Charles Collins has spent years developing and perfecting hydroponic and aquaponic gardening systems, which he says are a solution to address climate change.
Caitlin Schmidt Tucson's 2022 summer temperatures peaked at 111 degrees on June 16, but the scorching heat didn't faze Charles Collins' backyard vegetable garden.
Aquaponics and hydroponics can use up to 90% less water than traditional soil-growing methods. They can also be set up anywhere, including warehouses or old strip malls, and can be built up vertically, unlike soil-based gardens. He's hoping his many endeavors will help his research reach new audiences. And with a newly designed product system soon available for sale, Collins is working to make hydroponics more accessible than ever.
"Our research has changed how the government recommends that everyone gardens from now on," Collins said. When he's not working on his hydroponic and aquaponic research, Collins works as a public program director at Kitt Peak National Observatory. Those connections have helped him think big and take his research to another level.
In September, with temperatures still lingering in the triple-digits, many gardeners were struggling to keep their outdoor plants alive through the last few weeks of summer. "Imagine one of these systems on each and every" apartment in a complex, he said."Now, not only do you have a complex where people are living, but you actually have a complex that's producing, in theory, enough food that they can supplant and feed their complex with more nutritious food than they can get from a grocery store."
"We're able to do things with seeds and plants that box stores and normal horticulturists can't do," he said."We're all about the science. My thing is, how can I make life easier in the desert?" Ginsburg grew up on a farm in a small town in Minnesota, and his family owned the main grocery store. He did hydroponics at home as an adult for years before stumbling into aquaponics, which he said turned into an obsession.
Ginsburg first encountered Collins in the Tucson Backyard Gardeners Facebook group via Collins' almost-daily videos about hydroponics, which always began with a cheerful,"Hola, my friends." Ginsburg sent Collins some photos of his own home setup and said Collins' excitement was akin to that of a kid in a candy store.
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