Growing edible mushrooms

[Samuel1988]

Evening,

I am interested in trying to grow some edible mushrooms & I was wondering the following things:
- what types can I grow here in the UK?
- what do I need to start growing them?
- can you grow different mushrooms during different parts of the year?
- what are the basic ideals needed to grow mushrooms?

Any tips/pictures would be lovely

Thank you for your replies,

Samuel

[Bal]

You can by pre inoculated dowels which you put into holes drilled in logs and just leave for a year or so. If you google it you will get loads of info.

[Alison]

There's some other threads on tree about growing mushrooms, seem to remember the general feeling was that they weren't worth the money. OH is quite knowledgeable and forages for wild ones which we dry and use throughout the year. Would link to the threads but have no idea how to on the app.

[teakdesk]

The mushrooms you buy in a supermarket are the fruit of the mushroom fungus. They fruit in autumn. Commercial growers grow fungii inhuge sheds fitted with powerful heaters and refrigerators so they can cycle through all the seasons of the year in about 3 months.

You need to do the same or use the world's natural cycle and harvest only in autumn.

That's your first problem to solve.


Your second problem to solve is providing EXACTLY the right conditions throughout the whole of the year for the fungus to fruit.

If you go for a walk into a large wood of perhaps one million trees you might not realise it but beneath each and every tree is an active fungus. One fungus can stretch for miles and miles through the soil. If the fungus wasn't there the trees would die.

Now look at each tree in autumn. Very occasionally you will find the fungus fruiting. Why doesn't the fungus fruit around or on every tree? Answer: because the conditions around each tree are very slightly different and the fungus will only fruit when the conditions are exactly right.

So your second problem is to grow your fungus year round in exactly the conditions for fruiting in autumn. Get it slightly wrong and no fruit will appear.


It is so hard getting both of these problems right that most people fail to get fruit.


If you want to try you can buy bags of ready formulated compost that you keep in cool, dark conditions and spray gently with water a few times a day during late summer and autumn and you can get fruit. This has worked for me but be prepared for a lot of spraying! You can also buy fungus impregnated plugs that you insert into decaying tree logs and keep at just the right degree of dampness through the year and they will fruit in autumn.



Or you could take the easy option and go on forager classes to learn which fruit are edible and pick your own on your morning woodland walk! !!

[Samuel1988]

Thanks for your replies everyone

I do have a good sized patch at the back of my plot which is essential dominated by a tree and I haven't got round to clearing it (so it is cool and dark all day really) so perhaps I could get some old logs and try to have a go at growing some mushrooms in that area.

I wouldn't mind trying it as having a log pile could mean not only helping wildlife but growing my own mushrooms as well!

I would have to use natures cycle.

What are the conditions one would need to provide?

Thank you for your help,

Samuel

[veggiechicken]

Have a read of this Samuel Growing Instructions : Mushroom Box, Mushroom Kits, Mushroom Spawn, Fungi Growing and Gourmet Mushrooms It will give you an idea of the conditions required.
I've tried growing various fungi on dowels in logs and on wood chip and manure. My advice - save your money and spend it on something that you can rely on to grow!!

[teakdesk]

What are the conditions one would need to provide?

I was trying to say the EXACT conditions needed are beyond the resources, knowledge and abilities of most people... ie no one really knows for wild fungi.

I do have a good sized patch at the back of my plot which is essential dominated by a tree and I haven't got round to clearing it (so it is cool and dark all day really) so perhaps I could get some old logs and try to have a go at growing some mushrooms in that area.

I wouldn't mind trying it as having a log pile could mean not only helping wildlife but growing my own mushrooms as well!

I would have to use natures cycle.

If you go down this route I'd definitely advise going on a forager's course for fungi as the conditions you describe MAY, if the conditions are right, produce a whole load of natural fungi as well as the one you are trying to seed with.

Some may be poisonous.

You will also have to cope with the dreaded worm! Not cuddly earthworms but fungus worm!




Good Luck!