Yummy!

We loved it! It's very sweet and juicy. After careful trimming, we had a decent amount of fruit to sample. And it was delicious!

I have already placed the crown in a pot... who knows, maybe in few years, we'll have another pineapple.

Pineapple - picked!

Did you  notice in my last pineapple update that it was starting to ripen? Well, neither did I. So imagine my surprise when I looked out the window and saw this:

The fruit is about 6 inches tall when you get close to the plant you can smell it. It looked like it would benefit by another day on the plant, but I didn't want to chance it and end up with something that was over ripe. So with a simple snip:

The pineapple is picked!

Pineapple update

Did I hear someone ask for an update on the pineapple? Well, it's still there... The fruit hasn't gotten any bigger, but the crown has doubled in size. See really tiny... probably only enough for a taste after it is peeled.

A pineapple update

I can't tell if it's my imagination or if the pineapple is actually getting bigger. I should have took the photos with some frame of reference. Oh, well. Here's what it looks like now...

It is really very small. I just like getting up close and filling the frame. It looks more impressive that way, doesn't it? A few more months to go before it ripens.

A strawberry update

I've been keeping an eye on the strawberries because I want to sample them before the bugs or the birds do... The last time I wrote there really wasn't much to see, but now... I see red!

I picked them and had a taste YIKES! a bit tart still... Maybe I should have given them another day. But they still look good, don't they?

I hope to set up another container for the runners that are spreading. I think I'll pinch off the next few flowers and let the plant establish itself. Hopefully the fruit will be sweeter later in the season.

Strawberries

Last month, I planted some strawberries  in styrofoam coolers. I wasn't sure if the location was sunny enough for fruit. The plant is doing well. There are a number of runners that I've been directing back into the planter. I don't know how I missed it but there must have been flowers on the plant at some point because there are three berries. Maybe I should have waited until it ripened, so you can actually find them in the photo... Strawberries and a pineapple, we're having a good year!

pineapple

I haven't been taking pictures of the pineapple because change is slow. Recently, it's starting to look like a miniature version of what you find the stores. Maybe if I changed the angle of the photo, you would get a feel of how small this pineapple is. The purple flowers have dried up and it's about 5 inches from the bottom of the fruit to the tip of the crown. I really don't think it will be much bigger when it is ready to pick. Probably just enough for a taste.

The Pineapple

I haven't posted an update of the pineapple, because, frankly, there hasn't been much change. It's still there and it has gotten just a tad bit larger, but nothing you would notice in a photo. Today, you can see purple and pink blooms emerging from the bottom of the fruit.

It's a pineapple!

A few years ago, I kept the top of a pineapple. I laid it in a pot with all the best intentions to plant it properly, but never got around to it. It took root on its own and has been quietly growing with very little care, other than the normal watering. It even sprouted a keiki. This weekend I planned to pull it up and use the pot for something else. But look what I found!

Isn't this exciting! It'll take a few months before the fruit to mature. I'll keep you updated on the progress.

recycled styrofoam coolers

At the office we sometimes we get perishable shipments that require refrigeration. They arrive in styrofoam coolers. I have learned of a great way to recycle those coolers. Start a container garden! A coat of outdoor paint starts the project, so the foam won't deteriorate in the sun. Don't mind the color. It was the only color available in the 8 oz size. Two coats to be sure that we didn't miss too many spots. Be sure to paint the top and a little down the inside.

After the paint dries, I used a screwdriver to poke a few holes into the bottom for drainage and we have a lightweight container for gardening. The cover of the cooler was broken up into pieces to line the bottom, so we didn't have to use too much dirt to fill it.

In the larger container, I planted gardenias. The plant on the left was transfered from a pot and the one on the right are cuttings that have been rooted in water. These came from Aunty S.

The smaller container contains two strawberry plants are an impulse buy. I haven't had much luck with anything that needs full sun. We get only a few hours of full sun that peeks through the buildings at midday.

This last photo is my first container that I started about 6 months ago. It's full of greek oregano.