Emma Wilson
Mushrooms are tasty, nutritious, and easy to grow at home. They can be pricey at the grocery store, so growing your own mushrooms can be a good alternative. Growing mushrooms indoors gives you more control over temperature, air exchange, humidity, and light, increasing your chances of success. There are several ways to grow mushrooms indoors, such as using an indoor Spray & Grow Kit, which is a block of amended sawdust that has been colonized by mycelium, or using fruiting blocks, which are commonly used by indoor mushroom cultivators and small-scale farms.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Mushroom strains | White Button, Shiitake, Oyster |
| Growing environment | Dark, cool place like a basement, crawl space, drawer or cabinet |
| Growing medium | Sawdust, straw, coffee grounds, etc. |
| Sterilization | Boiling, steaming, microwaving |
| Mushroom spawn | Mycelium, the vegetative part of the fungus |
| Growing substrate | Compost, straw, sawdust, coffee grounds |
| Maintenance | Monitor temperature, humidity, and air circulation |
| Harvesting | Mushrooms are ready when they reach desired size and have fully developed caps |
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What You'll Learn
Choosing a mushroom type
Choosing the right mushroom strain is crucial for successfully cultivating mushrooms indoors. Here are some popular and beginner-friendly mushroom strains to consider:
Oyster Mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus)
Oyster mushrooms are one of the easiest and fastest-growing mushrooms for indoor cultivation. They come in various colours and have a delicate flavour. They can be grown in a wide range of substrates, including wood, straw, or sawdust. Oyster mushrooms thrive in temperatures ranging from 55 to 65 °F and prefer cool, humid conditions.
White Button Mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus)
White button mushrooms are the most widely cultivated variety, known for their mild flavour and versatility in culinary dishes. They are suitable for beginners and can be grown using similar methods to oyster mushrooms.
Shiitake Mushrooms (Lentinula edodes)
Shiitake mushrooms are slightly more challenging to grow but are still considered beginner-friendly. They are meaty and flavourful, with numerous health benefits, and are commonly used in Asian cuisine. Shiitake mushrooms grow well on hardwood logs and prefer similar temperature and humidity conditions to oyster mushrooms.
Lion's Mane Mushrooms
Lion's mane mushrooms are known for their unique appearance and potential health benefits. They are often grown in sawdust, which provides a nutrient-rich environment for mycelium growth. Lion's mane mushrooms may require more specific conditions and techniques, making them better suited for more experienced growers.
When choosing a mushroom type, it is important to consider factors such as flavour, ease of growth, substrate requirements, and the specific conditions you can provide. Research each strain's requirements and follow best practices for successful indoor mushroom cultivation.
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Preparing the substrate
There are various materials that can be used as a substrate, and the best one for your project will depend on the species of mushroom you are growing, as well as what is most readily available in your area. Straw is a common substrate for mushroom cultivation, especially for oyster mushrooms. It is inexpensive and can be purchased at farm shops and pet stores, or anywhere that sells animal feed or bedding. If you use straw, you will need to cut it into three or four-inch pieces and then pasteurize it. To do this, put the straw in a pillowcase, nylon mesh laundry bag, or similar, and submerge it in water heated to 160–170 °F for about an hour. After this, drain the straw well—when you squeeze a handful, only a few drops of water should come out.
Sawdust is another option and is often used for growing lion's mane mushrooms. It provides a nutrient-rich environment for mycelium growth. If you are using sawdust, you will need to sterilize it by boiling, steaming, or microwaving it. To sterilize in the microwave, fill a microwave-safe bowl with sawdust and wet it down with enough water so that it is the consistency of a wet sponge. You may need to do this in several batches. Then, microwave on high for two minutes or until the water begins to boil off. Alternatively, you can boil or steam the sawdust in a pot of water.
Once your chosen substrate has been prepared and sterilized, it's time to inoculate it with mushroom spawn or spores to start the growing process. Mix the spawn with your substrate and allow it to colonize in a sterile environment. The mycelium will need weeks, or potentially months, to decompose the substrate and spread completely throughout it. Once colonization is finished, the entire substrate will be covered in mycelium, and it will be ready to fruit.
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Inoculating the substrate
The substrate is the medium that your mycelium will be growing in. Usually, this will be some sort of natural waste product such as straw, wood chips, sawdust, or even paper. The type of substrate you use will depend on the species of mushrooms you are growing. Wood-based substrates are optimal for mushrooms like reishi, lion's mane, and maitake, while oysters grow on nearly any substrate.
Before inoculating the substrate, it is important to ensure that there are no competing organisms on it. This gives your mushroom mycelium a clean slate to grow on. If you are using straw or sawdust, you may want to pasteurize it to kill off any contaminants. This can be done through heat pasteurization, where the substrate is submerged in water and kept at 74 degrees Celsius for 1 to 2 hours.
To inoculate the substrate, you will need to mix the spawn into it. First, crumble the mushroom spawn into little bits from the package. Then, add the spawn to the substrate and use your hands to evenly distribute it throughout. For rapid growth, an even combination is essential.
After inoculating the substrate, you will need to raise the temperature to 70 degrees Celsius for 3 to 4 weeks. This will allow the spawn to take root in the substrate and form mycelium, which looks like white fuzz. Once the mycelium has formed, you can move on to the next stage of mushroom growth.
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Controlling the environment
Mushrooms require a dark, cool place to grow, such as a basement, crawl space, dark drawer, or cabinet. The ideal temperature range for most oyster mushrooms is between 55 to 65 °F. If you're using straw or sawdust, you may want to pasteurize it to kill off any contaminants. To do this, mix the spawn into the substrate and raise the temperature to 70 degrees. After 2-4 weeks, the spawn will have taken root in the substrate. This is called mycelium and looks like white fuzz.
Drop the temperature to 55-60 °F and cover the mixture with about an inch of potting soil. Then, spray the mixture with water until damp. You can place a damp towel on top to retain moisture. Keep the mixture moist and cool, and you should see small mushrooms starting to grow in about three weeks. Mushrooms like cool, humid conditions, but it is possible to grow them in more arid climates.
If you're using sawdust, you'll need to sterilize it before use. To sterilize with a microwave oven, fill a microwave-safe bowl with sawdust, flour or coffee grounds, and wet the mass with enough water so that it is the consistency of a wet sponge. Nuking the sawdust on high for two minutes or until the water begins to boil off will kill any unwanted organisms. You can also boil or steam the growing medium in a pot of water in the kitchen or over a campfire, with or without a steamer basket. After it has boiled for a few minutes, turn off the heat, keep the sawdust covered, and let it return to room temperature.
During the colonization phase, ensure your growing environment remains clean and free from contaminants. Monitor temperature, humidity, and air circulation regularly to promote healthy growth.
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Harvesting the mushrooms
Harvesting mushrooms at the ideal time is crucial to get a good yield with the best possible flavour and texture. The ideal point of harvest differs for each mushroom variety, and you will learn to identify this with experience. Generally, signs of maturity in mushrooms are the caps flattening or becoming convex and the gills enlarging and dropping spores.
For oyster mushrooms, the ideal time to harvest is not determined by size but by the shape of their caps. Lion's mane mushrooms are generally ready to harvest four to seven days after pinning. They are ready to harvest when they are around a fist in size with distinct, elongated spines or teeth. For the best flavour and texture, harvest your lion's mane before they begin to dry out and turn brown or pinkish. Younger lion's mane mushrooms are firmer and denser than mature ones, so you may want to try picking them at different stages to see which texture you prefer.
Shiitake mushrooms can be harvested at any time during their growth, regardless of their size. You can identify if they are ready for harvest by checking if the partial veil has broken, exposing the gills. Leave young shiitakes with intact veils to continue growing and only harvest them once you can see their gills. Mature shiitakes with flat caps and white or slightly speckled gills are great for grilling but are not ideal for transporting or sales. If you see shiitake gills that have turned brown, do not eat them.
There are a few ways to harvest mushrooms, and the best method depends on the type of mushroom and your preferred harvesting technique. Studies have shown that it makes little difference to future mushroom production whether you cut or pull mushrooms. Those who favour cutting believe it causes less damage to the mushroom mycelium and reduces cleaning time as there is less dirt and debris attached to the stem. When it comes to cultivated mushrooms, you can harvest either way, but it’s always important to be gentle as mushrooms bruise easily. Twisting and pulling by hand is the easiest way to harvest some varieties, including button, cremini, oyster, chestnut, pioppino, and lion’s mane mushrooms.
To help you harvest, you can float your cake on top of water. Start by trickling some water down the side of your tub. This technique allows for easier harvesting of the surface and rehydrates the cake, giving you easy access to any bottom or side pins that may have formed. At this point, you can leave your cake floating while you harvest or remove it from the water.
As you harvest, cut everything as close to the substrate as you can. Large flushes can take a while to harvest, so be patient. Tiny mushrooms or immature pins should also be harvested and removed. Many pins at this stage never reach maturity, and if they do, they produce tiny mushrooms. It is suggested to harvest them all at once with the larger ones for a complete harvest, even if they are not mature yet. If you have pins within your mature mushrooms, especially black or grey pins, they are likely “aborts”. Aborts are a natural part of mushroom growing and are usually normal.
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Frequently asked questions
The easiest way to grow mushrooms indoors is to purchase a ready-made grow kit. Open the bag of sterilized, inoculated straw or soil included in the kit, then place it in a bright location out of direct sunlight. Mist the material with water daily to keep the humidity high, and in 7-10 days you'll have homegrown mushrooms.
Cremini, enoki, maitake, portobello, oyster, shiitake, and white button mushrooms can all be grown indoors. However, each type has specific growing needs. For example, white button mushrooms must be grown on composted manure, and shiitakes on wood or hardwood sawdust.
Growing mushrooms indoors gives you more control over environmental factors such as temperature, air exchange, humidity, and light, leading to consistent yields and higher-quality mushrooms. You can also grow mushrooms indoors all year round, regardless of weather or space limitations.
Before you start growing, test out your spot by checking the temperature. Most mushrooms grow best between 55 and 60 degrees, away from direct heat and drafts. Mushrooms can tolerate some light, but the spot you choose should stay mostly dark or in low light.
Mushrooms grow from spores, which are blended with nutrient sources like sawdust, grain, straw, or wood chips for nourishment. This blend is called spawn. You can purchase mushroom spawn from reputable sellers, but make sure they can confidently identify the type of mushroom. Some mushrooms can be deadly, so always be sure about the type of spawn you have.
