Garden View
June 2007

The Question, Why?
by Robert Blade

I was two once, and although my memory is rather vague, I am certain that on occasion I used the word "why." The word was probably used in one of two ways, or even in both ways simultaneously. If a two year-old is told something by an adult which limits or prohibits the actions of the child, the question, "Why?" is a genuine inquiry which serves primarily as a challenge. The child also uses the same question following a statement of adult wisdom in an effort to genuinely gain further understanding of the world. The difference between the two uses of the word "why" is often heard in the tone of voice used to ask the question (this is where the English language shares similarities with the Chinese language). Unfailingly, whether the word is posed as a serious question of interest or as a challenge to adult authority, when a two year-old asks, "Why?" it can be daunting.

I find that asking the same question as an adult is required in order to continue the endless education we face as human beings. Just as importantly, it serves us as gardeners to continually inquire as to the "why" of gardening in order to develop a fuller understanding of what it is we do. When we have a better understanding of why we do something it usually means that we also have a more complete comprehension of how things work. By "things" I mean plants, insects, soils, and everything else having to do with gardening. In April, I attended a workshop co-sponsored by the Colville Area Garden Friends and WSU Stevens County Extension on a method of growing hydroponic tomatoes and starting a hydroponic tomato business. If you haven't taken advantage of the workshops offered by our County Extension, I highly recommend that you do so. We are extremely fortunate to have such an accessible and affordable program available to us. The Colville Area Garden Friends is an informal group of local gardeners with a wide range of interests and experience that meets once a month during most of the year. I have come away from each meeting with something of value since this group shares knowledge, ideas, plants, and community effort.

The workshop on tomatoes was an interesting account of a venture into growing hydroponic tomatoes as a business and the methods used to do so. What became evident to me was that there were very few two year-olds present. I remember hearing someone ask, "Why do you remove the leaves below the tomato cluster?" to which the response was something to the effect "so that the leaves won't take energy from the ripening fruit." Since that moment, the question of why has been tumbling around in my mind, making my head rattle more loudly than usual.

I believe that during the workshop, we participants should have been asking the question "why" more often. Just as importantly, the speaker should have had a better understanding of "how" so as to be able to respond accurately to the question "why?" For instance, the energy source for plants is the sun, the light of which is absorbed by a plant's green parts (leaves and stems) containing chlorophyll that is the primary component of the plant food factory. Through sunlight and chlorophyll, the latter of which is mostly found in the leaves, plants make sugars that provide the energy enabling the plant to grow. The relationship between tomato fruit and tomato leaves is not a competitive one. In fact, the relationship between the leaves that develop before the cluster of fruit is a beneficial one. Removing the leaves stops further growth of the fruit and enables ripening more as a result of a type of stress rather than as a consequence of removing competition.

In next month's article I will discuss determinate and indeterminate types of tomatoes and how the growth form is related to fruit harvest, training, and pruning methods. "How" and "why" will be considered, in case you would like to read to your two year-old.

Rob Blade lives in Rice, Washington. He designs and installs gardens. For more information, call 509-738-2964 and ask for a brochure.

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