How To Grow Mushrooms

The humble little mushroom is one of the healthier foods available. They are high in fibre and protein, low in calories and have many essential vitamins and minerals. And, apart from all that, they have a delicious taste all of their own. Mushrooms absorb chemicals from where they are grown so cultivating your own makes a lot of sense; at least you know exactly what they have been exposed to. Don’t eat them raw and don’t cook them in unhealthy oils otherwise the nutritional benefits will all be lost.

There are lots of different varieties available to grow at home such as oyster, shitake, lion’s mane, portabella and white cap and a number of ways to grow them. Here we will concentrate on the traditional method using mushroom spawn. Whichever way you choose, make sure they are grown in a well ventilated area as some people are allergic to the mushroom spores.

Mushrooms can be grown outdoors but unfortunately getting them to fruit depends on our weather which can be unpredictable at the best of times. If you want to give it a try they can be grown even in neglected areas such as overgrown lawns. The time of year for outdoor cultivation is between April and August. Start by carefully cutting out a piece of turf and dig the soil beneath to a depth of 4-5 cms. Add some well rotted garden compost or manure and mix it with the soil. Scatter the mushroom spores over the area and fork it in to about 1cm deep. Replace the piece of turf.

Here we will look at the more traditional way of growing mushrooms indoors using spawn.

Ideally, mushrooms need a temperature of about 16C to grow well and definitely don’t let it fall below 10c. They can be grown in cellars, garages or sheds and it doesn’t have to be dark, just ensure that there is no direct sunlight through windows.

Using a box or boards to enclose the growing medium, fill to a depth of 25-30cms and pack it in tightly. The medium can be well rotted manure which can be purchased pre-packed. Or, to make you own, obtain some fresh horse manure and rot it down by turning the heap frequently for 3 weeks or so. It is ‘cooked’ when the compost is crumbly in texture and smells sweet.

Spread out the mushroom spawn over the top and fork it in to about 50cms deep then cover the surface with damp newspaper. After about 3 weeks, depending on the temperature, the spawn will have produced ‘white threads’ called mycelium that will have infiltrated the compost.

Remove the newspaper when these ‘threads’ become apparent. For mushrooms to grow well they need lime so cover the compost with a mixture of 50% ordinary compost and 50% chalk/lime. You will only need about 2-3cms of covering but it needs to be kept moist. You can start to harvest your mushrooms in about 4 weeks and thereafter every 10 days. And that’s it…enjoy.

Published May 15th, 2015 by Jordan. Article ref 3776

Tags: mushrooms

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