Tips on Growing Mushrooms at Home
Mushrooms are a great choice to include in your diet, as a child growing up I always looked at mushrooms as baby umbrellas, not realizing the nutrient content or how beneficial these so call baby umbrellas are to our health. To many, mushrooms may not have that bang as far as taste but the nutritional values far out ways the taste.
Mushrooms can be used in salads, sandwiches, soups, steam foods, and so on. In this article, however, we will be looking at the exciting world of mushrooms and how to grow them.
Vitamin content of mushrooms
Potassium, copper, Vitamin B sources, Vitamin D, manganese, phosphorus, zinc, niacin, selenium, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, sodium, fiber, folate, iron, thiamin, magnesium.
Benefits of mushrooms
1. Aids in weight loss, 2. Helps to lower blood pressure, 3. Helps to fight prostate cancer, 4. Helps to strengthen the immune system, 5. Aids in fighting breast cancer, 6. High in antioxidant which helps to fight free radical damage, 7. improves heart health, 8. Studies have shown that mushrooms are good for libido to help with erectile dysfunction, 9. Aids in brain health 10. Helps to improves skin condition, 11. Great for those that have diabetes
Mushroom varieties
Oysters, Enoki, White Button, Crimini, Portobello, Shiitake, Maitake
Homegrown Mushrooms
There are several ways to grow homegrown mushrooms, you can buy a kit that comes complete with instruction, use mushroom compost, or purchase mushroom spores.
Mushrooms
What you will need are a bag of mushroom compost, a bag of organic peat moss, and mushroom spores. You can grow your mushrooms in a compost bin or nice size container, so how does this work, add mushroom compost to the bin or container.
Next spread your mushroom spores on top of the compost and then cover spores with peat moss. Moisten soil a bit, look for a nice cool dark place. Make sure and keep the growing medium moist at all times, after 2 weeks you should notice molds forming on the soil surface, in another 2 weeks to a month you will notice that your mushroom begins to emerge.
There are also cool mushroom kits that can be brought which comes complete with the instruction that can make growing mushrooms so much easier.
Growing mushrooms from Spores
Here is another way to Grow mushrooms from spores, it is fun and the end results are you would have grown your own mushrooms at home. To begin you will need.
1. Four cups of brown rice.
2. Six glass jars.
3. Six cups of vermiculite.
4. A large bowl.
5. Water.
6. Aluminium wrap or foil paper.
7. pressure cooker.
8. Spore syringe.
9. Fork.
10. Plastic Containers
11. Clear filter bags.
12. Rubbing alcohol.
Let’s have some Fun
First make sure that jars, fork, measuring cup, bowl, and plastic containers are sterilized with alcohol, next, pour vermiculite in the bowl, then add a small amount of water, next mix together, add more water so that the vermiculite can be somewhat moist, mix a bit more. Next, add rice, mix this in also. Be sure and give it a good stir.
The end result is that everything should be thoroughly mixed together. Fill each jar with the mixture leaving about 2 and a half inches from the top. Then add dry vermiculite to finish fill the glass. Next, use aluminum foil and wrap it around the mouth of jars.
Add water to the pressure cooker, then place jars on top of the cooking rack because if you don’t use the cooking rack jars will break. Put the lid on the pressure cooker and allow this to heat for about one hour. The reason for this is to ensure that the jars are well sterilized. After an hour turn, the stove off and allow the cooker to cool. Take each jar out, next heat the tip of the needle.
Take a spore syringe and carefully insert it in the top of the foil, to release the solution. Make sure that the solution runs down on the inside of the jars turn the jars and repeat four more times.
Add another piece of foil on top of the foil that you made small holes with the needle and press firmly around the top off jars. Place the jars in containers, find an area that is cool, at this point it is critical for your spores to germinate. The temperature can be anywhere from 60 – 72 degrees Fahrenheit.
Around 3-6 days you should see germination, the signs of germination are light white specks, any other color is a sure sign that the mixture is not good and should be discarded or thrown away.
Once the substrate is totally colonized remove the remaining vermiculite with a fork. Using disinfected clear plastic containers, place substrate in containers then place the containers in filter bags. Next, spray the inside of the bags with water using a spray bottle, this will produce humidity. Make sure that the water does not get on the substrate.
Fold the top of the bag twice, seal the bag with tape, close pin or paper clips. Make sure that the humidity is high at all times. Your mushrooms will be ready for harvesting between two and two and a half weeks.
The final word
It is amazing the journey mushrooms take before they reach our tables, but the reward is all that hard work paying off by making them a part of the many dishes we prepare. With that said let’s get started on our home-grown mushrooms.
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About the author
Norman loves being in the garden, both at home and for his job....
he is 'Natures Little helper' being outdoors, growing his vegetables and flowers from an early age.
Now having spent over 22 years in the profession he want to give some of his knowledge to others...
his vast array of hints and tips you will find scattered over this site will help you no end growing plants in your garden.
HI there Norman,
Thanks for creating this article. I read this with great curiosity! I always wondered how mushrooms could be grown and produced at home.
You seem to be very much an expert and have what we call in England Green fingers! How would I go about growing Chaga Mushrooms? It this the same process as described?
Hello my good friend Derek how is it going, the simplest way to grow chaga mushrooms is to buy the mushroom kit from your graden center or nursery. These kits are so great as you follow step by step the instructions. Hope this helps. Please let me know how it goes.
Thanks for the great idea! My parents love growing what they can at our house, but at this time mostly stick with herbs. They would love to learn how to grow mushrooms, especially as everything tastes better when it’s homegrown! I’ll pass the info to them. I’m definitely craving them now…better get started!
Hello Lauren it is so good to meet you I am glad that I could help, all the best to you and have a good day.
I love mushrooms, I always had. But I did not know they where so healthy to eat. I did not know that I could grown mushrooms on my home either, thank you for a detailed instruction, its possible I to do it myself. The best part in the post was the “baby umbrellas”, great name:)
Hello Linda it is my pleasure to help you, all the best to you and have a good day.
I have always loved mushrooms I have to say, but never once considered growing them at home.
I live in Greece and it is quite common to grow your own vegetables, but mushrooms I have never seen.
Looks like a great idea. I will come back for more information as you seem to be the man in the know 🙂
Does they need a special temperature to grow? What I mean is do you think it would be too hot in Greece to grow them?
Thanks
Chris
Hello Chris it is so good to hear from you, growing mushroooms are great and the vitamins that they contain is good for our bodies. The key is to growing them when the temperature is around 62- 70 degrees or if you can find and are where it is cool even during the summer days this maybe able to work also. Hope this helps, all the best to you and please let me know how it goes.
Thanks for the article filled with good information! I love growing herbs and vegetables on my balcony, and am always interested in new ideas and topics regarding the topic. I’ve heard rumors about growing mushrooms at home, and it was nice to get more information about the matter. I might have to try this myself. 🙂
Hello Henna it is so good to meet you, glad that I could help, all the best to you. Have a good day.
I really like this post because I love mushrooms!! I am definitely gonna try to grow some. Can you tell me where to get mushroom compost and peat moss and also where can you find shroom spores at?
Do the jars need to be submerged in the water when cooking or over top of the water?
Hello Weston sorry for the long delay in responding. You can check with your garden center or plant nursery they should help. All you need to add to the pot is about 2 or 3 inches of water. Remember we are only sterilizing the jars, the water once heated will let of steam, this steam will in turn sterilize jars. Hope this helps all the best to you and if you have anymore question, please feel free and give me a shout. Have a good day.
Thanks for interesting tips and information about growing mushrooms at home.
Sorry, but maybe a bit off topic, but I hope that never follow your tips. No, not because of something wrong or incorrect but because I love to go for mushrooms in the woods and meadows.
I live in Latvia and many people like this kind of outdoor activity. Yes, it is a very short period about from July to September depending on weather conditions, but it is just great.
My favorite mushrooms are porcini, boletus, and russulas. I love to bake porcini and preserved for the winter.
Hello it is so good to see you again, thanks for commenting. It sounds like fun having to go in the woods and get mushrooms this way. Thanks again,all the best to you.
Oh, I love mushrooms and the only kind that seem to grow in my yard, are not the ones I want to eat. You know those that appear after a ton of rain. I like the idea of having my own mushrooms. Once you start growing the mushrooms, and you take some to eat, will they keep regenerating and growing more? Or do you have to start the whole process over?
Hello, hello again my friend, mushrooms are so awesome and very beneficial for the body. And the kind that grows wild after heavy rain fall we know is a no no. In fact I read and article saying that these are actually fungus that appears after heavy rain fall.
Because of mushroom spores that are in the soil after you have harvested a crop, another crop will spring up and that is so cool. Hope this helps, wishing you the best of success, have a good day.
I read your posts frequently, and I think I said this before, so please forgive my repetitiveness, but I have to show my cousin your website. He grows his own food as well, and I think he could benefit a lot from your posts. I don’t have much of a taste for mushrooms, but the tips you provided on here are pretty cool.
I look forward to reading future posts from you!
Hello Oliver thanks a million for your kind words you have made my day, it is words like yours that keeps me going. I am so glad that I could help. All the best to you my good friend, have a good day.
That sounds quite delicious and healthy. Mushrooms have been an acquired taste for many of my friends but I think they really add flavor to vegetable soup.
Interesting, I never knew mushrooms could be grown in brown rice and vermiculite minerals. This kind of reminds me of the time my brother took home a school project that grew oyster mushrooms using an Organic Mushroom Farm kit.
Hello chw5 it is so good to meet you, and thanks for sharing. Mushrooms are really great, and beneficial for our bodies, so lets make sure and get our share of them. Thanks again and have a good day.
I love this. Thanks for the great info on growing mushrooms. I never even thought of growing my own. This will work out great for me because I’m the only one in my house that likes mushrooms so my wife never buys them because they’re expensive and she doesn’t want then to be wasted. Now I can have some pretty inexpensive mushrooms for myself. This seems pretty easy. I’m going to try it for sure.
Hello Bill it is so good to meet you, I am glad that i could help. All the best to you and have a good day.
Amazing Article! I must add mushrooms to the grocery list. I had no idea that mushrooms offer such a boastful load of vitamins and immune – deficiency – fighting antioxidants.
I really love how not only you taught us about the vitamin and immune benefits, but you also taught us about how to grow them in our kitchen!
Hello again and thanks for sharing, mushrooms are so beneficial to our bodies and we should do all that we can to make them a part of our diet. I am glad that I could help, all the best to you.
Great piece. I didn’t like mushrooms before this article but I think you gave me a reason to try it. After reading how powerful they are in terms of vitamin contents and how good they are for the immune system I think it will be good try. Adding to the article itself I also like the page settings with the color combination and all it makes it attractive to read and all
Hello Daniel it is so good to meet you and thanks a million for those very kind words. I am glad that I could help. All the best to you and have a good day.
I absolutely love this website! I am all in to healthy living, but I have never tried to can mushrooms, and that’s an excellent idea, because I use mushrooms in practically everything.
The idea of posting the nutritional facts is a great idea. I love fruits and veggies and I try to coordinate them into my salads and desserts. and this website has taught me alot that I didn’t know, but will use in the future. Thank you
Hello Carmen it is so good to meet you, mushroom are great and has a lot of benefits that can help us in so many ways. Your are on the right track, continue to include fruits and veggies in your diet, talks a million for those kind words, all the best to you and have a good day.
Hey Norman, I actually always wondered if this was possible at home, was pleasantly surprised it is. I was very curious about this, people always talk about growing vegetables and fruits, but saw no love towards mushrooms, thought perhaps it was more difficult. I was wrong, thanks for this information.
Hello Victor it is so good to meet you, I am glad that I could help, all the best to you and have a good day.
Your Edens Garden is a great website. I love learning and teaching people about health also. Your pages are easy to read and right to the point. I did not tire of the pages. The color of green is a little bright for my eyes and the print a little small but I can make it bigger myself. I really love your to the point numbered paragraphs. They will appeal to many like me that just want the facts and no fluff. the white on green is also hard for me to see. But your site is happy and fun. I would save it and use it. I left some comments so make sure I get your link when you publish.
Hello Lana it is so good to meet you and thanks a million for those kind words, you really made my day and I am glad that I could help. Here is the link to my website, all the best to you and have a good day.https://staging-gardenofedengardencenter.siterubix.com/
Great information on mushrooms, I never thought about growing them at home, will have to give it a try.