One thing you need to know about pineapples is that they don’t ripen once they’ve been picked. That makes timing your harvest absolutely critical! While it’s usually pretty easy to tell when they’re ready, keep in mind that even a perfectly ripe pineapple won’t stay fresh forever.
A Long Road to Harvest
Pineapples are part of the bromeliad family, which means they have a pretty unique life cycle: they bloom just once, produce a single fruit, and then the main plant dies off. But don’t worry! Like other bromeliads, they produce “pups” or offsets that you can grow into brand-new plants to keep the cycle going.
Patience is definitely a virtue here. It usually takes about three years for a plant to produce its first flower, get pollinated, and finally grow a fruit. The ripening process alone takes anywhere from four to eight months. Since you’ve waited so long for that one fruit, you definitely don’t want to mess up the harvest!
When to Harvest Your Pineapple
Contrary to what some people think, pineapples don’t grow on trees. They are actually herbaceous plants that usually top out at about three to five feet tall. This compact size makes them surprisingly great as potted houseplants. With a little luck and the right care, you can even get them to fruit right in your living room!
If you’re lucky enough to have a pineapple growing, start checking it regularly around the four-month mark. If you’re growing yours in a pot, don’t expect it to get as big as the ones in the grocery store—but don’t let the size fool you! Even small homegrown pineapples can pack a massive punch of flavor.
Keep an eye on the color: once the skin starts shifting from green to a golden-yellow or light brown, it’s almost showtime. This is also when you should start the “sniff test.” When the base of the fruit gives off that unmistakable, sweet, tropical aroma, it’s ready to be cut.
Don’t panic if the parent plant starts to die back a few weeks after harvest; that’s just how bromeliads work. Instead, look for those little offsets at the base. This is how you propagate your pineapple to start the whole process over again. You can separate these pups and pot them up to grow a whole new generation of plants.
Enjoying Your Harvest
Since pineapples have a pretty short shelf life, you’ll want to enjoy yours fairly quickly. If you can’t eat it all at once, you can always dry it or freeze chunks for later. Homegrown pineapple also makes incredible fresh juice or a killer jelly for topping fruit tarts. Enjoy the literal fruits of your labor!
