Michael Davis
Mushrooms are a fun and nutritious food to grow at home in the UK. The best time to plant mushrooms depends on whether you are growing them indoors or outdoors. Indoor growing can be done year-round, and outdoor growing is more dependent on the seasons. Mushrooms grow well in shaded areas of your garden and can be grown in logs, beds, on compost heaps, or in buckets of coffee grounds. Oyster, shiitake, and button mushrooms are suitable for home cultivation. Spring is generally the best time to plant mushroom logs, and mushroom beds should be prepared with a substrate mixture like straw or other organic material.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Location | Indoors or outdoors |
| Indoor growing | Can be done year-round in a climate-controlled room |
| Outdoor growing | Dependent on the seasons |
| Mushroom varieties | Perennial crops |
| Outdoor growing temperature | Plant when daytime temperatures reach 40°F or higher |
| Outdoor growing in cooler climates | Plant in spring or early summer |
| Outdoor growing in regions with frost and heavy winters | Plant at least 4 weeks before the first frost |
| Logs for mushroom growing | Cut from healthy trees during the dormant season (between leaf fall in autumn and early spring) |
| Types of mushrooms | Oyster, Shiitake, Button, Lion's Mane, Comb Tooth, Olive Oysterling, Nameko, Reishi |
| Mushroom growing kits | Oyster, Shiitake, Button |
| Substrate | Compost, manure, coffee grounds, straw |
| Optimum growing temperature | Minimum of 15°C |
| Light | A few hours of light (can be artificial) |
Explore related products
$14.99
What You'll Learn
The best time to plant mushroom logs
If you are growing mushrooms indoors, you can grow them all year round in a climate-controlled room. Many people who grow mushrooms indoors do so on a scheduled cycle throughout the year to ensure continuous production.
If you are growing mushrooms outdoors, you can use recently chopped logs and buy wooden dowels or plugs that have been impregnated with spawn, which you tap into pre-drilled holes in the log. It is best to use hardwood logs for mushroom growing, such as oak, beech, birch, hazel, and willow. Logs planted with plug spawn will take longer to colonise until fruiting.
If you are growing mushrooms indoors, you can buy mushroom spawn to grow in boxes or trays filled with a suitable growing medium, usually known as a substrate, like compost or manure.
The time from planting to fruiting varies depending on the type of mushroom. For example, oyster mushrooms typically fruit 3-12 months after planting, while lion's mane mushrooms may take up to 2 years before they are ready to produce mushrooms.
Fixing a Mushroom Cut: Tips and Tricks
You may want to see also
The ideal indoor conditions
Button mushrooms, for example, thrive in warm, dark and humid conditions. Lion's mane mushrooms require similar conditions but need higher temperatures of up to 25°C. Oyster mushrooms, on the other hand, prefer a lower temperature of 15°C and a few hours of light, which can be artificial.
To grow mushrooms indoors, you can purchase a growing kit, which will include everything you need. Alternatively, you can buy mushroom spawn to grow in beds or boxes filled with a growing medium, or substrate, such as compost, manure, or straw. If you have space, logs can be used to grow mushrooms indoors, but these should be cut from healthy trees during the dormant season, which is between leaf fall in autumn and early spring. Logs should be stored in a cool, dark, well-ventilated place and planted within six weeks to prevent contamination from unwanted fungi. Hardwood logs are best, such as oak, beech, birch, hazel or willow.
Mushroom Effects: How Long Do They Last?
You may want to see also
Outdoor growing: reducing contamination
When growing mushrooms outdoors, it is important to reduce contamination to ensure successful mushroom growth. Here are some ways to achieve that:
Choose the Right Location
Select a spot in your garden that gets plenty of sunlight but also has some form of shelter from wind and rain. Avoid open areas with high rainfall. The ideal placement for a mushroom bed is often under trees, bushes, or other foliage, as mushrooms require indirect sunlight and shade. However, be cautious of potential contamination from wild spores in the environment if you live in an area with many trees.
Prepare the Mushroom Bed
Build a raised mushroom bed to gain greater control over potential contaminants. You can use various materials for the structure, such as wood, bricks, or concrete blocks. The bed should have good drainage to prevent waterlogging. The substrate mixture, such as straw or other organic materials, should be pasteurised or sterilised before inoculation to eliminate competing organisms and dormant spores.
Maintain Sterile Conditions
Growing mushrooms require a sterile environment. Keep your cultivation tools, hands, and breath clean. Use a laminar flow hood or a still air box (SAB) to create a clean air stream and minimise airborne contaminants. If using a spawn bag, ensure it is completely sterilised before inoculation to prevent the growth of competing organisms.
Control Moisture and Temperature
Mushrooms thrive in a humid environment. Cover the mushroom bed with damp newspaper or a large plastic bag to maintain humidity. Mist or water the bed regularly to keep it evenly moist. The optimum temperature for mushroom growth is a minimum of 15°C, and a few hours of light per day, which can be artificial if necessary.
Select the Right Spawn
When creating an outdoor mushroom patch, choose the right spawn for your specific mushroom variety. Sawdust spawn is an excellent option for outdoor grows, especially with the woodchip method. Grain spawn provides ample nutrition for rapid and vigorous growth but comes with a higher risk of contamination as bacteria feed on grain.
Medicinal Mushrooms: Natural Drugs or Just a Fad?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Mushroom beds and substrates
Mushroom beds are considered a low-maintenance growing technique. They are easy and inexpensive and can complement your vegetables and plants. They can be set up outdoors or indoors.
When growing mushrooms in a bed, you are allowing the mushrooms to grow much like they would in the wild. The bed's structure can be made from a number of materials, such as wood, bricks, or concrete blocks. You may even be able to find ready-made mushroom beds online.
The key to success with a mushroom bed is creating an environment that is conducive to your mushrooms. They should avoid excessive sunlight and have optimal water drainage so the substrate doesn't become waterlogged.
A tarp or other plastic sheeting can be used to prevent the bed from drying out. This is useful for straw beds or in especially hot or dry climates.
The substrate is the growing medium through which the fungal mycelium can spread before the mushrooms appear. The mycelium will obtain all of the nutrients it needs from the substrate to develop and produce mushrooms. Different species of mushrooms prefer different substrates.
Some commonly used substrates include:
- Hardwood woodchips: This is a great option for growing King Stropharia mushrooms.
- Straw: This is a good option for growing oyster mushrooms. It is an inexpensive and effective substrate choice. It can be pasteurised or fermented.
- Compost: The compost composition will vary with each type of mushroom.
- Fresh coffee grounds
- Logs: If you have access to recently chopped logs, you can buy wooden dowels or plugs that have been impregnated with spawn, which you tap into pre-drilled holes in the log.
Portabella Mushrooms: Carb-Friendly Superfood?
You may want to see also
The best mushrooms for beginners
The best time to plant mushrooms in the UK depends on whether you are growing them indoors or outdoors. Indoor growing can be done year-round in a climate-controlled room, while outdoor growing is more dependent on the seasons. Most mushroom varieties are perennial crops that can be planted throughout the growing season when daytime temperatures are consistently 40°F or higher. For cooler climates, it is best to plant in the spring or early summer.
If you are a beginner, it is recommended to start growing mushrooms with a kit, which can be purchased according to the type of mushroom you wish to grow. Here are some of the best mushrooms for beginners to grow:
- Button mushrooms: These are one of the easiest mushrooms to grow and can be found in growing kits that include a tray of composted manure. They thrive in dark, humid, and warm conditions.
- Oyster mushrooms: Oyster mushrooms are another great option for beginners, as they are straightforward to grow and come in many different types. Grey and pink oyster mushrooms are the easiest to cultivate at home. They grow on straw, which is typically included in the growing kits.
- Shiitake mushrooms: While they may be a little more challenging to grow, requiring warmer temperatures of up to 25°C and high humidity, shiitake mushrooms are still a good option for beginners. You can find growing kits that include everything you need to successfully cultivate this variety.
In addition to the above, here are some wild mushrooms that are considered safe for novice foragers in the UK:
- Giant Puffball: This mushroom grows into a foot-wide white ball, making it easily identifiable. It is best to harvest when mature to ensure it is edible.
- Hedgehog Fungus: This mushroom has unique spines under its white cap, so if you find a white mushroom that resembles a hedgehog underneath, you can be sure it is the Hedgehog Fungus.
- Shaggy Ink Cap: This mushroom is considered very safe for beginners as there is nothing else that looks like it.
Magic Mushroom Gummies: Do They Work?
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
The best time to plant mushrooms in the UK is in the spring, when the logs are dormant before the buds swell.
Mushrooms can be grown indoors or outdoors. Outdoor mushrooms are planted in beds, on compost heaps, or in logs. Indoor mushrooms are often grown in kits or in a tray of compost or substrate blocks.
Mushrooms grow best in a rich, fertile, moisture-retentive environment. They should be planted in shaded areas to avoid excessive sunlight and have optimal water drainage to prevent waterlogging.
Mushrooms grow best in warm, humid, and dark conditions. The temperature should be controlled to an optimum level, ideally a minimum of 15°C.
The time it takes for mushrooms to grow varies depending on the type of mushroom and the growing conditions. Some mushrooms may take up to two years before they are ready to produce fruit, while others may fruit within three to twelve months.
