Fruitful harvest

A visit to Dole Plantation in Wahiawa inspired a Salt Lake couple to start their own pineapple garden at home.

While at the farm attraction, M.K. Ng and wife Shuk Wan had seen a demonstration of how to grow pineapples from a crown cutting of the fruit. So they went home to their rental apartment and placed a crown in a jar of water. In several weeks it had sprouted roots and was growing taller.

Ng said they put the jar on their lanai, but as their days became consumed by their jobs at 50th State Poultry, they forgot about it.

"One night we finished work late, and when we arrived home my wife suddenly remember that long time she never water the pineapple, so she checked it out. Then she yelled at me and called me to have a look. The pineapple was dried out and looked like it was dead," said Ng via email. "But my wife did not give up. She added back water to the jar and trimmed off the dry leaves. After a week the pineapple came back life, and my wife was very happy and she said she will never let it dry again."

The couple and their two sons had immigrated to Hawaii from Hong Kong in 2003, and looked forward to the day they could have a real garden.

"We always dream to have our own house with a yard so that we can grow our fruits, vegetable by ourselves. So we worked very hard to save the money for the down payment to buy a house," Ng said. "To work 10 hours a day and seven days a week is quite common for us."

So when they finally were able to buy a house in Salt Lake three years ago, that first pineapple plant, which had been transplanted into a 10-gallon pot, became the basis of their new fruit and vegetable garden.

"With the limited money we have saved, we could only buy a house with a small yard," Ng said. "Actually there was no plants in the yard, and it was dry land like desert. With little help from me, my wife worked out hard and little by little. Finally she transformed the dry land into a beautiful and fruity garden."

While their backyard is still a work in progress, the two have cleverly used a small patch next to the driveway to grow the golden fruit.

During a tour, Ng displayed a crown cutting that was being prepared in a jar of water, surrounded by 20 pots of pineapples in various stages of growth. Also growing in the small space were a couple of papaya trees and passion fruit, dragon fruit and star fruit plants, some herbs (rosemary, dill, coriander and lemongrass) and red and green chilies.

The proud homeowner and his wife tend to their garden a couple of hours each day in the late afternoon when the yard is in shade.

Ng pointed out a newly planted lawn with plum and tangerine saplings. Alongside the house was a row of onions, corn and carrots just peeking from the soil.

Besides sharing fruit with neighbors and family, Ng and his wife treat guests to refreshing cups of fruit juice garnished with lime and mint from their garden and offer jars of homemade hot sauce made with olive oil and bits of green chilies, ham, dried scallop and shrimp.

Despite the diverse bounty, pineapples are still their pride and joy. Ng boasted his wife has grown fruit as large as 41⁄2 pounds.

"Pineapples are very special to us since we moved to Hawaii," Ng said. "They help make the garden quite beautiful, and the nice thing is that it doesn’t take much care to grow."

"Garden Party" spotlights unique and exceptional gardens. Contact us via email at features@staradvertiser.com or call 529-4808.