A Different Approach to GYO Mushrooms
We have heard SO MANY stories of home cultivation woes
One of the most challenging parts of growing mushrooms, especially at the beginning, is uncertainty. We hope to demystify the process (as much as we can... it's always a bit mysterious) with a unique strategy - highlighting potential problems and common mistakes first. Please don't let this scare you! Knowing what you're up against is essential to bring in year after year of delicious harvests.
We only offer information about easy, common sense grow techniques that do not require the purchase of specialty mushroom tools or disposables. There are many other good ways to grow mushrooms, but our vision is different. We believe the nutritional benefits of mushrooms and pure joy of growing should be for everyone! New England is full of loggers, mills, tree service companies, firewood sellers, neighbors with downed limbs, or even free roadside piles where wood can be sourced. Mushrooms could be a staple in any garden, especially when for many of us shade is easier to come by than sunshine.
Everyone that succeeds in growing mushrooms with our handcrafted New Hampshire spawn becomes a fighter for native biodiversity and accessible, healthy backyard food. That's why we are so invested in your success. We hope our years of trial and error can help lead to better prepared home growers who know what to look for and what to expect.
The Biggest Challenges with Growing Mushrooms:
Timing
Pests and Predators
Pests and Predators
Growing mushrooms requires patience and observation. A large log can take many months to incubate. A flush of oysters from that log, or the freshest wine caps, can go from perfect to past prime almost overnight. Several pounds of mushrooms may grow at once from just a few beds or logs, that will need to be refrigerated and prepared within a few days.
Being patient, knowing when to closely watch the strain you're growing, and having a plan for your harvest, is key. We think the rewards are very worth it!
Pests and Predators
Pests and Predators
Pests and Predators
Many of our fellow creatures also benefit from eating mushrooms. Slugs, flies, and even mammals may be attracted to your harvest. In outdoor mushroom beds, worms and other predators may feed on mycelium even before mushrooms emerge.
Although common methods used in gardens to repel pests can help, we think picking mushrooms in the morning before insect activity is high helps the most! Gathering at early stages of maturity can also increase shelf life.
Lack of Moisture
Pests and Predators
Lack of Moisture
Mushrooms need protection from sun and wind to avoid drying out. Mushroom logs and beds should be watered when not receiving regular rainfall, unless in a naturally humid environment. Mushrooms are especially susceptible to drying out when first beginning to pin (aka baby mushrooms.)
The microclimate mushrooms need can be created (or may already exist) in your backyard, garden, or even an apartment balcony. More on habitat below...
Paying attention to humidity throughout the grow cycle is important!
Competing Fungi
Competing Fungi
Lack of Moisture
A common reason that home mushroom grow projects go awry is competing fungi.
To avoid competing fungi, source freshly cut wood with intact bark & no visible rot.
Protect mushroom totems and beds from contact with ground fungi using a biodegradable barrier like scrap softwood, cardboard, or brown paper bags.
Despite our best efforts, competitors may sometimes win. For this reason it is absolutely vital to know how to identify the mushroom you are intending to grow!
Contamination
Competing Fungi
Not Enough Air
Improperly stored, overly damp or previously opened mushroom spawn can become susceptible to contamination.
Common contaminants include mold and bacteria. Although most are harmless, certain kinds can be dangerous and all should be handled with the same care. Any spawn product or culinary mushroom with mold, off colors or smells should be discarded, as with any food.
Improperly dehydrated or stored culinary mushrooms are also prone to mold. Follow food safety storage guidelines.
Not Enough Air
Competing Fungi
Not Enough Air
Mycelium, the fuzzy white colonies that make up mushroom spawn, are more similar to animals than plants. They take in oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide just like we do.
Spawn sealed in a plastic bag or container without ventilation can suffocate. If mushrooms grow without enough air, they can be elongated, tough, and unhealthy looking.
While their oxygen needs are not great (they can breathe inside a dead tree) spawn and fresh mushrooms should never be sealed completely in plastic or glass, even after harvest.
What to Know
About Habitat
A suitable habitat for mushrooms can be anywhere from the forest to the backyard to the kitchen counter. To avoid the common mistakes above, any mushroom habitat needs a few things, wherever it may be:
- Humidity
- Protection from sun and wind
- Filtered light
- Easy to monitor location
Everyone that succeeds in growing mushrooms with our handcrafted New Hampshire spawn becomes a fighter for native biodiversity and accessible, healthy backyard food."
