How to Grow Mushroms

Shiitake Mushrooms

• 1

  Drill 1/4-inch holes 2 inches deep in oak logs with 6 inches between each hole all the way around the log. Pound a shiitake plug into each hole using a rubber mallet.

• 2

  Water the logs and set them upright against a house or shed. Or rick stack the logs if you have a number of them plugged. Water the logs if it doesn't rain at least once a week.

• 3

  Harvest the mushrooms in the spring when they are the desired size.

Oyster Mushrooms

• 4

  Create a bed of chopped straw, wood chips or sawdust 6 inches deep in a raised bed or large plant container. Lay the spawn-covered berries on the layer of bedding. Cover with another 3 inches of the same material as the bedding base.

• 5

  Water thoroughly, making sure that the bedding is moist. Continue to water at least once weekly.

• 6

  Cover the bed or container with black plastic until the spore is established (when you see a whitish mold on the surface of the bedding). Remove the black plastic. Harvest the mushrooms when the heads are about the size of a ping pong ball.