The Maize Maze

click Stocken Farm for The Maize Maze

This was the advert for 2004, the 2nd Maize Maze

Report by Caroline Egerton, nee West

2003 saw our first Maze made in a crop of maize on Stocken Farm. It was opened to the public throughout the school summer holidays.

Maize or Maze...? The background to this feature of our village

Each year around 120 acres of maize is grown on Stocken Farm. It is foraged, chopped and stored in large clamps as silage for the 300 cows' winter feed. So, the fact is, that the maize grown at Stocken Farm is not solely for the enjoyment of visitors to Lacey Green Maize Maze each summer!

The annual cycle means that each year we have the opportunity to create a new maze, and a brand new challenge for visitors.

I Around Easter time, as you tuck into your Easter Eggs, the farm is busy preparing the ground and planting the maize seeds. To make the maize crop more dense for the maze puzzle, the field at Slad Lane is drilled (or planted) twice — once in each direction so they are not in straight rows. 60,000 seeds per acre are planted.

With the plants starting to grow, it is time to put the maze design into action. Each year an A4 piece of paper, covered with a 1cm square grid, is used to scale the design up to fill the field. 1cm square on the paper = 10m square on the ground. Firstly, using orange coloured bale twine, we peg out the grid 10m square all over the field. Then, using the plan, pegs and blue bale twine, we mark out the paths. Once we have all the paths marked, we then hoe out and remove any plants growing along the blue string lines. Sounds simple, which in essence it is. However, it takes hours and much head scratching - Standing in a muddy field, often windy and wet, we have found ourselves questioning our sanity!

The 'Monster Maze. 2004. See plan below

The Windmill Maze 2003. See plan below.

As you can imagine, it is a special moment when we get to see the aerial photos. The giant design each year does seem to attract light aircraft and helicopters each summer.

The speed it grows is quite spectacular. From a seed at Easter to a target height over seven feet by September is pretty amazing. Maize plants do like warm conditions and water, particularly up to July. We will be opening as soon as the school is on summer holiday, by which time the maize is normally between four and five feet.

Plan of the Windmill Maze 2003

Plan of the 'Monster' Maze 2004

The tea shop serving hatch with Max and Liz.

The sand pit

The Farmhouse Maze

The Gigantic Galleon Maze

Plan of the Farmhouse Maze

The Plan of the Galleon Maze

Face painting

Plan of the Olympic Farm Maze

Plan of the Great Brtish Challenge

The Olympic Farm Maze

Plan of the Monumental Maze

The Monumental Maze

The Great British Challenge. Plan on the Right.

Maize harvesting

The maize has been harvested. The mound was a lookout point in the middle.

In the maize crop. This is not a path.

The Magical Mystery Maze. This was never to be. Maze had finished.