Yes, certain mushrooms like shiitake, wine cap and oyster mushrooms can be grown outdoors on logs, straw bales, or in garden beds. Outdoor growing requires selecting a shady, moist area and monitoring environmental conditions closely. For log cultivation, drill holes in the logs, insert spawn plugs, and seal the holes with wax. Outdoor cultivation can be a great way to produce larger quantities of mushrooms naturally.

Store harvested mushrooms in a paper bag in the refrigerator. The paper bag helps to absorb excess moisture and keeps the mushrooms fresh. They typically last about a week. If you need to store them for longer, consider drying or freezing the mushrooms. To dry mushrooms, slice them thinly and place them in a dehydrator or on a drying rack in a well-ventilated area. Frozen mushrooms can be stored in airtight containers or freezer bags.

Liquid cultures are a sterile mixture of water and nutrients that contain live mushroom mycelium. They are used to inoculate substrates more efficiently than traditional methods. To use a liquid culture, you’ll need to inject a small amount of the liquid into a sterile substrate using a syringe. The mycelium in the liquid culture quickly colonizes the substrate, speeding up the overall growing process and increasing the chances of a successful mushroom harvest.

Mushroom spawn is a material that contains the mycelium, the vegetative part of the fungus, which is used to inoculate the substrate. Spawn can come in different forms, such as grain spawn, sawdust spawn, or plug spawn. It can be purchased from online suppliers, specialty garden stores, or local mushroom farms. We supply mushroom spawn however we also recommend Rootlab, Little Acre and Mushroom Farm Supplies

A substrate is the material that provides nutrients for the mushrooms to grow. Common substrates include straw, hardwood sawdust, coffee grounds, and composted manure. The choice of substrate depends on the type of mushroom you are growing. Properly preparing the substrate is essential for successful mushroom cultivation, as it supports the growth of the mycelium and ultimately the fruiting bodies (mushrooms).

Substrate preparation involves pasteurization or sterilization to kill unwanted microbes that could compete with the mushroom mycelium. For example, you can sterilize hardwood fuel pellets in a pressure cooker by filling the cooker with water, placing the pellets in jars or bags, and processing them at 15 PSI for 90 minutes. After sterilization, allow the substrate to cool before inoculating it with mushroom spawn.

Once the substrate is cooled, you mix it with the mushroom spawn in a clean environment to prevent contamination. This process involves breaking up the spawn and thoroughly mixing it into the substrate. The inoculated substrate is then placed in a container or grow bag and incubated in a warm, dark place until the mycelium fully colonizes the substrate.

Some substrates can be reused for additional flushes, but the yield may decrease with each subsequent flush. After the initial harvest, you can often get one or two more flushes of mushrooms. To encourage additional flushes, keep the substrate hydrated and maintain proper environmental conditions. However, it’s often more productive to start with fresh substrate for optimal results.

No, you do not need to fertilize your growing mushrooms. Mushrooms derive their nutrients from the substrate they are grown on. As long as your substrate is properly prepared and nutrient-rich, it will provide all the necessary nutrients for your mushrooms to grow. Adding fertilizers can introduce contaminants and upset the delicate balance needed for successful mushroom cultivation.