The Firefighter, the Fig Tree, and the Future of Farming

The other day I toured a new farm. This wasn't just any farm. This farm represented the core values of Credible Hydroponics. When I asked the grower "What are your goals for your farm?" The grower - a firefighter, with a young family and an incredibly lovable white labrador - responds "My Dad taught me how to grow tomatoes when I was a kid, and I want to teach my kids too." His farm, under the oak trees in his backyard on the edge of town, consists of a self-built 300 square-foot greenhouse, two raised garden beds, several trees (avocado, apple, fig), a blueberry bush, some artichokes in pots, and a coupe with nine chickens; amongst a trampoline and a wooden fort named after his son.

"When I get called out to duty in other parts of the state, I'll collect clippings of fig trees to bring home and try to root. If they root, I'll send the trees back to the people I worked with so they can plant it in their yard." I immediately admired this guy.

The motivation for his family farm is simply to provide for others.

My next questions dug at what slows him down in meeting his farming goals. The answers are what I hear too often from similar growers. They live in a different climate (too hot or too cool) than what their desired crop prefers. Trees in the vicinity cast shade in their constrained growing spaces. Frustrated with effort they put into a crop cycle that yields meager results. A non-stop life of a family with kids in elementary, after school practices, weekend games, and many weeks in Summer called away on duty. Every time they want to grow something new, they're back on the learning curve of figuring out how to make a new plant species survive. These kinds of real-world scenarios hinder the growth of fresh food from within our communities. He says, "I give eggs and extra harvest to a handful of neighbors all around me whenever I can."

"I've read about using LEDs for supplemental light, and I think those will work; but electricity rates are expensive here," he says. So, I select this moment to tell him about the technology I'm developing with the aim at boosting his yields while saving him some operating costs and time.

And with a handshake, we agree to testing out some of my prototypes in his farm next season. I want this guy to be successful. I want people like him to be successful. Credible Hydroponics exists to support growers of many sizes - especially the hardworking and generous people who understand that growing food isn’t just about margins on harvests; it’s about connection.

It’s about parents teaching kids where food comes from. About sharing what we grow with neighbors. About turning backyards and garages and small greenhouses into living classrooms and micro-farms that strengthen our communities.

Technology can’t replace that spirit — but it can amplify it. By making growing more reliable, less time-consuming, and more accessible, we help people like this firefighter do what they already do best: care for their families, their communities, and the land.

That’s the mission of Credible Hydroponics. To make growing credible again — by putting the tools of controlled-environment agriculture into the hands of ordinary people doing extraordinary things.