I was able to get 203 grams of edible fruit (less than a half pound) from my first pineapple fruit grown at my house. It is smaller than what I can get at the groc store, but tasted marvelous, probably the best ever!!!
I have two more fruit that are just getting started. It took this one about 6 months from the first appearance of the fruit until completion, and about two years before that just to grow the plant. The entire amount of dirt used was about 3/4 of the volume of a Folger's Coffee can, 34 oz size. I just planted the top from this picture in a slightly larger can, (it is outside, I will find the size later...) so maybe more dirt volume will give a larger fruit? The plant was only outside for about 1 1/2 months of its 6 month fruit producing time period, so probably more direct sunlight would help, but I don't have a greenhouse, only a sunny double wide glass back door that faces west.
I am pretty sure that the amount of energy that I eXpended in the process of caring for the plants, watering them, transporting them between the inside and outside twice a year, vastly eXceeds the amount of food energy that I gained by eating the pineapple. Plus my wife ate one fourth of the pineapple, and I am saving one fourth for someone else. At least I didn't spend any money on water - they live completely on a diet of rain water. No wait, I think I spent $10 on the large water collection barrel, but that eXpense is spread out across the grape vines and the orchid as weLL. I store water long term in leftover 2 quart jugs from V-8 juice. So I do use some city water to clean those out .... $$$
I am pretty sure that the amount of energy that I eXpended in the process of caring for the plants, watering them, transporting them between the inside and outside twice a year, vastly eXceeds the amount of food energy that I gained by eating the pineapple. Plus my wife ate one fourth of the pineapple, and I am saving one fourth for someone else. At least I didn't spend any money on water - they live completely on a diet of rain water. No wait, I think I spent $10 on the large water collection barrel, but that eXpense is spread out across the grape vines and the orchid as weLL. I store water long term in leftover 2 quart jugs from V-8 juice. So I do use some city water to clean those out .... $$$