How to Grow Mushrooms in the Simplest Way

Purchase chopped straw from a landscaping company, a garden center or an online source. Simple mushroom growing requires chopped straw, which is wax-free and capable of absorbing water, and rye berry spawn, which is also available online.

Stuff as much of the straw as you can into a 2-gallon bucket. Boil 1 to 2 gallons of water in a large pot. The water needs to be at least 160 degrees to pasteurize the straw.

Pour the boiling water over the straw until it is submerged. Discard any unused water. Leave the water in the bucket of straw for at least 45 minutes.

Lay a 4 x 4-foot piece of burlap out on a dry patch of grass. Spread the saturated straw from the bucket onto the burlap after the pasteurization process is complete. Leave the straw in the sun until it is thoroughly dried out. The grass and soil will help absorb the water as the sun dries out the straw. Dry the bucket with a towel and place the dry straw back inside.

Add ¼ lb. of rye berry spawn to the straw. Use your hands to mix the spawn and the straw evenly. Once the spawn and the straw are mixed thoroughly, pack the mixture tightly into one-gallon freezer bags, then seal. There should be enough of the mixture to fill three bags.

Punch six holes in both sides of each bag with an ice pick, spacing the holes about two inches apart.The holes will allow the mixture to breathe.

Place the bags in a dark area, such as a basement, with a constant temperature of around 70 degrees. If you can't be sure about maintaining the required temperature, lay the bags on a plant-heating pad and set the dial to 70 degrees. This starts the incubation period, which usually takes about 10 days. During this time, mycelium, which are threadlike filaments that form the mushrooms, will begin to develop.

Remove the bags after the 10-day incubation period and place them in a refrigerator for 24 hours. The cold shock treatment will cause the mycelium to begin to fruit.

Return the bags to the dark area after the 24 hours of cold shock, maintaining the 70-degree temperature again. Mist the bags lightly with water.

Check the bags over the next few days. Mushrooms will begin to grow out of the holes in the bags. Harvest the mushrooms when their caps are the size of a quarter. The bags should fruit three or four times. Once the fruiting has stopped, toss the straw and the spawn into your garden to break down.