How to Grow Edible Mushrooms

Did you know you can grow Oyster mushrooms in your home and eat them in as little as five to ten days? Mushrooms like warmth, water, and shade, so you’ll see them outdoors in the spring.

Shaggy Mane mushrooms show up around this season in my backyard, so I’ve learned how to make ink from them.

The rising price of food has been on my mind. This is one of many reasons I think it’s important to teach my kids how to grow food. Growing their own mushrooms is a good place to start!

The safest and simplest way to start growing edible mushrooms is a mushroom grow kit. These are indoor growing kits and come with everything you need to get started. In around 10 days, you’ll be harvesting your own mushrooms right out of the box.

In times of need, people will be driven to eat just about anything. While mushrooms are widely accepted as a food source, trying to consume them from wild sources can be very dangerous.

Starting your own mushroom farm is a safer way to add nutritious mushrooms to your meals. The beginning of spring is a good time to gather your supplies.

DIY Growing Mushrooms Outdoors

Most species of mushrooms grow in dark, damp places. While some species prefer temperatures in the low 70‘s, most prefer in the 60‘s. Mushrooms will grow well in damp areas outdoors.

When growing your own mushrooms outdoors, it is very important to make sure that spores from other mushrooms in the local area do not colonize the growth medium. Aside from taking vital nutrients away from mushrooms of interest, you may wind up growing poisonous mushrooms and not be able to tell the difference.

It is also very important to keep tools as sterile as possible in order to prevent molds, mildew, and other fungi from contaminating the growing area. Most mushroom growers keep a spray bottle with 70% rubbing alcohol on hand as well as sterile gloves.

Even if you are going to spritz the mushrooms or soil with water, you should first wipe down the sprayer nozzle with rubbing alcohol in order to kill off any bacteria or other organisms.

Since you may want to grow several species of mushrooms, it may be best to simply buy pre-designed kits that include the mushroom spores plus all of the necessary tools and trays. If you would prefer not to use a kit, you can set up a growing area using the following tools and supplies:

- - Sterilize 10 x 20 trays or poly bags depending on species needs.
  - Fill tray or bag with sterile growth medium. See chart for growth mediums for selected mushrooms.
  - Make sure the growth medium is at a proper temperature to promote growth. A heating pad can be used to raise substrate temperature or make sure the room stays at the right temperature.
  - Viable spores may be collected from fresh mushrooms purchased in the supermarket. Just be sure to select a source that is not contaminated with fungus or spores from poisonous mushroom species (see below for information on how to collect and store mushroom spores.)
  - Prepare spores by scraping from spore print paper into sterile, room temperature water in a sterilized flask.
  - Mix spore filled liquid with sterile vermiculite
  - Use a sterile syringe to cover the growth medium with spores, but do not place soil on top of the spore material.
  - Keep compost at approximately 70 degrees temperature until white roots (mycelium) appear in the growth mix.
  - Once you see evidence of growth, reduce the temperature to lower 60‘s and cover box with clear plastic wrap or damp cloth.
  - Cover mycelium with 1“ of fine potting soil.
  - Compost should be kept moist, but not soaked.
  - Some species of mushrooms will be ready to harvest in a matter of days, while others may take months or even years.

Mushroom Growth Habits

It should be noted that mushrooms grow in flushes. When you inoculate the growth medium with spores, they will not all begin developing right away.

As the first flush is harvested, you will notice smaller mushrooms beginning to take their place.

Depending on the species, and the amount of growth medium available, you may get several flushes from a single inoculation.

Therefore, when harvesting mushrooms, you should always be careful not to disturb the medium. Carefully cut the stem of the mushroom you want to harvest, and leave the roots in place.

Preserving Spores From Generation to Generation

Continue Reading HERE… This article was written by Carmela Tyrell for Survivopedia.

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