’s rephrase it and say, “We like to give them a “head start” on the growing process.

How so? Instead of placing them directly into the ground, try cutting the tops off the fruit, peel a few of the lower leaves off to thoroughly expose the base and then plop them into a cup or pot of water. (Styrofoam cups work!)

These roots formed in a matter of two weeks. Give them another two weeks and place in the location of your choice. Sun, air, rain–you’re in business. Once your pineapple plant is in the ground an growing happily, it will continually sprout new growth.

Can you see the shoots of new growth sprouting from the lower 1/3 section of the photo, and again, toward the upper right 1/3 of the picture? From each of those areas a new pineapple will form. Very cool!

NOTE: I’m told your first pineapple might not be your sweetest fruit, so please do not give up too early. Your subsequent pineapple will delight your eyes and amaze your palate. (I’m sure of it!) … Happy summer gardening!