There's Still a Grower in All of Us

Someone said to me recently that automation is trying to "take the farmer out of farming." I don’t believe that. Data, sensors, and robots will never fully replace the subconscious of a caring human. “Grower’s intuition” is the invisible thread that connects people to plants — the unspoken bond built through presence, attention, and instinct. A glance, a gentle touch, or even just being in the room with a plant can spark a subtle, sensory understanding of what that plant needs. Growers, in a way, are like plant psychics.

I also don’t believe that the relationship between people and plants is mutual. We need plants far more than they need us. While a plant may remain mostly oblivious to our presence, we, over the past 15,000 years, have painstakingly cultivated the knowledge required to grow crops for nutrition, beauty, and ambiance.

A “green thumb” isn’t something you’re born with — it’s something you earn through years of trial and error. Horticulture is learned across thousands of hours and dozens of growing cycles. You gain it by noticing the smallest changes in color, texture, posture. You learn to recognize what a happy plant looks like. And every plant species — from lettuce to lavender — comes with its own needs: sun exposure, watering rhythm, ambient climate, nutrients, pest and disease response. It’s a nuanced science that demands both discipline and care.

Automation won’t replace the grower. It will support the grower.

At Credible Hydroponics, we’ve developed Argonaut — a smart, automated growing system designed to support small-scale, vertical farmers. Argonaut shortens the “green thumb” learning curve and takes care of repetitive tasks when the grower can’t be there. But at the end of the day, a truly successful grower is someone who takes pride in their harvest — and that’s something no robot or algorithm can replicate.

What I want Argonaut to prove is simple:

There is a grower in all of us.

And with the right support, more of us can take pride in our yields — and feed our communities.