Gran grows a pineapple... on her windowsill
A WINDOWSILL in Britain is about as far as you can get from the tropical climes in which pineapples usually flourish.
But it was good enough for one of the exotic plants, which has sprouted a fruit after being nurtured by Kath Paciuszko.
The 66-year-old planted the top of a shopbought pineapple in soil to see if it would grow and fruit. Her wish was granted – eventually – after a six-year wait.
‘Nothing happened for years but I kept the plant healthy and looking pretty,’ said the retired housekeeper, of Truro, Cornwall.
‘A few weeks ago, a purple flower appeared. When the flowers died off, a bulb started to swell. I thought “crikey” but I just left it and a couple of weeks later, it started taking the shape of a pineapple.
‘I said to my husband Richard that I thought there was a pineapple growing on our plant and he just laughed. But it just kept growing. All I have done is water it.’
When the fruit grew to 4in, Mrs Paciuszko picked it, sliced it and – with a little trepidation – shared it among her grandchildren.
‘I still wasn’t sure if it was going to be edible because the outside had started going a sort of browny colour, but it was absolutely delicious,’ she said. ‘It was really juicy, better than the ones from the shop.’
The nearby Lost Gardens of Heligan spends thousands each year on heating and lighting to create a tropical climate for its plants.
Pineapples, which originate from South America, are ‘quite fussy’, said garden supervisor Nicola Bradley. ‘You need to keep them at a steady 24C or 25C. If you cut the top off and plant it, it is a bit of a fluke if you grow one. Very well done to Kath,’ she added.