Emma Wilson
Mushrooms are a unique life form that can be cultivated at home. They are not plants, but rather a fleshy fungus species that grow from spores. Cultivating mushrooms at home is a fun and rewarding way to add tasty and nutritious ingredients to your recipes. They are easy to grow, as they do not need sunlight and can grow on many types of common materials, including cardboard boxes and straw. However, the hardest part is figuring out the right substrate from which they will grow, as well as providing consistent conditions. With just a few tools, spawn plugs, and the proper growing medium, you can cultivate your own mushrooms and witness something truly magical.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Mushroom growth | Mushrooms grow from spores, not seeds |
| Mushroom nutrition | Sugar, starch, lignin, fats, protein, and nitrogen |
| Mushroom growing conditions | Consistently cool, moist climate |
| Mushroom growing temperature | Between 55 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit |
| Mushroom growing substrates | Wood, sawdust, grain, straw, or wood chips |
| Mushroom growing time | Varies depending on the type of mushroom |
| Mushroom harvesting | Harvest within a couple of days of picking |
| Mushroom storage | Fresh mushrooms last a couple of days before going bad |
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What You'll Learn
Mushrooms grow from spores, not seeds
Mushrooms are fun and tasty additions to your recipes, and growing them at home is a rewarding experience. They grow from spores, not seeds, and these spores are so tiny that they cannot be seen with the naked eye. In the wild, mushrooms grow on substrates like wood and soil, but they can be grown at home without soil, too. They will grow on materials like sawdust, grain, straw, or wood chips. A blend of spores and these nutrient sources is called spawn. The spawn supports the growth of mushrooms' tiny, white, threadlike bodies called mycelium.
To grow mushrooms from spores, you need to collect the spores and create a spore print. You can then use a spore syringe to re-hydrate the spores with sterile water and inoculate the growing medium. To create a spore syringe, you must work in a sterilised environment with boiled distilled water to ensure that any bacteria have been eliminated. Draw the cooled, sterilised water into the syringe body and use the needle to lightly scrape the spores from your spore print into a sterilised glass. Expel half the water from the syringe into the glass, and then draw the spore water back into the syringe.
A super-low-tech method is to mix the spores in water and spray them around your yard and planter beds where composted material is present. However, this method is less effective than standard procedures. You can also grow mushrooms from spawn plugs and a growing medium. Depending on the mushroom type, this might be straw, cardboard, logs, wood chips, or compost with a blend of materials like straw, corncobs, and cocoa seed hulls.
If you are growing shiitake mushrooms, a quicker way to get them to fruit is to use sterilised sawdust, although the quality will not be as good as if you used a hardwood log. If you are growing button mushrooms, Agaricus bisporus, or Portobello (brown cap) mushrooms, you can create your own spore print and spore syringe with which to inoculate the compost. Make your own compost out of a mixture of horse manure and wet straw, packed down tightly to allow the temperature in the manure to rise. Turn this mixture every couple of days for 2-3 weeks to allow the manure to rot down and concentrate the nutrients required for mushroom growth.
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They grow on substrates like wood, straw, cardboard, and more
Mushrooms can be grown on a variety of substrates, including wood, straw, cardboard, and more. Each substrate has its own advantages and considerations when it comes to mushroom cultivation. Here is an overview of using these three substrates for growing mushrooms:
Wood
Wood, typically in the form of logs or wood chips, is a suitable substrate for growing certain types of mushrooms. For example, a good oak log can produce shiitake mushrooms for up to eight years, while softer woods like poplar may only produce for three to four years. The practice of sustainable forestry can provide saplings of the appropriate size for log cultivation. Wine cap mushrooms, also known as Garden Giants, can be grown using wood chips and dappled light, and they do not require the use of a chainsaw. Fresh wood chips can often be sourced for free from local arborists, as long as they are not treated with chemicals.
Straw
Straw is an inexpensive and easily accessible substrate for mushroom cultivation. It is nutritious and easy to break down, making it a good choice for beginners. Cereal straws such as wheat or rye are recommended. Oyster mushrooms are a popular variety to grow on straw, as they are easy to cultivate, colonize quickly, and fruit heavily. Other types of mushrooms that can be grown on straw include enokitake, certain Agaricus species, and garden giants. The process involves pasteurizing the straw, inoculating it with mushroom spawn, and then placing it in the appropriate environmental conditions for fruiting.
Cardboard
Cardboard is a lightweight, environmentally friendly, and easily accessible substrate for mushroom cultivation. It is a wood-based product, making it a familiar substance for many types of mycelium to colonize. The corrugations in cardboard allow for air exchange, which is important for mycelium growth. However, not all species of mushrooms will grow on cardboard. To use cardboard for mushroom cultivation, it is typically ripped into small pieces, pasteurized with boiling water, and then layered with mushroom spawn in a container. After colonization, the spawn can be misted with water to encourage mushroom growth.
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The substrate must provide the right mix of nutrients
Mushrooms are a unique life form, distinct from plants and vegetables. They are a type of fungus that feeds on pre-existing material, deriving their nutrition from the substrate in which they grow. This substrate must provide the right mix of nutrients to support the growth of mushrooms.
The substrate can vary, depending on the type of mushroom being cultivated. In the wild, mushrooms grow on soil and other substrates like wood, but when cultivated at home, they can grow on materials like sawdust, grain, straw, or wood chips. The type of substrate chosen will depend on the specific mushroom variety being grown. For example, white button mushrooms require composted manure, shiitake mushrooms thrive on wood or hardwood sawdust, and oyster mushrooms grow well on straw.
The substrate must provide the mushrooms with essential nutrients, including sugar, starch, lignin, fats, protein, and nitrogen. These nutrients fuel the growth of the mushrooms and contribute to their unique flavour and nutritional profile.
When selecting a substrate, it is important to consider the specific nutritional requirements of the mushroom variety being cultivated. Different mushrooms may have preferences for certain substrates, and providing the ideal conditions will result in a more abundant harvest. Additionally, the substrate should be kept moist to maintain the necessary humidity levels for mushroom growth.
By choosing the right substrate and ensuring it contains the necessary mix of nutrients, mushroom cultivators can create optimal conditions for their fungi to flourish. This careful preparation lays the foundation for a successful and flavourful mushroom crop.
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Maintain a high moisture level and some airflow
Mushrooms require a consistently cool, moist climate to grow. This can be easier to control when growing them indoors. If you are growing mushrooms outdoors, you can protect them from temperature extremes by loosely tenting them in clear plastic. This will preserve moisture while also maintaining airflow.
When growing mushrooms indoors, a cool basement or a climate-controlled garage or shed is ideal. The ideal growing temperature is between 55 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Enoki mushrooms grow better in cooler temperatures, around 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Mushrooms can tolerate some light, but the spot you choose should mostly be dark or have low light.
If you are growing mushrooms in a bucket, you can use spawn, which is a living fungal culture, also called mycelium, that can be grown on a substrate. The most common substrate, especially for beginners, is sawdust along with wood chips. Before you start growing, sterilize the bucket by running it through the sterilization cycle of your dishwasher or adding 1/4 cup of bleach and water and letting it stand for two minutes, then rinsing thoroughly.
If you are growing mushrooms on logs, you can use plugs inoculated with spores. Mist the block three or four times a day with spring or well water or collected rainwater.
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Provide a consistently cool, moist climate
Mushrooms require a consistently cool, moist climate to grow. They are fungi, not plants, and therefore do not need sunlight to grow. This makes them an ideal crop to grow indoors, where the climate is easier to control. A cool basement or a climate-controlled garage or shed is a great spot to grow mushrooms. The ideal growing temperature is between 55 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
To create the right conditions, the substrate in which the mushrooms grow must be kept moist. Mushrooms obtain their food from pre-existing material, so the substrate must provide the right mix of nutrients, including sugar, starch, lignin, fats, protein, and nitrogen. Mushrooms will grow on materials like sawdust, grain, straw, or wood chips, and a blend of the spores and these nutrient sources is called spawn. The spawn supports the growth of mushrooms' tiny, white, threadlike bodies called mycelium.
The humidity can be kept high by routinely spraying the substrate with water. However, it is important to ensure there is no standing water, and that there is some airflow. Keeping the growing environment clean is also important to prevent contamination.
Different types of mushrooms have specific growing needs. For example, white button mushrooms must be grown on composted manure, shiitake mushrooms on wood or hardwood sawdust, and oyster mushrooms on straw.
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Frequently asked questions
Cultivating wild mushrooms is a fun and rewarding way to add tasty and nutritious homegrown ingredients to your recipes. It also ensures that you are not picking a toxic mushroom, which can be harmful to both people and pets.
Mushrooms are a type of fungus that grows from spores, so they do not need sunlight. They thrive in a consistently cool, moist climate with temperatures between 55 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. The substrate in which they grow must provide the right mix of nutrients, including sugar, starch, lignin, fats, protein, and nitrogen.
Popular varieties of wild mushrooms that can be cultivated at home include shiitake, oyster, white button, lion's mane, maitake, cremini, enoki, and portobello mushrooms. Each type has specific growing needs, so it is important to provide the right growing conditions and nutrients for each variety.
Freshly harvested wild mushrooms will only last a couple of days before going bad, so it is best to eat them shortly after harvesting. They can also be frozen for longer storage or turned into mushroom compost to feed the next generation of mushroom spores.
