Sixty thousand sunflowers will stand tall until October at hand-picking farm near Northampton

A new venture for the Harris family on their family farm has seen one of their fields bloom into a sunflower attraction near Northampton.

Fifth-generation farmer Tom Harris has taken the plunge for the first time after moving back to Northamptonshire and has turned one of his field's in Moulton into a month-long sunflower farm.

More than 60,000 seeds were spread on the land - which measures a third of an acre - by a tractor in May.

The field has finally seen those 60,000 sunflowers blossom to about 8 ft tall this month and they can be hand-picked by families seven days a week from 10am until 6pm.

The Harris family, which also includes Tom's wife Lucy and his son George, wanted to offer young families a good value day out and, in turn, it has also been a good way to diversify the farm's offering.

Tom said: "It was a new venture, a new idea we had really. It helped because we have a young family and people are always looking for good value days out with the children.

"I'm new to farming really but all farmers appear to be looking for new business ventures.

"There isn't anything like this in the county. I know that there is another one Hertfordshire way but there's nothing like this near Northampton.

Sunflower farm bosses Lucy and Tom Harris with their son George and labrador pup Gus.

"The farmers work hard but a lot of them struggle to get by so you've always got to be thinking of new ideas and ventures.

"[The sunflower farm has] been popular because it's affordable for everyone really - but you have to rely wholeheartedly on people's honesty."

The farm has been a successful attraction for school trips, nursery children and retirement homes, too.

"It's been popular on the weekends," Tom added. "We've then had a good amount of customers a week.

"We get a lot of school groups and kinder garden groups visiting during the day.

"It's really popular with people with disabilities and learning groups as it's really relaxing place just to come and walk through."

Up to 12 sunflowers can be bought for £5 or one sunflower stem can be purchased for 50p by donating the money into an 'honesty box' on the farm fence.

This weekend a trailer will be on site selling coffees and smoothies.

The farm is likely to stop selling sunflowers in the first week of October as it is getting ready for pumpkin picking.

Overstone Grange Farm is found off Kettering Road in Moulton - between the Holcot and Moulton roundabout.