Corn Maize - Blue Hopi

Zea Mays - Organically Grown - Grown by greenpatch

Blue Hopi Corn is a old heirloom maize variety used primarily for flour and making tortillas. This blue flour maize originates from the American south west. This Blue variety can also be eaten fresh by harvesting the corn at a young stage allowing them to be roasted or baked.

Plants can grow 1.5-2m tall producing 2 large cobs per plant when grown well.

How to Grow

Corn is a heavy feeder of key nutrients in your soil, it is important to plant corn in very fertile soil with good moisture holding capacity. You can improve your soil by using compost, animal manures and fertilisers. Choose a full sun position and sow during the warmer months in Spring & Summer. Sow seed direct into the garden by forming a furrow roughly 2cm deep. Sow a couple of seeds together then cover with 2cm of soil and keep moist until germinated. Thin out plants to the strongest seedling once they germinate. Space seeds 30cm apart and try to grow in blocks of at least 10 plants to improve pollination.

Plants will set cobs between 70-90 days depending on the variety. For maize varieties allow the cob to mature on the plant before you harvest. Harvest time is indicated by the colour of the sheath on the cob with 50% of it needing to be brown off before picking. Ideally allow 100% of the sheath to dry off before harvest. 

Sow spring & summer direct into garden.

Packet contains approx 30 seeds.

Open pollinated variety, Non - Hybrid, Non - GMO

80 days to harvest

Uses

Blue Hopi maize is typically grown for the use of grinding into flour. The blue colouring comes through into the flour making it very eye catching. Ideal for tortillas. Dried kernels or flour can be stored for use in the cooler winter months.

Corn/Maize Success Story

We received this seed as part of our corn/maize project. With many heirloom varieties no longer being grown in Australia we felt there was a need to find varieties, get them grown out and re-distribute seeds amongst home gardeners to ensure they are easily available into the future. Blue Hopi has been a success and was grown by some local organic farmers allowing seeds to be available to the public. We will continue this project into the future and we are always on the lookout for unusual varieties or people will to grow a crop for us.