David, have you started a pineapple from the top of a ripe fruit? It's so easy you will laugh. Buy a nice one with healthy looking leaves at the grocery store. Eat the fruit, and peel off any remaining fruit from under the leafy top. If there are dead or dying leaves at the fruit/leaf junctionyou can remove those, too. You may even see roots starting on the core already.
Just stick the top into a pot of potting soil, keep it warm and moist and it should take off for you. Should save you a year or two on growing from seed, you get to eat the fruit, and it's fun seeing it perk up and start to grow. About 2 years from a top-start to new fruit. This is one I started from a top:
