Even on the quietest of days, life on the farm is notoriously busy for Jimmy Doherty.

But add to the mix a five-week old baby, a festival for 20,000 visitors and a new restaurant and things get positively hectic.

Mr Doherty, 35, and his wife Michaela, who run Jimmy’s Farm in Wherstead, near Ipswich, celebrated the birth of their first child Molly Rose on August 4.

The doting dad said: “It’s been a very tiring time and getting sleep has been at a premium.

“Molly is doing fine. She was born at Ipswich Hospital and the staff there were absolutely fantastic to us.

“She’s five and half weeks old and that time has been hectic but very enjoyable. She seems to be enjoying the sights, sounds and smells of farm life.”

However, it isn’t only Molly Rose who is commandeering much of the couple’s time.

Today, preparations are under way for the farm’s annual two-day festival which kicks off tomorrow.

Harvest at Jimmy’s will feature some of the country’s best bands and chefs, as well as local food producers and Suffolk musicians and is expected to attract 20,000 visitors.

This year’s line up includes Saturday-night headliners Scouting for Girls, along with The Futureheads and Newton Faulkner, Kate Rusby and the Hoosiers.

Food lovers will be treated to cookery master classes from the Hairy Bikers, Angela Hartnett and Thomasina Miers.

Food by Michelin-award winner-Christophe Novelli, described as ‘the nation’s favourite French chef’, will also be on the menu.

Mrs Doherty, 32, added: “It’s a real family-orientated event and very much a summer send-off.

“There will be five-pop up restaurants created and I think it will possible to sample food from every continent.”

Later this month the farm will open a new restaurant in a converted barn,

Mr Doherty said: “We’ll have a varied, affordable menu and a lot of the food on offer will be from produce grown on the farm. The restaurant enables customers to see chefs preparing meals and enjoy the theatre of food.”

Tickets for the festival have sold out, but a limited number of day tickets will be on sale this weekend due to production returns. These will be available to purchase from 12noon on both tomorrow and Sunday from the main entrance box office and will be sold on a first-come first-served basis.

Early-bird tickets for 2011 – available at 2010 prices for a limited period – will also go on sale on Monday.

Visit www.harvestatjimmys.com for more details.