How To: Grow Mushrooms at Home

Hello, my friend, hello again; today we come together to talk about How To: Grow Mushrooms at Home and hope the blog can help you.

It’s easier than you think to grow delicious mushrooms at home: All you need are a few materials and a cool, dark space.

Nothing compares to the flavor of vegetables you’ve grown yourself. Unlike most vegetables, mushrooms actually grow well indoors because they thrive in cool, dark, and damp environments. Mushrooms can grow outside, of course, but inconsistent growing conditions may cause the process to take up to three years. The best place to grow them at home is in a basement or under a sink where they won’t be exposed to bright light. Even apartment dwellers with limited space can grow mushrooms.

Nearly any type of mushroom—including portobello, shiitake, button, oyster, cremini, and enoki—can be grown indoors, but each variety requires a different growing medium. This guide will explore how to grow white button mushrooms, which are actually the same species as cremini and portobello mushrooms.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

The process of cultivating mushrooms differs from that of most other vegetables. Before we describe the growing process, it’s important to go over a few key terms.

• While most plants are grown from seeds, mushrooms and other fungi are grown from spores.
• When mushroom spores mix with soil or another growing medium, a white, root-like substance called mycelium grows.
• A mushroom substrate is a substance that mycelium can grow on. For white button mushrooms, the recommended substrate is a mixture of compost and manure.
• Mushroom spawn is a substrate that already has mycelium growing on it.

Rather than buying their own mushroom spores, beginners may prefer to purchase a mushroom growing kit. These kits include a growing medium as well as mushroom spawn that has already been incubated. If using a kit, skip to Step 3.