Does anyone grow their own mushies?

[HayleyB]

I'd love to grow portobellos but they'd make bigger targets for the flies

[wherrelz]

I must confess to being more fortunate in my shroom growing efforts. What I've done is chuck the grain spawn with compost, into an old Baskin Robbins takeaway box - the mycelium has spread very nicely, and I've got a few pins. I've just placed the casing layer over, and now, harvest time in 15 days!

I understand that most mushroom growers treat their kits like iPods - plug 'em in and turn 'em on, and expect it to work - unfortunately its more complex than that (as I learned the hard way). Read up Paul Stamets' book on 'growing gourmet and medicinal mushrooms' - you can get a preview copy on Google (its got all the stuff you need - just read it thoroughly), and buy the finished version in your fave book store.

Shroooommms! Don't you just love them.

[Farmer_Gyles]

ive got a mushroom growing kit in the garage - was given it a couple of years back but never used it - it's got peat in a polystyreen box - apparently will get 2 batches before they die off and the peat is unusable

i'd love to know more about growing mushrooms, esp if i can get a never ending supply without lots of hard work ....

[gojiberry]

Think I may have a go at some of the dowels as I have recently started a gardening job and some of the trees need thinning out so I will have a good supply of logs. They are birch so hopefully they will be alright. Have tried the poly boxes before with some sucess. Grew them in the garage so flies didn't really matter.

Ian

[yoanbob]

OH got a kit for his birthday we havnt tried it yet though, its got cardboard like stuff to put the spawn on.

[kentvegplot]

Was completely put off trying by an experiment done by Gardening Which - they concluded it was too difficult to get a decent crop and a very expensive way to get them, if they do grow......

[Alison]

I wish i could find some parasols, my dad, who as I have posted before died earlier this year, knew where they grew on the downs and noone else liked them except me and him, Mum can't remember the spot, so the knowledge went with him sadly.
I miss my sunday morning fry up complete with parasol mushie

Even if you knew where he used to find them there is no guarantee that you'd find them there, shrooms can be a bit fickle and don't always grow in the same place.

[valmarg]

I read an article recently (probably in Which magazine) that it is far more expensive to grow your own mushrooms than buy them.

We will be going to Bakewell Farmers' Market on Saturday, and there is the most fantastic mushroom stall there. They have an enormous selection of wild and cultivated mushrooms, very reasonably priced.

valmarg

[SlugLobber]

Trouble is, some types you simply can't buy OR find in the woods/pasture. It's heck of a journey to Bakewell, from here, lol!

[Jedi Gardener]

I had the same fly problem with the box variety although I did get some mushrooms. Always a bit wary of picking the things in the wild as many of the pictures in books look similar but with quite varied effects on eating Wouldn't mind a go with the logs though, but no where to put em

[valmarg]

It's heck of a journey to Bakewell, from here, lol!

Its about an 80 mile round trip from where we are, but I do appreciate it would be rather a long trip for you.

All I meant to do was extol the virtue of the stall. They have all the small button white/crim, small open cap mushrooms, enormous horse mushrooms. They also have large and small packs of exotics (ie shitake, oyster, etc). You can also get wild mushrooms. I have bought blewitts, girolles, inkcaps and puffball from them, to name a few.

There are suppliers out there, but finding them is probably the difficulty.

Don't you have a local farmers' market near you?

Anyway, if you do think of taking a holiday in the Peak District near to the last Saturday of the month, you could savour the delights

valmarg

[Naga]

I brought some mushrooms from B&Q today, I am a bit paranoid about poisoning myself but hell, I'll give it ago! The type I brought were Agaricus.... your run of the mill mushroom.

[Paulottie]

You won't be poisoning yourself with a kit!

I've got to say I find it easier and tastier to let nature do the growing bit...but then I was shown by experienced gatherers and have been picking for years. If in the slightest doubt...leave it out!

If you really want to spawn straw and horsemuck ...get decent sized heap and turn it for a while then cap it with peat and lime ...here is a thread from last year that outlines the process,http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ooms_5970.html

A constant temp and not too wet are the most important points. You're going to end up with a lot of shrooms though!

[nerobot]

Just got myself a button mushroom growing kit from B&Q. Seems like it should not take too long for them to be first harvested. Can't wait!

Steven

[Naga]

Nerobot, did yo pick up a pack of dry spawn? I am little confused over these kits because I am not sure if it is just a pack of spawn or if you they come with equipment to help grow them?