Growing Mushrooms at Home
Updated 10th January 2012
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Mushroom Kit based on straw Ideal season Aug - Dec |
Shiitake impregnated logs |
Growing White Mushrooms from Kits or Spores
I have always been interested in growing mushrooms and as a child I grew them in sealed bin bags behind the shed. My dad (big Fred) used to buy a lorry load of spent mushroom compost from the nearby mushroom laboratories every year to use as manure. I would then search through the compost, (like only a boy would do) to find the white blobs of heavily "concentrated spores . I would then put these constellations in a bin bag with some compost, soak it in water and wait 2 or 3 weeks. The size and number of mushrooms was incredible using this method. Sadly I no longer live near a mushroom laboratory so I am now trying other methods.
Mushrooms grow from microscopic spores that like stable, moist conditions. In the wild mushrooms grow on the forest floor and on the lower parts of trees. They feed and grow on decomposing material. If you can replicate these conditions then you can grow exotic mushrooms in your own garden, shed or cellar.
To grow mushrooms at home you can buy the spores or you can buy kits containing spores and sterilised compost. I have grown the mushroom kits many times with good results. The main disappointing bit is that although you can get a lot of mushrooms, they tend to come all at once in flushes of initially 250g of mushrooms. . Usually my mushroom kits have 3-4 flushes of mushrooms then go mouldy and get chucked onto the compost heap. (where they can crop again) Mushroom kit boxes are the easiest way to get started but a more expensive way of doing it than buying the spores and adding them to your own substrate. The kits used to use polystyrene boxes but thankfully now biodegradable thick paper boxes are available from companies like Erin. If you found my page helpful then please use the links below when purchasing your spores or kits as this will help to pay my hosting costs. thanks, Fred.
USE THE LINKS BELOW FOR MUSHROOM SEEDS, INCLUDING SHIITAKE SPORES , PEARL OYSTER, PINK OYSTER, PORTOBELLO
AND GOLDEN OYSTER MUSHROOM SPORES
(Spawn is not available at all times so buy now if it is and use it soon)
Click Here To See More Mushroom Products From My Partner Site
I grew these yellow Oyster mushrooms from the kit shown
Growing Shiitake Mushrooms from Spores in Logs
Recently I tried a new technique that involves impregnating a hardwood log with mushroom spores. I used Shitake spores and a freshly cut oak log. (Do not attempt to grow mushrooms on conifer wood as it will not work). A 100g bag of Oyster or Shitake mushroom spawn costs £9 inc postage so if it works this will be a good investment if the log produces a crop for up to 5 years.
The theory goes that you drill holes into the log, insert the spores, plug hole with tissue paper then wax. Soak the log and leave in a cool, damp place until the mushroom erupt from the exterior like pimples on a teenagers face. There are other techniques that involve splitting logs, wetting cardboard and even putting a wet loo roll in a plastic bag with spawn. It can take years for the mushrooms to emerge so patience is required. Over 2 years my logs have yielded half a dozen mushrooms - a disappointment but I live in hope, "patience is a virtue"
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drill 10mm diameter holes in deciduous hardwood log |
fill holes with spore grains or spore impregnated dowels. Then seal hole with wet cotton wool or wax. |
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Use these links below to buy Shiitake and Oyster Mushroom Plugs for Your own logs or buy the kits for indoor use
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seal plugged hole with wax - I used candle wax but cheese wax is preferred. |
Stack logs in sheltered damp area, or half bury in soil. This stack is from the Mushroom valley at Raymond Blanc's Le Manoir organic garden. After 3 years under a dozen of the shiitake mushrooms have emerged.
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Great books for DIY mushroom growers
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understanding of the biology of Fungi and conditions that they grow in. Each
variety requires specific conditions and are very fragile organisms when
compared to your average garden plant. To gain this understanding I strongly
recommend some reading on the subject. This will save you time and money,
and you will become more of a clever dick. If you cant understand all of the data you may still be inspired by the pictures. This book contains the most comprehensive information on amateur and professional techniques for growing mushrooms.
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This "bible" of growing mushrooms has superb photographs and a wealth of technical advice for the scientifically minded.
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Foraging for Mushrooms and Food in the Countryside If you cant be bothered with growing your mushrooms at home then how about getting them for free from mother nature? The obvious pitfalls are dying from poisoning but this can be, and is largely avoided by arming yourself with some knowledge and taking extreme caution. The following books may be of interest - and save your life! If you are foraging for Mushrooms to eat then be extremely careful and one Golden rule is to always use at least 2 books for identification to help cover any omissions. The 2 books shown opposite are some of the best, and well priced books and are small and easy to take with you.
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The River Cottage Guide and the Roger Phillips book are good tools for foragers. The cheap little Collins book even shows you what fungi gets confused with the one you are trying to identify.
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Mushrooms Knives for Countryside Foraging Strictly speaking I don't think you really need a special knife for collecting wild mushrooms but it is always nice to have the right tool for the job. The main feature of a mushroom knife is the curved blade for getting under the cap and cutting around the stalk. The other feature is the little brush for cleaning off any soil and the best ones have a brush that folds into the handle so that it does not get bent. The 3 knives opposite are all good examples and some come with built in compass and bottle openers. |
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Find Edible Plants in the Countryside Referred to as the foragers bible this little book is the ideal companion for walks and some of the plants may be easier to find than edible fungi. Each of the 240 types of fruit, nut, flower, seaweed, fungi and shellfish featured in this book have clear identification criteria and recipe ideas. |
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Eat Everything in the Countryside! (Plants and Animals) Ray Mears is a master of surviving in the wild and making tasty meals from whatever is at hand. (As Ray is a bit of a porker himself I reckon he probably downs a few Kebabs and Curries when he gets back to civilisation) His TV shows were enormously popular and this book is a great reference to food in the wild. An ideal book to read on a plane to reassure yourself that if you survive the crash you will be able to knock up a Witchetty Grub Resotto and wow your fellow survivors with similar culinary delights until help arrives. |
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MAGIC MUSHROOM INFO
In the UK it's legal to buy them unprepared?
All I know is that I tried some once in my student days and was sick!
(Think that was more to do with the garlic butter though)
Maybe I should have bought the following 2 books first!
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For free expert advice - on
buying tools, (on and off-line) mail me at
fred@fredshed.com
If you found my advice helpful you can support my work by returning to this page and using my links when purchasing your secateurs. Also any products bought from Amazon using the links below will produce a small commission that helps cover my hosting costs. thanks, Fred
USE THE LINK BELOW FOR MUSHROOM SEEDS, INCLUDING SHIITAKE SPORES , PEARL OYSTER, PINK OYSTER, PORTABELLO
AND GOLDEN OYSTER MUSHROOM SPORES
(Spawn is not available at all times so buy now if it is and use it soon)
Click Here To See More Mushroom Products From My Partner Site
Top Tips This Month
Be prepared for more snow- buy a shovel for car and home now!
The Fiskars shovels are strong enough to be used for other jobs like clearing up garden debris and horse muck.
The Silverline Mini round nose shovel is ideal for digging holes for planting, (if you are a Dwarf or can get on your knees to dig).
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