Grow your own mushrooms in 5 easy steps

Growing your own mushrooms indoors (in the photo oyster mushrooms: my favorite!)

The secret to growing oyster mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, or almost any other mushroom variety is creating the right growing conditions.

There are two ways to grow mushrooms. You can inoculate mushroom spores into a substrate (the equivalent of planting seeds) or use mushroom spawn (the equivalent of planting vegetable plants).

Instead of buying your own spores, substrate, grow trays, and so on, I prefer a ready-made mushroom grow kit. These kits contain both substrate and pre-inoculated mushroom spawn. If you want to grow your own mushrooms with a mushroom grow kit, skip to step 3.

Mushrooms thrive in a humid environment, so it's essential to keep the soil moist throughout the growing process. To keep your growing medium moist, mist it once or twice a day with a spray bottle or cover it with damp towels.

Each mushroom variety prefers a different growing medium, such as wood chips, hardwood sawdust (good for shiitake mushrooms), composted manure (good for white mushrooms), straw (good for oyster mushrooms), or coffee grounds (also good for oyster mushrooms). That's why I personally prefer using a mushroom growing kit. The kit always contains the correct growing medium. Super convenient!

For the first few days, the substrate temperature should be 21°C to promote growth. You can achieve this by placing the trays in a warmer room in your home, or by placing the tray on a seedling heat mat. Choose a heat mat that allows for precise temperature control and place it under the tray. If you don't have a heat mat with temperature control, use a soil thermometer to monitor the temperature. Never allow the soil to exceed 21°C, as higher temperatures can kill the spores. You can also place your grow kit in the living room for a few days, where it will usually be around 21°C. Monitor your grow kit closely; as soon as you see mycelium developing, proceed to step 2.

White, root-like growths (mycelium) will soon appear on top of the soil. Once the entire container is covered, it's time to lower the temperature. While many vegetables need to be grown in the summer, growing mushrooms is a great winter project because they thrive in cooler temperatures. Growing your own mushrooms can be a fun project to do with your (grand)children during the Christmas holidays. Lower the soil temperature to between 12°C and 15°C (you'll need to remove the heating pad from under the container and perhaps move your container to a cooler location) and cover the mycelium with about a centimeter of potting soil . I currently keep my grow kit in our garden shed or garage (provided it's not freezing outside, of course).

After a few days at this temperature, small mushrooms known as primordia will begin to sprout.

Keep your growing medium moist, but not wet. Mushrooms thrive in moisture, but they won't thrive if they're soaking wet. Try misting your growing medium occasionally with a plant sprayer , but make sure the substrate doesn't become soggy. Some mushroom growers cover their mushroom tray with a damp cloth or loose-fitting plastic bag to retain moisture.

Mushroom growing kit: almost ready to harvest

Harvest your mushrooms after a few weeks. The mushroom germination process is called fruiting. In most cases, this will occur three to four weeks after you plant your mushroom spawn. The crop will start as small mushrooms (primordia) and then grow rapidly. You can tell if mushrooms are ripe when their caps fully open and begin to separate from the stem. Check daily to harvest your mushrooms at the right time. Carefully cut your mushrooms loose; don't pull them, as this can damage the mycelium.

Paris mushrooms should be fully grown after three or four weeks. You'll know they're ready to harvest when the caps fully open and separate from the stems. To harvest the mushrooms, use a sharp knife to cut the stem. Don't pull the mushrooms out of the ground, as this can damage the surrounding growth.

Mushroom toast with home-grown mushrooms—you've never had such delicious toast.

The mushrooms will continue to grow in successive harvests. Keep a close eye on the humidity, temperature, and ventilation. So, that's all the information I have and can share with you about growing mushrooms. I hope you've learned something new. If you found this article valuable and would also like to get started with mushroom growing kits, consider subscribing to our online store . This way, you ensure we can continue to produce information and videos about things in and around the vegetable garden.

Greetings, Sarah