How to Farm Mushrooms

Growing mushrooms is a rewarding experience. Not only can you supply your own supper table, you might be able to develop a supplier relationship with a local restaurant if you have enough room to create a small farm. Many types of mushrooms grow by inoculating a log with spores. The spores come as a small plug that fills a hole in the log. The plugs are available at some garden centers and many places on the Internet and you can choose the mushroom that you enjoy the best, or the one that will earn you the most money. Whether you are starting just one log or dozens, the technique is still the same.

Fresh cut hardwood limbs such as oak, fruit wood, elm and maple that are approximately 8 - 10 inches in diameter and 3 to 4 feet in length.
Mushroom plugs

Instructions

- 1
  Keep the bark on limbs and let them season for three to four weeks. Each limb will accept about 50 mushroom plugs.
- 2
  Drill holes that match the diameter of the plug around the limb and are staggered at least 2 inches apart.
- 3
  Push the plugs fully into the holes. Use a rubber or other soft mallet if necessary. Covering the plug with a thin layer of wax is often done, but is optional. It does help keep moisture in the log.
- 4
  Stand the limbs in a shady part of the lawn. Brace them so they do not fall over. Provide access room between the wood.
- 5
  Soak the limbs every few days by watering them to keep them moist. Use a moisture meter to ensure the internal moisture stays around 50 percent.
- 6
  Give a 24-hour bath to each limb in late summer. Ensure they are completely covered with the water. The limbs can be staggered so that the baths stretch over a week so that you won't have too many to do all at once. This will also extend the harvest.
- 7
  Remove the growing mushrooms that begin to sprout a few days after the bath.

How to Sterilize Casing Soil

How to Grow Enoki

Growing Mushrooms