Northamptonshire family farm to open its popular pick your own sunflower field NEXT WEEK

A Northamptonshire farm will open its sunflower field next week where families can visit for a ‘pick your own’ day out.

Overstone Grange Farm in Kettering Road, Overstone, is in its third year of hosting ‘pick your own sunflowers’, which has proved popular.

The working farm has to wait for the sunflowers to bloom before the field can be opened to the public and due to the lack of sunshine this summer the opening is later than the farm owners would have hoped for.

From Monday (August 23), visitors will be able to pick their own sunflowers from the field, which spreads over ten acres and includes between 200,000 and 250,000 flowers.

Lucy Harris, part of the family which runs the farm, said: “We’ve not had a summer and from a farming point of view that’s not good as we need it to be dry to harvest, but it also means the sunflowers haven’t bloomed.

“Last year we were able to open in early August because of the good weather.

“We would’ve liked to open earlier this year, but we have no control over it.”

The sunflower field will be open for two weeks until September 5, but could open for more weekends thereafter if there are enough sunflowers left and the weather is still good.

As part of the experience, there will be a ‘picking patch’ and only sunflowers in this patch can be taken home in a bid to keep the rest of the field yellow for other visitors.

There are also fairies and tractors hidden throughout the rest of the sunflower field for children to find, as well as games, a sandpit and a refreshment stand selling tea, coffee, snacks and ice cream.

Larkspur flowers will also be on hand to pick, to bunch with sunflowers.

Lucy added: “Sunflowers were the first thing we did so it is what we are known for really.

“People have driven a couple of hours to visit our sunflowers.

“Because of the tulips and pumpkins and maize maze people are now starting to know us as a good value family day out.”

Entry to the sunflower field is £3 per person, or £7 for the sunflower field and the maize maze.

Seven stems can be bought for £5 and 15 for £10 and this can be a mixture of sunflowers and larkspur.

Visitors are asked to bring their own secateurs, if possible. There are some to hire out at the venue, but the owners would prefer everyone to bring their own.

Booking is advised as the day out is expected to be popular once again.

During the Bank Holiday weekend, the farm will provide an off road wheelchair for no extra cost to help make the working farm more accessible. This will need to be booked.

On September 5, there will also be a special educational needs session between 10am and midday.

To find out more and learn about booking, visit the Overstone Grange Farm website.