Apart from the incredible taste and amazing health benefits, mushroom growing is another way people enjoy these versatile organisms. The great thing about growing mushrooms is that you don’t need to be a qualified scientist, own thousands of square miles of land, or even be an experienced botanist.
Growing mushrooms is one of the few hobbies I regularly recommend to both adults and children alike. Thanks to a vast network of online growing kits and options, there’s never been a better time to get involved in this easy venture.
If you think this might be something you could sink your teeth into, then stick around and find out why mushroom growing is so exciting.
While a lot of wild-growing mushrooms remain elusive and hard to find, some could be growing right there inside your home. I have my own Oyster mushrooms growing on my kitchen table as I’m writing this.
Golden oysters make amazing centerpieces, their appearances unmatched by other varieties as far as I’m concerned.
If you don’t fancy growing some mushrooms for appearance, there’s also a great reason to have some growing in your shed. Just imagine having your own mushroom supply, ready and waiting for you right there in your own yard.
The experience of watching these organisms grow from tiny spores, through into fully-grown fruits is intriguing.
Ways to Enjoy Growing Mushrooms
The 2 best methods for growing your own mushrooms include buying a growing kit, or if you’re feeling a little more adventurous, from your own spores. Whichever method you think would suit you more, I guarantee you’re in for a treat.
If you choose a growing kit, you’ll have everything you need delivered to your door. These pre-made growing kits include a substrate, spores, and everything you need to immediately begin setting yourself up with an active mushroom farm.
Many options exist, including this organic mushroom farm and this morel growing kit, giving you the tools to grow the world’s most sought after mushroom.
If you choose to grow it alone and start from the very beginning, you’ll need some active spores with which to start the process. The specific variety comes down to personal choice, but imagine growing these Shiitake, Puffballs, Golden Oysters, Pearl Oysters, and delightful Chanterelles.
Buying the spores is just the beginning, though. You’ll still need to decide which substrate to use. This will depend on the variety of mushrooms you choose, as some grow on decaying material, while others need a host plant to adhere to.
This is where this article comes in handy, explaining the differences between mushroom varieties.
But if you still aren’t too sure whether mushroom growing is for you, check out the following reasons and see if any of them appeal to you. I’m betting that at least one of the reasons will hit home. There are other reasons, but I think these are some of the more popular.
Reasons for Mushroom Growing
Reason #1: Fun
There’s something about nurturing an organism from a tiny spore, right through to when they finally turn into a fruiting body, waiting for you to pick them. For me, it’s the expectation and excitement of never quite knowing whether this sample will turn out.
Mushroom spawns are not guaranteed to work every time. Consider yourself one of the lucky ones if you do manage to nurture mushrooms into life.
Many people have tried and failed many times. Growing mushrooms is something of an art form, many conditions needing to be met in order for the fungus to come to fruition.
Reason #2: Choice
Given the sheer number of spore options, consider yourself spoiled for choice. There are quite literally hundreds of pages of spore options on the internet.
This gives you an abundance of choice for which type of mushroom you fancy. Remember that some mushroom species take a little more effort, their chances of success quite less than others.
Reason #3: Simplicity
Growing mushrooms successfully is a lot easier than some other options for backyard growers. Whilst there’s the growing kits which make things very easy, there’s also the simple straw bale method.
This uses a simple straw bale as the substrate for the mushroom spores to cling to. There’s not much to it, other than monitoring conditions that the mushroom needs. Another fun method is to drill holes in logs, then after administering the spores, sealing the holes with wax.
Reason #4: Access
Not everyone has the time, patience or even the availability to successfully forage for mushrooms. Nor does everyone have a complete forest growing in their backyard.
A lot of mushroom growers live in apartments in the middle of some of the largest cities on Earth. They overcome their challenges by growing their own and now, you can too. All it takes is for you to start with your first mushroom growing experience.
