Episode: #3 16/09/2006
Presenter: Kim

The tips and the inside dirt on how to successfully produce your own sweet and juicy home grown fruit:

Joyeata Organics in Lewiston, just outside of Gawler, is an organic farm that has been producing pineapples for the past 2 years and it?s not high tech.

The first important piece of information is that only the top off a ?Certified Organic Pineapple? (COP) will produce fruit. Other pineapple varieties don?t seem to want to grow fruit, so be sure you begin with a Certified Organic one.

Cut the top off your pineapple, enjoy the fruit and leave the top to completely dry out. Store it out of direct sunlight and wind. It can take anywhere between 3 weeks to 2 months for the base to look dry and the bottom leaves to shrivel but that?s when it?s ready to plant.

The secret ingredient is the potting mix. It is all worm castings. Joyeata compost all their food scraps in large worm bins, turning their waste into a rich organic brew that is full of goodness, nutrients and of course worms. The important part about worm castings is that it stays free draining in a pot and won?t hold too much moisture, stopping the common problem of rot.

Fill a 200mm pot with worm mix, get the pineapple top and pull off any shrivelled leaves and then plant. Pineapples are heavy feeders so a handful of high potassium fertilizer added now and again in autumn will keep the plant really happy.

Water in and keep in a well lit northerly facing area, preferably under white 50% shade cloth.

Regularly misting will stop any drying out. Remember pineapples are members of the bromeliad family and are used to a tropical humid environment.

As the plants develop, only the central leader will grow the fruit. Here you can see the beginnings of a new pineapple. Any unproductive side shoots can be cut off and left to dry out, making a brand new plant.

It takes about 4 growing seasons for each plant to produce its first fruit. Then you can look forward to harvesting a juicy home grown pineapple every summer.

Joyeata Organics
230 Hayman Road

Lewiston, SA 5501
ph: (08) 8524 3258 Organic Products