While Alex Oberg is not the first individual to cultivate a pineapple in the North, he may be the most passionate about it.
It took him nine years, starting from the moment he received a leafy pineapple crown that friends had placed in water, until he could finally savor a ripe, homegrown fruit.
“Good things come to those who are patient,” Oberg remarked.
Although this endeavor could be labeled as a labor of love, Oberg describes it as requiring minimal effort. After planting the rooting crown in soil, time—and a south-facing window—did the majority of the work.
“It simply sat in a sunny part of the house, and you care for it just like any other houseplant—sometimes forgetting about it for a couple of weeks and then remembering to water it,” he explained.
“Eventually, we thought, ‘Well, this thing should be producing a pineapple for us at some point, right?'”
That’s when they decided to move the plant outside to a greenhouse for the summer, in hopes of encouraging it to bear fruit. However, nothing materialized, so the plant returned indoors.
Years continued to pass without fruit. However, the plant, which had initially added a lovely touch of greenery to the home, grew larger, eventually becoming “somewhat bothersome,” according to Oberg. Some of its long, sword-like leaves reached up to his head height.
“They’re quite pokey and sharp. You have to be cautious not to get jabbed in the eyes while watering it,” he stated. “Definitely a hazard for your eyes.”
Then, last fall, a small pineapple emerged, sprouting from the leaves.
Oberg first spotted the miniature fruit last fall. (Submitted by Alex Oberg)
“It was pretty thrilling,” Oberg recollected.
Months later, the fruit had matured and developed a golden-yellow color. It had the aroma of a pineapple. Oberg harvested the fruit, sliced it open, and took a bite.
“Well, it tasted like a pineapple. Quite sweet, perhaps a tad on the sour side,” he noted.
“We might have been able to wait a little longer.”
‘Fantastic’ level of commitment
Pineapples are originally from South America and typically flourish in warm, sunny, and humid environments—conditions that are not particularly characteristic of the Yukon.
Paul Zammit, a horticulture professor at Niagara College in Ontario and a gardening columnist for CBC Radio, shared that he has also grown a pineapple plant in Ontario, but did not keep it long enough to witness it bear fruit. Under ideal conditions, the process usually takes between 18 months to two years, he mentioned.
He referred to Oberg’s pineapple, cultivated over nine years in the North, as “a delightful surprise.”
“I think it’s remarkable that there is such a level of commitment because they are not, I would say, the easiest plants to grow,” he added.
“We certainly don’t have the ideal conditions for their growth.”
Oberg’s pineapple, starting to ripen. (Submitted by Alex Oberg)
Oberg isn’t the only resident of Yukon to grow a pineapple at home. A few years back, a man in Dawson City—located even further north than Whitehorse—grew a couple of large pineapples in his off-grid cabin, although it didn’t take him nine years.
Oberg mentioned that he has saved the crown from his homegrown fruit to attempt to cultivate a new plant. With a bit of luck, he hopes to enjoy another fruit before 2035.
“If you can tolerate a somewhat troublesome houseplant for a few years, it’s definitely worth it,” he concluded.