Sustainability at Common Farm Flowers
Background to Sustainability at Common Farm Flowers
Georgie Newbery and Fabrizio Boccha have been farming flowers for sale on seven acres at Common Farm Flowers between Bruton and Wincanton in Somerset since 2010, and working the land here since 2004. Everything about how we farm, how we deliver our products, and how we show up online is shaped by one principle: ‘If you look after the invertebrates, the rest of the food chain looks after itself.’ (Fabrizio Boccha 2010)
Organic Principles: No Herbicide, Pesticide, or Synthetic Plant Food
We are committed to working the land upon which we farm flowers for sale using organic principles. That means no herbicide, no pesticide, and no synthetic plant food. The soil is the base of all species health, and so we treat it carefully, nurturing with peat-free compost and mulching to feed the earth and the plants, and to prevent water loss in dry seasons.
Polyculture and Natural Pest Control
We grow a polyculture of plants across the seven acres to provide a wide variety of habitat. That variety means we are unlikely to suffer catastrophic crop loss: there is always a home for the predator that will eat the pest.
Half the Land Kept Wild
As a tithe to nature, half the land at Common Farm Flowers is kept wild on purpose, making space for swathes of wildflowers, wild orchids, and ancient plant life including Adder's Tongue Fern (Ophioglossum vulgatum), as well as the nettles without which Vanessa butterflies have nowhere to breed.
Native Hedging and Habitat
We have planted half a kilometre of native hedging, which protects the cut flower growing areas from wind and provides valuable habitat. We cut the hedges back in sections, never all in one year, so there is always a substantial crop of hawthorn blossom to feed the environment in spring.
We also maintain stretches of dead hedge and heaps of horticultural debris around the farm to provide habitat for beetles, slow worms, grass snakes, and the like.
Water: Ponds, Habitat, and Rainwater Collection
We have dug and maintain several ponds across the farm to provide habitat for invertebrates that need water to breed, and for amphibian life. We collect rainwater from downpipes to use on the cut flower beds, reducing our draw on mains water wherever possible.
Packaging and Waste
We keep packaging to a minimum, and where possible use none at all. The buckets of flowers we supply for DIY weddings are supplied in containers that are returned to us.
We avoid single-use synthetic ground cover, having found that it makes the soil beneath anaerobic while shredding itself around the field.
We think carefully before buying anything brought onto the farm, always looking first for a more sustainable alternative, or for whether we can grow or make it ourselves.
Our Digital Footprint
We are conscious that Common Farm Flowers has a digital footprint as well as a physical one. Running a business primarily online uses little paper, print, or physical storage, but it does involve a data footprint.
We review how we show up online, how often, and where we unnecessarily repeat material that then occupies data centre storage as duplicates. This is an ongoing process as the digital world evolves, and the way Common Farm Flowers works digitally evolves with it.
Teaching What We Know
We are committed to sharing what we have learned about the benefits of farming for wildlife while growing crops to sell, as part of our teaching schedule. There are no secrets held back about how or why we farm the way we do.
The Common Farm Flowers Ethos
Our core ethos is that if you look after the invertebrates, the rest of the food chain will look after itself. We take time to make sure that principle is being served on the land, in the way we deliver our products, and through our digital presence.
We have been growing flowers for sale as a business since 2010, and working this land between Bruton and Wincanton in Somerset since 2004. We are constantly learning how to work better and will update this page from time to time in the hope that we might inspire you to think about your sustainability policy too.
