The All-Natural Flower Farmer
Over an early morning roll-up cigarette, 28-year-old Alfie Nickerson shares how he swapped London for Norfolk to start Burnt Fen Flowers.
What’s your morning routine?
“I wake up at 8am, have a cigarette and a cup of tea on my porch, and wait for [my co-worker] Katya to show up. Then we walk over to the flower patch.”
Why did you start Burnt Fen Flowers?
“I came up with the idea six years ago. I was tired of gardening in London. You just end up sweeping leaves the whole time and going in and out of people's houses; jobs which should take me 20 minutes end up taking three or four hours. Originally, I thought I was going to grow flowers on any patch of grass I wanted. But biodynamic farming requires having a whole ecosystem in place.”
How did you get into biodynamic farming?
“Originally, a friend and I wanted to grow vegetables and we didn’t want to use any chemicals. So we went and volunteered at [certified Herefordshire biodynamic farm] Fern Verrow. The founder, Jane Scotter, who is like a mentor to me, told us we should definitely be growing flowers, because a field of potatoes only gets you about £50. And, you have to stand at markets the whole time. I didn’t want to do that.”
So flowers over vegetables?
“Picking flowers is more fun than twiddling tomato plants around strings all day. There’s also something magical about walking up to a field of flowers, that’s not the same as a field of potatoes or lettuce. Also, flowers attract such beautiful wildlife, bees and butterflies. Now we sow over 25,000 seeds a season, including 2,500 dahlias, 2,000 tulips, 8,000 irises, 8,000 alliums and 500 roses.”
What have been some of the pinch-me moments so far?
“I get this feeling two or three times a year when I look up and think, ‘Wow, this is fucking epic.' When you spot a butterfly you’ve not seen before, kingfishers, or white barn owls flying at night. Of course it’s always nice to see your flowers at a wedding, but for me it’s always been about nature.”
Favourite flower?
“I don’t really have one. But I’m trying to breed my own dahlias, which could take four or five years. If it happens, I hope it will be that flower.”
What’s your biggest dream?
“I want to see a swallowtail butterfly on the flower patch. I’ve only ever seen one in my life. I'm trying to tempt them out of the marshes by growing the only type of carrot that they’re known to lay their eggs on. If I saw a swallowtail butterfly up there, it would be crazy.”
Are you planning to grow the business?
“This year we’re tripling in size, so we’ve got a lot of work to do. The first four years were slow and steady but now we're pushing. Burnt Fen Flowers is on my family’s land in Norfolk. We’re trying to turn the worst patch of land into, hopefully, the most productive. Currently, we’re farming on three acres and hoping to hit 13 acres in 10 years time. Actually, nine years now – I said 10 years last year!”
What are some of the challenges involved that you don’t see on Instagram?
“Well, 99.9% of the time I’m on my knees pulling weeds. When I first started, I was worried bees wouldn’t come and pollinate my flowers. But as soon as I planted, there was a swarm of bees. It’s amazing how quickly nature takes over.”