Emily Johnson
Mushrooms are a great crop to grow at home, providing a nutritious and tasty harvest. They are the fruiting bodies of fungi and require a rich, fertile, moisture-retentive growing medium. There are several ways to grow mushrooms at home, including using kits, compost, straw, or coffee grounds. Mushrooms require specific conditions, such as consistent humidity, temperature, and airflow, and grow best in cool, humid, and dark environments. With patience and attention to detail, anyone can successfully grow mushrooms at home.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Mushroom farming steps | Phase I composting, Phase II composting, spawning, casing, pinning, and cropping |
| Mushroom growing time | Approximately 14 weeks |
| Mushroom growing kit | Oyster mushrooms, Button mushrooms, Shiitake mushrooms |
| Mushroom growing requirements | Water, right temperature, good airflow, humidity, darkness |
| Mushroom farming benefits | Environmentally friendly, sustainable, efficient with space usage, low labor costs, profitable for small-scale operations |
| Mushroom farming challenges | Labor-intensive, expensive equipment for indoor farming |
| Mushroom types | Oyster, Shiitake, Lion's mane, Button |
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What You'll Learn
Choose a mushroom type
Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of fungi and can be grown in different environments, both indoors and outdoors. They thrive in cool, humid conditions, but can also be grown in more arid climates with more frequent watering.
When choosing a mushroom type, it is important to consider the specific requirements of each species. Some mushrooms, like Enokis, require a specific temperature range of 40 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Other varieties, such as Shiitake, can grow on hardwood logs, which can be purchased as pre-inoculated kits or inoculated yourself using plugs or sawdust. Oyster mushrooms are another popular choice for home growing, especially the brown variety. They can be grown using various methods, including coffee grounds, which provide all the necessary nutrients.
If you're a beginner, it is recommended to start with a mushroom growing kit. These kits are designed to simplify the cultivation process and ensure you have everything you need for a successful experience. You can also grow mushrooms from store-bought organic mushrooms. This method requires more care and attention than some other techniques. It involves slicing the stem ends of fresh mushrooms and layering them into moist straw inside a lidded container.
Each mushroom variety has unique characteristics and requirements, so it's important to research the specific needs of the type you choose. Some mushrooms may require specific substrates, temperature ranges, or growing techniques. By understanding their natural habitat and providing the necessary conditions, you can successfully cultivate your chosen mushroom variety.
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Prepare the substrate
The first step in preparing the substrate is to select the right substrate for the specific type of mushroom you want to grow. Different mushroom species have different preferences, so it's important to pair your mushrooms with the right substrate for optimal results. For example, wood-based substrates are optimal for mushrooms like reishi, lion's mane, and maitake, while oyster mushrooms can grow on a wide range of substrates, including straw, cardboard, or even on urban and agricultural waste products like coffee grounds or banana leaves.
Once you've selected the correct substrate, you'll need to either pasteurize or sterilize it to minimize the risk of mold and bacteria growth. This gives your mushroom mycelium a clean slate to grow and get established. There are several methods to pasteurize or sterilize your substrate:
Pasteurization
This method aims to kill most harmful microbes but leaves some beneficial ones intact. It's commonly used for substrates like straw or wood-based mixes. One common approach is to pasteurize the substrate mix by heating. Cut the straw into three- or four-inch pieces, then submerge them in water heated to 160–170 °F for about one hour. Drain the straw well—when you squeeze a handful of the mushroom-growing substrate, only a few drops of water should come out.
Another method is cold water lime pasteurization. Completely immerse the straw in a lime water solution for about 2–4 hours. Drain and immediately inoculate with spawn.
Sterilization
This method is more intense, eliminating all microbial life. This is often used for nutrient-rich substrates like grain. If you don't have specialized equipment, you can use the oven method: spread your substrate on a baking sheet and bake at 300 °F for about an hour.
Boiling
Simply boil your substrate in water for at least 30 minutes. This method is not the most reliable but can work for quick experiments.
After your mushrooms are done fruiting, you can dispose of the spent substrate by composting it.
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Get spawn or spores
Mushroom spawn is the commercial term for mycelium colonizing a prepared substrate, such as straw, wood chips, or sawdust. It is the backbone of all large-scale mushroom growing operations. Think of it as the equivalent of seeds for a mushroom farm. Unlike seeds, mushroom spawn is grown from selected genetics and cloned for consistent production of a particular cultivar of mushroom.
You can buy mushroom spawn from different producers offline or online. Research reputable producers to get the best quality. The inoculation date should be inscribed on your purchase. It may degrade due to bacteria, mold, or waste products, so it's best to use it as soon as possible.
If you're buying spawn for the first time, ensure your vendor grows their own mushrooms to guarantee consistent performance. Alternatively, you can make your own spawn.
Mushroom spores are small, usually microscopic, single-celled structures whose only purpose is to spread the organism's genetic material to new locations. Spores are released from the mushroom fruit body and dispersed through the air, water, or by hitching a ride on an animal. They can remain dormant for long periods, even millions of years under the right conditions. Spores are not sterile, so growing with them directly may increase contamination rates, affecting productivity.
You can use spores to create new mushroom strains. Spores can be purchased online in the form of spore syringes, which are typically used by beginners or those growing mushrooms prohibited by law in their jurisdiction. Spore syringes do not contain any psilocybin, which is only produced once spores germinate.
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Control the environment
Mushrooms require a cool, humid environment with adequate moisture, proper temperature, and limited light. To replicate their natural habitat, you can control the temperature, light, humidity, and airflow to suit your chosen species.
Firstly, ensure you have a clean environment to prevent contamination. Sterilize your bucket or container by running it through a dishwasher or using a diluted bleach solution. Drill holes in the bucket to allow for airflow and prevent standing water.
Maintain high moisture levels by routinely spraying the substrate with water and covering your mushrooms with loosely tented clear plastic to preserve moisture. Keep the temperature for the first few weeks around 23°C/73°F. Once the mycelium has covered the surface, lower the temperature by a small amount each day until the mushrooms appear.
If growing mushrooms outdoors, the process will take longer, from six months to two years. You can mix spawn with compost and let nature take its course, or try the log method, which works especially well for oysters and shiitakes. Alternatively, grow mushrooms in raised garden beds or damp straw in shady areas.
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Harvest the mushrooms
The general rule of thumb is to start harvesting when the caps of the mushrooms turn from convex to concave. Oyster mushrooms should be harvested three to five days after the first mushrooms begin to form, and shiitake mushrooms will be ready for harvest three days after they begin to cap. For shiitake mushrooms, you can cut the fruit or twist and pull the mushroom from the mycelium, and the logs can produce for up to six years. If you are growing your mushrooms on a log, it will usually take about a year to get results.
When it comes to wild mushrooms, it is recommended to pluck the mushrooms and then trim off and discard the butt end. If you are hunting wild mushrooms, only pick the ones that have reached a point where they have dropped a significant number of spores. It is also important to learn to identify native and invasive plant species to avoid damaging or killing native plants.
If you are using a mushroom kit, the instructions will give you a timeframe for picking your mushrooms, but this is only an estimate, and the mushrooms may be ready earlier or later than the given date. Mushrooms mature in cycles, so you can expect mature mushrooms to be ready for picking about once a week.
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Frequently asked questions
Mushroom farming is environmentally friendly, sustainable, efficient with space usage, has low labour costs, and can be profitable. The global mushroom market was valued at over $50 billion in 2021 and is projected to surpass $115 billion by 2030, growing at an impressive 9.7% annual rate.
Mushroom farming requires specialised knowledge and expertise. It is also an intensive technique that requires close attention to moisture, temperature, airflow, and humidity.
Mushroom farming requires fairly expensive equipment, but you can save money by purchasing used equipment. You will also need a substrate such as sawdust, straw, wood chips, or agricultural waste.
The six steps to mushroom farming are Phase I composting, Phase II composting, spawning, casing, pinning, and cropping.
