When to Plant Pineapple in Melbourne, Cool Temperate Guide

Not recommended for the Cool Temperate zone. The window below explains why.

Published · Last reviewed · By Garden Buddy
Growing advice is reviewed by hand. Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.

This Pineapple guide is written for the Cool Temperate zone, which takes in Melbourne, Hobart and Geelong. Somewhere else? Your postcode picks the right one.

Not your zone? Cairns Brisbane Sydney Canberra Alice Springs Perth

Also handy: will it frost this week? and what grows in shade.

Pineapple

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

A bromeliad, not a tree or even a bush. Grows as a rosette of spiky leaves at ground level and produces a single fruit on a central stalk. Propagated from the crown (leafy top of fruit), suckers, or slips from the mother plant. Takes 18-24 months from planting a crown to first fruit. Each plant produces ONE fruit then generates suckers for subsequent crops. Strictly tropical/warm subtropical. Frost kills them.

Best Planting Window for Cool Temperate

Pineapple is not recommended for Cool Temperate.

Not suitable outdoors.

Want a nudge when it is Pineapple sowing time in Melbourne?

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How to Grow Pineapple in Cool Temperate Australia

When to Plant

Not suitable outdoors.

Soil
Well-drained, sandy or sandy loam. Acidic. Pineapples CANNOT tolerate waterlogged soil. Root rot is rapid.
pH Range
4.5-5.5 (acidic)
Sunlight
Full sun. Maximum heat. North-facing position in marginal zones.

Companion plants: Other bromeliads, Tropical ground covers

Avoid planting near: Waterlogged areas

Cool Temperate Growing Tips for Pineapple

Key Challenges

  • Frost kills plants

Pro Tips

  • Greenhouse only.

Harvesting Pineapple

When ready: Shell colour changes from green to yellow-gold (starting at base). Sweet aroma develops. Pull a central leaf. If it detaches easily, fruit is ready. Thump test. Sounds dull when ripe, hollow when unripe.

How to harvest: Cut stem below fruit with sharp knife. Can cut with attached slip for propagation.

Where to next

What pineapple costs in the shops right now, retailer by retailer, updated daily.

Also worth sowing in the cool temperate zone this September: Ginger, Sweet Corn, Chilli Peppers and Snow Peas.

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Common Questions About Pineapple

When do you plant pineapple in Australia?

It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:

Which zone am I in?

Type your postcode into the box under the heading and the page tells you, and links this crop in your own zone if it differs. Or look it up on the grow zone map. This page is the Cool Temperate zone, Melbourne is its reference city.