I’ve been outside my whole life. I was basically born in the dirt. As soon as I finished school I was like, I’m never going to sit in a classroom or put a suit on
To be able to be a biodynamic farmer, you have to be “in it”, says Alfie Nickerson, an ex-gardener who moved during lockdown back to his family’s farm in Norfolk, commandeered a small patch of land, buried a horn and became a biodynamic flower farmer. Initially distributing flowers off to friends, he now grows dahlias, tulips, zinnias and more, which he will deliver to your door anywhere in London if you ask him.
How many seeds and bulbs are you planting this year?
I’ve got to plant about 22,000 seeds this year.
How long does that take you?
I reckon two and a half weeks. I’m on my own. Last year I had help but this year none of my friends want to help. They’ve all decided it was too tough for them.
What made you start Burnt Fen Flowers?
I decided to start it because I was a gardener in London for six years. And I was bored of basically being the garden cleaner, sweeping up and fluffing outdoor cushions. My pleasure is growing things from nothing into something so it seemed like the most natural thing to do.
What is the farm like?
When I first started it off, I thought I could farm anywhere. But it soon became apparent that you can’t farm anywhere. For example, I thought I could use this old bit of grassland that hadn’t been farmed for years, but it had been put into a scheme for five years and so the farmer would collect a small amount per acre in the scheme; he doesn’t want me to go in any of that land.
I had to start in variable ground, which you can put aside for bird feed. So basically it’s a bit of old ground that is the worst ground, really sandy soil. But there are benefits – there is a broad [a network of rivers specific to Norfolk], so I can water my flowers from that. It took a year just to find the land I could use.
What is the flowerbed situation?
We have two poly tunnels; one is just for seeds, but for flowers to be successful they need wind to make the stems strong. So in the other one I grow chrysanthemums and some vegetables. And then everything goes in the ground.
What’s the biodynamic part?
Basically it’s like holistic, organic farming, where you do certain sprays which benefit the flowers, rather than in organic farming, where they might use a pre-made organic spray. We do this thing where we bury a horn full of manure in the ground and then dig it up, and stir the horn and make a sort of natural spray with it, and then we essentially flick it all over where we are growing the flowers. I like the idea of system that works within itself.
Is the moon involved too?
Yes, we follow a calendar and sow seeds on certain days, depending on where the moon and the stars are. It’s to do with the tide too.
Does it work?
It’s hard! But it does work. But for example, there’s a flower day, a root day and a leaf day and then a day where you don’t touch them. But for me to plant just the flowers takes two weeks. If I followed the calendar exactly it would take me two months, because I could only plant them on the flower day. So when I have a flower day I try and sow loads of flower seeds.
Basically it’s trying to live in contact with every plant. So you pick up quickly when there is something wrong with a plant, and if there is something wrong, you can help it.
Obviously it works. In India it’s a massive practice; in Germany every supermarket has a biodynamic section. As well as your crop, you’re increasing bird activity; you put birdboxes around, you put up poles for owls so they eat the mice. You’re increasing biodiversity within the area you’re farming, so it can care for itself.
Where do you get the horn from in the first place?
I actually buy it from the Biodynamic Association society.
When did you first start gardening? Was it something that always spoke to you?
I’ve been outside my whole life. I was basically born in the dirt. As soon as I finished school I was like, I’m never going to sit in a classroom or put a suit on.
Do you think that more people are more connected to nature?
Totally! But I think people give it up quite quickly too. It does take a lot of time and work and effort to keep plants alive. I do think that people, after lockdown, just couldn’t be bothered.
Do you think people are more aware of where their food comes from?
I’d like to think so. I think the more that I do this, I find that people love the British aspect of it. I find farming interesting and rich, in terms of the depth you can get into it. People love eating British food and people love that my flowers are grown in Britain.
Why do you think people like having flowers in their house?
The smell! And it feels extravagant. They can change a room from being average to incredible very easily.
Why did you want to grow flowers from the start?
Because there’s no money in fruit and veg; it’s almost impossible to make a profit. But you can grow beautiful flowers – and they do look beautiful as they are growing, potatoes don’t have the same impact – and make a profit.
Can you scale up?
Yeah, you can do biodynamic farming on an industrial scale. You have to invest in some machinery to weed the land. My whole life is spent bent over, after I’ve planted everything I do all the weeding.
Oh, so you can use machinery?
Yes. But I don’t. I probably should. I literally don’t have a machine to my name.
How is your back?
Fucked. Back is fucked.
