So apparently, unbeknownst to me, I have been "tending" a very small plantation here at Shamrock Inches with a "crop" of one. A single pineapple!
Who knew I had this? I found it growing on the west side garden area beside my screened-in patio. The patio half-wall obscured it from view while in the patio enclosure, and with me never venturing out into that alleyway, I had no clue. I knew there were some tropical and sub-tropical plants there but I never tended to them or gave them any mind except to admire the pretty orange colored flowers on one bush that pokes up just above waist height and some other plant that looks like a sage bush.
But today I decided to snip back my purple bougainvillea, the one by the carport that scratches my car as I come and go, and I spotted this baby while making my way from the shed. It might be a little early as you can see it's only about 4" tall (not counting the crown). But with my kooky neighbors I thought I'd cut it from the stalk now rather than have one of them snatch it from there. Even if it's not the sweetest, it does look ripe enough to eat and I won't cut it up just yet, I'll let it remain in the ceramic bowl here on the counter as decoration for a while. Plus, it not being commercially raised, I kinda doubt it'd get much bigger anyway since, as I said, I didn't even know it was there let alone water and "feed" it. I never even knew pineapple could grow in Florida. I read online that though not produced commercially here, people grow them in their home gardens all the time.
Well, I guess I have a homestead after all. If my tiny inches of yard has good planting soil, maybe I should plant other crops as well? From what I read, this single plant (yup, there's just one) is done producing fruit and I may get more from the shoots or whatever the plant gives off but that won't be for a year or two. Gosh knows I could use another hobby. But the thought of toiling in a garden in the Florida heat...meh, maybe not. Let's just hope this pineapple plant's offspring can fend for themselves and I may have something to look forward to in the future.
EDIT: I ate this 6 days later and let me tell you, it was the BEST pineapple I'd ever had. So juicy and sweet! I replanted the crown after seeing how to do it from YouTube and in a couple years I'll have another bumper crop of one fruit worth a whopping $2 retail! But free is free.