Mud crabs, now pineapples. SW tropics anyone?
It is not quite a tropical paradise but there is something unusual happening in Norm Howard's Bunbury garden.
An avid gardener, Mr Howard's ingenuity has allowed him to grow a row of pineapples in his garden.
He has been growing pineapples for 15 years, since seeing them grow in Carnarvon sparked an idea to cultivate them in Bunbury.
"I thought I'd give it a go so I planted the top of a pineapple and I was surprised to see that I could grow them," he said.
"I've got a lot more plants now than compared to when I started, at the moment I have 15 or 16 with fruit and 40 plants in total."
Bunbury's tropical credentials are growing, with the pineapples following on from several mud crabs being taken from local waters.
Mr Howard said he believed he was successful in growing the pineapples because he grew the plants in pots, which he placed on concrete, and not in the ground.
"I water them every week and use fertiliser two or three times per year, I've had friends who have tried but haven't had the same success," he said.
"When people see them, they don't believe it and they think they are artificial, but they are real.
"They are very sweet, I usually eat them or give them to family members."
A Department of Agriculture and Food spokeswoman said Mr Howard's pineapples were unusual because the fruit was generally not suited to be grown in the South West.
"It is possible that tropical fruit, including pineapples, can be grown in relatively frost free coastal areas during warmer months," she said.
