In recent years, mushroom growing at home has grown in popularity, becoming something of a trend, especially among foodies that love to cook. So if you want to get in on the growing trend and learn how to grow mushrooms then you’ve come to the right place.
While you can grow mushrooms from scraps, there are other (and perhaps better) ways to get your own delicious fungal supply to add to your dishes whenever your heart desires.
We’ve consulted our pros to give us the low-down on the best and easiest ways to grow your own vegetables of the fungal kind. And this is what they’ve come up with.
How to grow mushrooms
Unless you have mushrooms growing in your garden, then you need to buy your shrooms from a grocery store whenever you want to cook with them. But why not grow your own and have access to home-grown mushrooms? You won’t have to buy mushrooms ever again.
There are several ways to grow mushrooms at home or in the garden with these 3 being the best and easiest according to our experts.
1. Mushroom growing kit
The most fool-proof way to grow mushrooms is with mushroom growing kits which are now readily available to buy from as little as £17. You can choose the kind of mushrooms you’d like to grow and the package comes with everything you need to complete the process, including the instructions.
‘Mushrooms can be a little difficult to grow, but luckily you can now commonly buy mushroom growing kits, which come with everything you need. I recommend this as the easiest method for beginners,’ says Steve Chilton, garden expert from LeisureBench.
2. In containers or beds
‘It’s possible to grow mushrooms from spawn in manure-filled containers or beds,’ starts Fiona Jenkins, gardening expert at MyJobQuote.co.uk.
Your chosen container can be anything from a box or a bucket to a garden bed or even a plastic bag. But to be able to grow your mushrooms in these containers, you need to buy mushroom spawn like this lion’s mane one from Amazon.
‘These containers are filled with growing spawn, which should be a mixture of materials such as straw, sawdust, and coffee grounds. These provide the right nutrients for mushrooms to grow. When you buy a mushroom growing kit, this is the method that is most commonly supplied, as it can be difficult to make the spawn yourself.’
And while you can grow your mushrooms both indoors and outdoors, Fiona recommends one over the other. ‘If you want to be able to control the temperature, growing them indoors is best. The optimum temperature for mushroom growing is between 10°C and 20°C.’
3. In logs
Growing mushrooms on logs is a bit more difficult but it’s possible. And mushroom varieties like shiitake really thrive when grown this way.
‘Wooden plugs or dowels impregnated with mushroom spawn can be placed into recently cut hardwood logs to grow,’ Fiona says, referring to spawn plugs like these shiitake ones from Etsy.
‘The logs need to usually be from trees such as oak, beech, or birch. These logs are then kept in a shaded area, where mushrooms gradually take over the logs,’ Steve explains.
FAQs
How long do mushrooms take to grow?
‘It really can vary depending on the specific mushroom species and the method used. However generally, it takes between a few weeks to a few months for mushrooms to fully develop and be ready to be harvested,’ Steve says.
What are the easiest mushrooms to grow?
If you’re a beginner and don’t want to accidentally pick a mushroom variety that’s difficult to grow, then there are a few that you should know that are super easy to care for.
‘Grey oyster mushrooms are a good beginner’s option if you are new to mushroom growing. Shiitake, pink oyster, and lion’s mane are also varieties which are easy to grow,’ Fiona says.
Steve adds, ‘Button mushrooms are commonly found in supermarkets and are relatively easy to cultivate. They're usually grown in beds or containers. And while shiitake mushrooms require a bit more attention and time, they are still relatively beginner-friendly. Log cultivation is commonly used for growing shiitake mushrooms.’
Happy mushroom growing!
