Growing mushrooms at home is a great way to save money on food. Mushrooms are an excellent source of protein and have been shown to ward off certain diseases. However, most people don’t know how to start growing them. This article will give you all the information you need to start growing mushrooms at home!
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Can I Grow Mushrooms at Home?
Yes, you can! Mushrooms are very easy to grow at home. All that is needed is a little know-how and some patience. You will need mushroom grow tents or simply just high humidity in your home where the mushrooms can flourish.
Types of Mushrooms to Grow
Mushrooms come in many different varieties. Below, you’ll find a list of the most common types and how to grow them at home!
Button Mushrooms: These are the most common mushrooms and can be found at your local grocery store. They grow in a similar way to coral and shelf fungus and will take between one week to two months before they fruit.
Oyster Mushroom: This variety is perfect for beginners as it’s very easy to grow! All you need is straw, sugar cane mulch, or coffee grounds. The oyster mushroom requires an additional step of prepping the substrate which involves soaking it overnight then laying it out on newspaper until dry enough that it won’t support mold growths. Although this process takes longer than other types of mushrooms, once fruiting begins there should be no problems growing them indoors all year round!
Lion’s Mane Mushroom: This mushroom variety has a very unique appearance and grows in an upright, symmetrical fashion. They’re best grown on hardwood logs which are drilled with holes then filled with spawn before sealing the top of each hole off with wax or cheese to prevent contamination. Lion’s mane mushrooms grow throughout the entire season, but will fruit at any time between summer and fall depending on conditions!
Shiitake Mushrooms: These are probably one of the most common types used for medicinal purposes due to their significant anti-inflammatory properties. Shiitakes can be cultivated using either logs or sawdust although they take quite some time to get started (approximately half a year!).
How do Mushrooms Grow?
Mushrooms grow in dark, moist environments.
Often they are cultivated in a lightless environment with moisture and food sources (such as grain or wood chips) to produce big crops of mushrooms quickly.
They grow from spores, not seeds so the entire process starts when someone sprouts a mushroom spore which is essentially a baby but fungus. The spores germinate into mycelium which looks like long thin white strands that form the roots of your mushroom plant! As these grow they will start intertwining together to help support the growth of both their mass and nutrients for developing fruiting bodies called basidia where millions upon millions more new fungal cells are produced ready for dispersal through wind throughout your growing area!
Mushroom Growing Kits
Don’t worry if you’re a complete beginner, there are various kits available that have been specifically designed for new growers. These include everything you need to start growing mushrooms at home including the spores and detailed instructions on how to germinate them into mycelium! You can buy mushroom growing kits that are suitable for both indoors and outdoors.
How to Grow Mushrooms With Coffee Grounds?
You can also grow mushrooms on coffee grounds! It’s a great way to use up leftover coffee beans that are too old or stale. Simply heat these in boiling water for around an hour then you’re ready to get growing some edible fungi! Place the soaked, boiled coffee grounds into jars with holes punched through their lids and wait several days until mycelium has grown out of each one.
Growing Mushrooms on Logs
You’ll need to get hold of some logs for this one. In the autumn, collect a selection from your garden or around your neighborhood and allow them to dry out in preparation for growing mushrooms! Once ready, you can drill holes into each log that are about an inch deep then drop a few pieces of mushroom spawn into each hole before plugging it up again with mud. Keep these somewhere warm until mycelium has grown throughout its entire length.
