We are pleased to announce that our 2025 Maize Maze is now open, and this year’s theme is ‘Puzzling Pets’! We are celebrating our fabulous, furry, feathery, soft & slinky, slimy, wonderful pet friends in our Puzzling Pets Maize Maze! Join us this summer to find all your favourite pets in the Maize Maze and discover which pet is purrfect for you!
A common question we get asked is how the Maize Maze is made! Firstly, a maze theme is presented to us by Mazescape, our professional maze designer. Mazescape design several maze concepts based around imagery relevant to it and which they think will make good looking and playful mazes. The maze is uniquely designed to allow for different sizes and shapes of fields as well as where the entrances and exits need to be. The inclusion of a mini maze is designed for younger or less able visitors to enjoy the maze experience, without having to walk as far.
Once the maze design is agreed, Mazescape use special software to locate the maze design in the ‘real world’ before converting the design into the correct type of file for an agricultural contractor to use on their tractor and maize drill. This clever piece of machinery enables the contractor to drill (plant) the maize seeds exactly into the pattern of the maze design so that only the maize plants in the maze barriers grow and not in the pathways. This reduces the amount of maize seed fertiliser required which is good for the farmer and for the environment.
This is where agricultural contracting firm, FGS Agri come in! FGS Agri add a creative twist to their drilling capabilities by turning a maize field into a Maize Maze. Successful maize cultivation depends on many variables, and the maize seed drilling process is a crucial step in achieving the best outcome.
At the heart of this is a Row drill, designed for high-speed sowing with exceptional accuracy, the drill is guided by GPS (Global Positioning System) to deliver pinpoint planting that meets even the most bespoke layouts. This is vital for establishing the maze’s dense and structured design.
To create the living labyrinth, FGS Agri employ a cross-drilling technique – first sowing the maize in one direction, then again at a 90° angle. This approach encourages a thick, upright crop capable of reaching impressive heights by mid-summer. The result is a lush, green maze that is both visually striking and structurally sound for visitors to explore.
After the maize seeds get drilled in May, Mazescape begin designing fun games to be played in the mazes. These games give visitors focal points to find in the maze. They might be collecting clues, discovering interesting facts or just finding objects and characters. Games can be played by eye, with pencils, stickers or stamps and often includes an outcome which enables them to be entered into a prize draw at the end.
Mazescape design game cards for visitors to carry, game stations to find in the mazes as well as signs, marketing materials and graphics for our website and social media.
The Maize Maze covers a large area of 8.5 acres, which is the equivalent of over five standard football pitches, so it needs a good mix of sun and rain to get nice and tall in time for opening! We have not had to irrigate (water) it very often in previous years, however, due to the very hot weather and lack of rain, we have needed to this year.
Our farming team work hard to keep the maze free of weeds and check the paths, removing any errant plants. The finishing touches are the printing of the posters, signs, gamecards and maps by Darenth Print & Design, and the stickers which are printed by Sticker Gizmo.
Finally, our team work their way around the maze banging all the posts into the correct map positions and attaching the game stations to the posts, all in preparation for the grand opening! Before we open to the public, we get some wonderful aerial shots and video clips of the maze, taken by drone photographers Taking The Pixels.
At the end of the season in mid-September, the Maize Maze is harvested and sold to a local farmer to chop up and use as cattle feed.
For further information including opening times and prices, please visit the Maize Maze page of our website: www.stanhillfarm.co.uk.
