Growing Mushrooms at Home

Growing mushrooms at home is not that difficult at all. The basic material you should have is a cool, dark planting space and a raised bed .. Your basement may be the ultimate space to grow mushrooms in your raised bed garden frame.

. Mushrooms have an umami flavor. They can grow well inside the house because they thrive in damp, cool, dark environments. You can also grow them outside but you cannot control the conditions there. The entire mushroom growth can take three years.

The ideal place to grow mushrooms is under the sink or in your basement. These areas will block the sunlight. You can cultivate any mushroom you want. Cremini, portobello, enoki, oyster, shiitake, and button mushrooms are some of the types you can grow. You just need to get a different growing medium.

Before Planting

As a beginner, you can just buy a beginner’s growing kit. These kits have a growth medium and incubated mushroom spawn.

Incubate

You should keep incubating the spores during the first three weeks. The heat should be 70 degrees to promote growth. Keeping them in a warm spot in the house or placing them on a heating mat can also help. A heating pad with a specific temperature is ideal. A temperature higher than 70 degrees will kill the spores. using warmer  damp basement space and a raised bed will  help your growth.

Wait and Cover

After a short while, mycelium or rootlike growths will appear on the top portion of the soil. Once the whole tray is covered. It is time to cool it down a little. Many vegetables need warmth. Growing mushrooms will need cold temperatures to thrive. Lowering the soil temperature between 55 and 60 degrees is ideal. Once the mycelium appears, cover them with an inch of potting soil. Tiny mushrooms or primordia will start to sprout a few days later.

Harvest

Three to four weeks later, you will be harvesting button mushrooms. You will know they are ready when the caps open completely and separate from the stems. They will turn brown if they grow longer. This will make them cremini mushrooms. They could even grow into portobello mushrooms. Harvest each mushroom with a sharp knife. Do not pull the mushroom. Doing so will disturb the growth around it.

Use your mushrooms as soon as you harvest them. They are only good for a few days. Place them on pizza and add them to your other dishes. These are healthy sources of nutrition and umami you can grow in your own home.