WE certainly are living in trying times, and maybe the only real constant many of us have is our garden.
As Albert Einstein once reckoned, the only reason we have time is so that everything doesn’t happen all at once.
Just as well – because growing pineapples is definitely not for anyone chasing instant gratification.
For the truly lazy gardener, however, a pineapple might be one of the easiest plants anyone can grow.
They need very little attention. There are no serious bugs to worry about, and if you forget to water them, don’t panic. The next day – or even the next week – will usually be just fine.
They really are that easy to grow, but success does start with a good growing medium.
Cutting corners here can mean your pineapple simply sits there without growing or producing fruit.
When I started, I used quality mushroom compost from a landscaper. It seemed quite different from the bagged variety you buy in stores – moister and richer to work with.
Some people warned me that it might be too rich and the plants wouldn’t grow, but it worked perfectly for me.
Over the years I’ve continued to add different manures to improve the mix.
My first four pineapple tops went into the ground in 2016. Since then, the patch has ex-panded to about 80 plants – all grown at no cost. How good is that?
It did take around three and a half years to harvest the first pineapple, but by replanting the tops and the “pups” that most plants produce, there is now a steady supply of fruit coming through each month.
Last year the patch produced 36 pineapples.
Over the next few weeks this column will show how you too can create an easy, productive pineapple patch at home.
Till next time.
