Frankie’s Nursery-Tropical Fruit Trees Specialist

I’ve been here to pick fruits with my family. Everything is so exotic, some fruits I’ve never heard of before.
I came here this trip for one thing, the vanilla cream pineapples! My mom brought them to Vegas last time and I don’t get the opportunity to try it. We woke up early and made the hour drive over. We called and they told us we’d better come within the hour or they will be sold out. But, Mommy told me she always says that lol. Arrived and they are inside in boxes and stacked all along the shelves. Small round little pineapple topped with a long stack of spiked leaves. So cute! Well it looks different, how’s it really taste?
It’s an extra dollar to have them cut it for you at the nursery. Which is nice and convenient. They cut all the «eyes» little black spots that make your throat itchy. I have to say, YUMM. I don’t know if they are so golden to spend that kind of money on regularly, for such a small fruit. They are not at all like a regular pineapple which would be really tart. Same texture but these are soft sweet tasting, creamy perhaps a hint. My ones weren’t as juicy as I was anticipating. I’m not sure if it was totally ripe, however the nursery said it was.
Oh my! $ 5 a lb?! I spent a good $ 26 dollar on 3. My mom even spent even more. And guess who was going to lug them back on the plane! Me!
Make sure to put this in your check in luggage sealed! First off they are heavy. Second, during agriculture inspection a SPIDER came running out of it!!! They were a pain to take back home. The nursery places tags on them so they aren’t a problem during inspection. Must have been that spider.
Everyone tells me they sell them at the grocery for $ 6 – 8 a lb. I like going to this nursery, there’s plenty more to discover.

Great experience!!! Frankie walked my family and I around a large part of the nursery, showing us what the mature version of the trees we were buying and he picked the fruit right off the trees and let my family dig in! I will definitely recommend this to anyone interested in purchasing a fruit tree, they were so knowledgable and friendly we really felt taken care of. Definitely going back for more soon! Oh yeah, they did have hundred pound jackfruits there!

Never bought and trees from here, just fruit. Without making a trip to Chinatown, this is the only place I know of that sells jackfruit. Which can be crazy expensive, but if you love it, then sometimes it’s worth paying for. The jackfruit is so sweet and perfect if you can get it at the right time. Last time though I was unfortunate enough to grab one that was too ripe. I didn’t see the spots on one side that showed the peel/​skin almost rotting already. So I bought the whole thing, and brought it home to split up between me and my mother. When opened, the jackfruit was almost inedible because it was so mushy. It was difficult to get all the pieces out and also difficult to chew. I felt like I almost choked on it a couple times because of the slimy texture. Unable to eat it fresh, I froze some for smoothies… it’s okay… but not the best. So be careful, and always check your fruit! Their pineapples are amazingly sweet, not tart at all. Mamey Sapote from them is the best I’ve ever had.
What’s the best thing about them is they’re at the Windward Mall farmer’s market. So that saves me a trip to Waimanalo. Worst thing are the steep prices, and quality control of the fruit they sell.

My go to place for tropical fruit trees!

This place rocks! Not only it is beautiful, but they have fresh fruit that is ripped right on the trees. I love this place, and I am pretty sure that I will be buying all the fruit for my ice cream shop here. The owner, Jenny is super nice too! I am in love with this farm.

Great selection of trees and amazing customer service. They sometimes don’t have everything in stock due to varying reasons, but they always strive to accommodate everyone’s needs.

Went here with my brother a few days ago and got a lime tree for my dad at a pretty good price. The woman that helped us was so sweet and knowledgeable. This is your go to place for plants and tree and great fresh fruit.

I e never been to the nursery but his hybrid pineapples are amazing. Yes they are pricey but you’ll never taste anything else like it. I wish they were easier to find on the island though, I constantly stock whole foods produce isle looking for them.

While doing a tour of Madre’s chocolate in Honolulu, Nat, one of the owners turned us to Frankie’s nursery. What a find! If you are a visitor to the island and want to sample locally grown, tropical fruit, Frankie’s is the place. Everything is clearly marked with taste characteristics. The staff is extremely helpful in guiding you through their edible treasure trove. If you are lucky, you will be able to score their Meli Kalima or honey cream pineapple. It is characterized with a black exterior and a creamy colored interior. Also of interest, are the black sapote, jackfruit, soursop, Mamey sapote, star Apple, sapodilla (a bit starchy for my taste) and longans. Be sure to ask for advice regarding the ripeness of the fruit, if you are a novice.
It is definitely worth a drive to Frankie’s and a joy to experience fresh, local bounty and to become acquainted with the plants from which it is sourced.

They had an amazing selection of beautiful and well-​organized tropicals. Ti, gingers, lots of healthy and beautiful plants of various sizes. We spoke with Michael, who is incredibly knowledgeable and quite a character. He even referred us to another place for some plants that he didn’t have.
This place is a landscaper’s dream.

Price is high for the small size of trees. Assortment of Trees is very good.
Frankie and his wife are very helpful and knowledgeable.
R & S Nii Nursery in Hawaii Kai has better value for quality plants.

We went to Frankie’s to buy trees not fruit so I can’t speak for what other reviewers comment on regarding the price of fruit. As soon as we got there we were assisted by both Frankie and another worker. Frankie couldn’t of been more helpful or knowledgeable. He walked us all around his nursery, explaining fruiting patterns, specific trees needs, growth size, and all the while cutting and opening fruit for us to taste. We ended up with cherry and lime trees but will certainly come back for future needs. Prices were fair but service and botanical knowledge were extraordinary.

Very helpful and great selection. I bought about 5 fruit trees. It’s pretty far off the main road.

Finally made me way down to Frankie’s… Apparently this is THE place to get fruit trees. As soon as I got out of the car Frankie asked if he could help. He pointed me in the right direction. A little later he came by with some samples so I could see the difference in the varieties of limes. Now that’s good service!!! He was very nice and knowledgeable. I will definitely be back to buy trees when I’m ready!

We bought several trees and a bit of fruit, got home and after talking to my partner I realized that we were way overcharged for the fruit.
It felt like an overall SHADY experience. Trees are pretty well cared after though. I will go to one of the several other nurseries in the area next time for sure!
They also said that they don’t allow picking from their trees anymore-​Lame spot…

Similar situation with previous reviewer. It has poor customer services.

Frankie’s is nestled way back by the mountains in Waimanalo. Frankie knows SOOOO much about his trees and what will grow where and when and how. I wish he would put some of what he knows in a book, but he is surely too busy.
I really liked all the different fruit trees and the explanations he offered, but as soon as I decided which trees to buy– a peanut butter fruit tree and an avocado– he lost all interest and his wife ended up ringing me up while Frankie went back in the house. Maybe he had to go to the bathroom, but he could have at least said goodbye to us after talking to us for 10 minutes. Oh well, I liked the trees and they are doing well. Went back again to get a few more trees, but couldn’t get any help. We waited almost 45 minutes and decided to leave.
Really happy with the trees, but disappointed with the service.
Same thing happened to our daughter’s school, when they went to talk to him about setting up an orchard. Great product– poor customer service.

Frankies Nursery was one of the vendors at the KCC Farmers Market, and they were selling what they were calling «Meli Kalima» or Honey Cream Pineapple,(a hybrid Frankie is working on, and is still patent pending) and «the sweetest pineapple you will ever eat.»
I’ve never seen or tasted anything like it… dark outer skin, small, stocky, and dense… price tag??? $ 5 A POUND!!!
one person comes by, grabs one, another person grabs one somone else ocomes by and gets 3… I’m thinking I better grab one before they’re gone.
(according to Frankie, they always run out) So I pick out the smallest one, a 3-​pounder.
I get home and cut this sucker open and see what all the hype is about… the verdict? Yes, it is sweet, creamy, and very low acidity, but doesn’t have that «pineappley» taste or smell that you have from a very ripe pineapple. I guess one would have to taste Frankie’s Meli Kalima to form his/​her own opinion… ALOHA!!!
Unilocal 365 CHALLENGE-(66/365) «My $ 15 Pineapple???»

We got 7 fruit trees from Frankie’s for our lanai and love them. 1 Clementine, 2 Orange, 2 Lime and 2 Lemon. They were very knowledgeable and nice. They deal with small and larger trees. Pretty location in Waimanalo, very lush and green.

We came for fruit picking, which is not what Frankie’s is known for. It was a lot of fun though, and we picked lots of great fruit for cheap! Frankie was so helpful and patient, showing us the various fruit trees around on the property. Lots of delicious variety.