Well Matty...I mean Barney - you can not grow it in SE Washington State - I would say it needs a minimum zone 9. and you are way too cold in your winters.

I have not grown one of these, so it might be better to simply google "Growing a Pineapple Plant" and see what they say, but I think what they'll say is you can grow it as an ornamental - inside in the winters in a sunny window, outside in the summers - by transplanting it to a slightly larger pot each time it needs it using a standard potting soil, and water carefully - only when the soil is dry to touch. I don't know what will happen to that little pineapple in the center, how large it will get or even if it will yield edibility....

You can also go into the archives here, and by subject put in "growing pineapples" and see what comes up....

Good luck, Amigo (and we are all "Barney's" at one thing or another....)

mangodog

Is the pineapple plant you saw a edible or ornamental pineapple plant ? What does it look like, or was there a name on the tag ? Pictures ? Regardless, due to your cold winters, you would most likely need the aid of a greenhouse to properly grow and fruit an edible pineapple.

Yes, you might not have enough heat. Treat pineapples like cactus. Water once or twice a week. They don't require a lot of water & they don't have an expansive root system. It is great for container culture. You can quickly & easily root pineapple crowns from store-bought fruit.

Pineapples are not difficult to grow-you can either cut the top off a store bought fruit or buy one of the ornamentals occasionally sold (already with a fruit growing). They are 'terrestrial' bromeliads which means they grow in soil on the ground (as opposed to the 'epiphytic' bromeliads (air plants). I prefer using porous clay pots for all my bromeliads--even the terrestrial ones. Use a well-draining soil. You can use a cacti/succulent soil or regular potting soil but I like to mix in some coarse sand and/or some orchid bark for better drainage. The love FULL SUN (more the better). Water when slightly dry and try to keep humidity up during Winter. (Be sure to check out the Bromeliad Forum for discussions as well.)

I live in a section of WA that's desert and am surrounded by sage brush, tumble weeds and cactus. So if it needs to be treated like a cactus then it should thrive here. I haven't seen a drop of rain in two months and the temps have stayed in the 90's. I have a clay pot that has a main opening on the top then 9 small openings around the sides. Would it be ok to plant it in this pot with some small cactus around the sides in the small openings just for looks? I stopped by the store last night and saw there was only one left so I bought it. Might as well give it a shot right? If I can figure out how to post pics I'll put one up.

No, they do not have have the same cultural requirements as cacti--they're tropical bromeliads. Although they like drainage, they prefer tropical humidity and will not appreciate severe drought--they're not desert plants. I don't think it'll do well for you if you treat it like a cactus. Mine gets watered every day outside in the heat.

I also wonderif that pot would be large enough to support a full grown pineapple plant. Maybe the ornamental because they don't have to grow as large to fully mature.

I got 4 seedlings from the USDA germplasm program 2 years ago. I still have 3 and I do what Mangodog suggested.

I slowly move them up as they grow larger. looking at mine now, I am thinking it will be another year, or maybe 2 for me to get fruit from 2 of the three and probobly even longer for the smaller pineapple.

Andrew

Here's a pic of what I have

I'm growing a pineapple plant indoors from the top of a pineapple. I forced it to fruit using apples and now just waiting for the fruit to ripen before cutting it off. Below is a link to my post in another forum here on Gardenweb showing pictures. Good luck with that avocado pit I see in the background!! I have a couple 3 foot potted avocado's that make a nice looking house plant.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pineapple plant producing fruit