How to Grow Mushrooms in the Garden

Gardeners commonly find mushrooms pushing their white or brown heads up through the soil in their yard or garden, and may assume that growing mushrooms is as simple as planting them anywhere there's soil. Mushrooms have specific requirements, however, and grow best in relatively controlled situations. To grow them in your garden, start with some longs and make sure you provide the right moist, shady location.

Logs, 40 inches long, 4 to 6 inches in diameter
Drill
Mushroom plugs
Beeswax
Pot
Hammer

Instructions

- 1
  Start mushrooms in spring in freshly cut wood, or wood that fell down during winter. Wood is rich in sugars and gives mushrooms plenty of growing material. Don't use rotted or treated wood as your mushrooms will fail. Make sure each "mushroom log" is 40 inches long and has a diameter of 4 to 6 inches.
- 2
  Drill 1-inch-deep holes in the log every 5 to 6 inches in staggered rows. Tap mushroom plugs---available at garden shops and mushroom retailers---into the holes with a hammer until each plug is flush with the surface of the wood.
- 3
  Melt beeswax in an expendable pot on your oven until it is thin enough to pour, then pour a dime-sized amount of wax over each mushroom plug to seal it. This prevents the mushroom spores from drying out or becoming contaminated by bacteria or smaller fungus.
- 4
  Put the logs in a protected, shaded location where they can sit indefinitely. Water the logs for an hour twice a week to give the mushrooms the moisture they need. Increase your watering in fall to encourage a mushroom bloom at that time.

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