Growing pineapples at home is easy!
Interested in adding a patch of pineapples to your home garden? Learn how to grow perfect pineapples from University of Florida researchers and take home 3 Ananas comosus ‘Florida Special’ pineapple plants at our next Growing Groceries Workshop. The workshop will be given live on Zoom at 3:00pm on March 8 and you can pick up your plants from our office or the Master Gardener nursery on Saturday March 12. If you miss the live version of the class don’t worry, it will be recorded and everyone who registers will receive the link. There is a $20.00 charge for the class and attendance is limited to the first 45 people, but it’s simple:
• Register today on Eventbrite at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/267124505587
• We will send you a link to the live workshop on Zoom before March 8.
• Tune in to the live workshop with all your questions on the 8th.
• If you can’t attend live, we’ll send you the link to the recording by the end of the 8th- watch as many times as you want.
• Stop by the Hernando County Master Gardener Nursery on Saturday March 12 between 9:00am and noon to pick up your 3 ‘Florida Special’ pineapple plants. The nursery is located at 19490 Oliver St., Brooksville, FL 34601
• If you cannot come by in person to pick up your plants, email Dr. Lester at wlester@ufl.edu and we can have your plants at our office for you to pick up when it is convenient. We are not able to deliver or mail plants to participants.
People have been asking:
What is a Florida Special pineapple?
This is a variety that was bred by Libby Fruit Company to be grown in Florida. They had 240 acres of these pineapples in Immokalee, FL. years ago. They are cold tolerant, have reddish leaves and fruit coating, and produce a golden yellow fruit inside. Most pictures online are copyrighted, so we can’t share them here, but you can look them up online to see what they look like as mature fruit and plants.
How long will it take to get fruit on my plants?
That depends- on where you live, how well your plants are cared for, and how cold it gets where you live. In South Florida, plants grow year-round and can fruit in 14-18 months, but if your plants are damaged by cold winter weather it may take longer. Pineapple plants flower and fruit when they reach a certain age and size, so keeping your plants warm all year long and keeping them actively growing will get them there sooner!
Pineapples are generally easy to grow (if you’re patient), have few pest problems and take up little space. There are plenty of tips and tricks that can help you be successful in growing them- so register for the class today because space is limited!
Header photo by Eric Zamora, UF/IFAS
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