There are many ground people get intomushroom grow .
For some , it offers a delicious regalia of alternatives to — let ’s face it — blandgrocery - shop mushrooms . For others , it ’s an exciting new foray into growing your own food .
But if you think that mushrooms can only be uprise on freshly cut logs tucked away in a shaded niche of your farm , guess again . Mushrooms are skilled decomposers , so when looking for raw room to maturate them , look no far than yourcompost down .
Rot Away
To understand growing mushroom on compost , you first have to infer the role of mushrooms in nature , says Mary Kozak of mushroom spawn supplierField and Forest Products .
Fungi are decomposers , and each metal money of mushroom cloud “ eats ” different materials that vary in point of decomposition .
luxuriously on the rot mountain chain are primary decomposers — mushrooms such as shiitakes and oysters — which get their sustenance from newly stagnant or just - cut trees . A footling further down are litter decomposers , such as wine jacket crown genus Stropharia . These subsist on leaf litter and wood Saratoga chip .
Field & Forest Products
Down from that are mushrooms such as blewits that thrive on garden or yard refuse material . And at the bottom , you have the compost mushrooms that can be grow on finished compost .
The type of mushroom you need to spring up in conjunction with your compost will depend on composting and culinary goals . If you are looking to break down raw materials , select a mushroom a little higher on the decomposition range of mountains . But compost mushrooms can be “ planted ” in a bottom of stop compost much like you would other garden vegetables .
Bear in head that refinement can get more complex far down the rot chain .
Field & Forest Products
“ The most successful and easygoing way [ to grow mushrooms ] is on logarithm or straw outdoors because naturehas already done the semi - selecting of the substrate , ” Kozak say .
However , if you ’re looking to strain a raw mushroom cloud - growing method or explore the tolerant range of flavour that mushrooms can provide , it ’s deserving experimenting with mintage far down the decomposition reaction chain .
Starting at Rot Bottom
When aiming to grow mushrooms on compost , you ’re looking for a family of mushrooms forebode secondary decomposers . accord to mushroom-shaped cloud - growing heavy Paul Stamets in his bookGrowing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms , these move in after the fungus kingdom higher up in the decomposition chain have done their jobs .
you’re able to find out the best - known of the compost - grown mushrooms in every supermarket across the country : the white button , crimini or portobello ( Agaricus bisporus ) . ( Yes , these are all the same species of mushroom . suppose twice before you spend a little extra on the brownish variety . )
The mushroom cloud at the grocery was likely grown indoors in a giant warehouse . But in nature , it can be found on well - manured grounds , rich soils , hayfield , grasslands , forest boundary and roadsides .
To best double this environs on your own farm , and thus explore flavors that the food market depot ca n’t compete with , Stamets recommends mix in clumps of grain spawn into compost and forming into outdoor run-in . However , there ’s one caveat to winner . You need mushroom cloud - growing experience .
“ so as to have a reasonable crop , you have to have compost that has ability to selectagainst[competitor fungus kingdom ] that also wish it , and then provide a healthy grow environment , ” Kozak says .
This mushroom-shaped cloud is simply not well-situated to grow .
But that ’s hunky-dory . If you ’re a beginning mushroom-shaped cloud agriculturist or looking to carve out a niche at your local farmers ’ market , you still have compost - growing options . Kozak whole - heartedly recommends feasting your eyes ( and stomach ) upon portobello ’s cousin , the almond genus Agaricus ( Agaricus subrufescens ) .
A Button of a Different Flavor
The affair that makes the almond genus Agaricus shine is its flavor . That ’s exactly why 2 Angels Mushroom Farm , a sustainable mushroom - cultivation surgical process in Chattanooga , Tennessee , added it to its menu of farm - raised and raging - crafted mushroom-shaped cloud .
The first fruiting bid big , bulky mushrooms . They have a distinct Prunus amygdalus olfactory property and flavor that brace well withchicken or Indian meal . As a incentive , someone with minimum mushroom - arise experience can easily tackle it .
UnlikeAgaricus bisporus , almond genus Agaricus grows well in a broad range of composts . This means it will expand in the various ambit of folksy compost . And while it ’s a lovesome - weather devotee , it ’s satisfying enough to hold up as temperatures dip toward freezing .
establish this coinage after the last frost of winter — in May or June in northerly climates or to begin with in southern climates . Simply inhume chunks of spawn in a 5 - inch stratum of compost , then mulch and water . You ’re potential to get three to five hot flash throughout the season .
Find Your Fungus Path
With these grow instructions in creative thinker , your raid into grow the almond genus Agaricus can take several unlike physique .
Angela Miller , who own 2 Angels Mushroom Farm with her hubby , have two unlike approaches — one spring up in a bed placed around a chestnut tree and one intercropped with their Cucumis sativus . Both yieldfantastic results .
Growing in the shade of a tree helps keep moisture of the seam in tactfulness . But growing the mushroom as a fellow craw has common benefits for the cucumbers .
“ They fall in down large organic compound , which are too big for industrial plant roots to absorb , into a simple form that is bioavailable to the theme of nearby plants , ” Miller articulate . “ The action of fungi better our grease while feeding our plants . That ’s a win - winnings for any nurseryman . Our cucumber yield double when paired with this mushroom . ”Field & Forest Products
Kozak has also plant the almond agaricus under greenhouse tomatoes . This can stretch the harvest season of this flavorful mushroom cloud . Seeing the scattering of drop and white round balls pop out up at the base of your crop — the first mansion of mushroom-shaped cloud — is very exciting , she order , even for the flavour mushroom agriculturalist .
Get Compost Ready
The almond genus Agaricus is pretty laid - back when it comes to it ’s compost necessary . But there are thing you’re able to do to make certain you get the best harvest possible .
First , as a safety measurement , Kozak recommends shying away from animal - ground manures unless you are certain that your compost has reached a temperature that rids it of pathogens . That being said , Miller says they ’ve find the most succeeder with well - aged hare manure . The key full term there , however , being “ well - aged . ”
You also want to create a fair moist growing medium , Kozak enjoin . Mushrooms obviously love a moist environment . But too much wet creates a structure that does n’t appropriate for air flow .
“ The moisture content should be around 65 to 72 percentage , ” Kozak says . “ tweet a fistful as hard as you may and you should get one to two fall . ”
If you find your compost is too teetotal , stick in hydration gradually . Spray and reverse the pile over a menses of fourth dimension .
As long as you have decently heated your compost heap and have maintained right moisture , your home compost should do the trick . Are you less sure-footed in your compost - making abilities ? you’re able to always purchase compost for your mushroom cloud bed from a reliable source .
A Chain Reaction
As you move far up the putrefaction chain , there are more mushroom to consider growing in conjunction with your compost chain reactor . They , of grade , amount in a unsubtle range of flavors and turn ease . But here are a few to consider .
Wine Cap Stropharia(Stropharia Rugosoannulata)
Aka garden whale or king stropharia , this mushroom has a crisp texture and slightly nutty flavor , and it makes a great garden companion harvest . For the commencement mushroom grower who wants to grow alfresco , it ’s a shoe - in .
As a bedding material decomposer , wine cap uprise well on wood fleck or sawdust as a perennial or straw as an annual . While the mushroom cloud can be develop in a bed all its own , you could also disperse the substrates among repeated beds or under yield trees to increase land natality and suppress mourning band .
When using Ellen Price Wood silicon chip or sawdust , take in the area of weeds and turf , spread the material a few inches recondite , and then gently scan in the sawdust spawn . For straw , choose a Basle of oat or wheat straw ( not hay , as it ’s too rich a substrate ) , and pawn in water for several days .
Pack the hydrated straw into the bed about an inch deep and layer with sawdust spawn , repeating for a few layers . Cover with plastic mulch to retain the moisture for a few weeks , and then remove to get the fruiting begin .
A subject of late performed by the mycologists at Field and Forest Products find that plants intercropped with the wine caps grow with increased dynamism . If you were to grow the mushrooms in a separate layer , ensue material “ eaten ” by the mushrooms is a great form of organic subject that can be used in garden beds as a grunge amendment , as well .
Wood Blewit(Clitocybe Nuda)
If you ’re look for a beautiful mushroom , add some color to your compost peck or garden run-in with wood blewit ’s diverge shades of pink , blue and lavender .
It ’s a thick mushroom with an earthy flavor . While in its natural surroundings , you ’ll spy Sir Henry Joseph Wood blewit growing among the timberland ’ decaying folio litter . This mushroom cloud ’s preference for more or less decayed organic matter make it a dandy nominee for grow ongarden food waste — both in a compost spile or straight inthe garden .
Because of the longer hold off period for these mushrooms , it ’s skilful to put them in a semi - permanent position . Harvest them when they are fairly dry to help preserve the ledge life , which can be up to two weeks when picked in optimal stipulation .
If you plant in a semi - savage locating , be cognisant of colorful fraud that could potentially down up in your mushroom bed .
Cortinarius violaceusgrows in similar conditions to the wood blewit , though itdoesn’t have as distinct a smell and feels different . If you suspect this lookalike is attempt to move its path in , take a spore photographic print . TheCortinarius violaceusprint is brown while the Sir Henry Joseph Wood blewit print is white .
Shaggy Mane(Coprinus comatus)
Also known as the shaggy inky crownwork , this mushroom is more suitable toa well - attentive agriculturalist , but with its nappy , asparagus - same tang , it extend another diverse option for yourmushroom repertoire .
you may grow this mushroom cloud in a home compost pile or manure - enriched soil . The shaggy mane seem to thrive in the ammonia environment of participating compost piles , though they wo n’t survive when the muckle hit its hottest head .
reap the mushroom at a untested geezerhood — ahead of time in the morning — because they cursorily “ unthaw ” from a process called autodigestion . For this rationality , they also do n’t have a shelf - life — you have to deplete them immediately . While this make it impractical for the market grower , it can be a fun projection for a hobbyist .
You likely already know your garden is full of interesting science - experiment potential , but introduce mushroom cloud to your layer and compost mess that are depleted down on the rot concatenation , and the wonders of nature truly amount to life .
Sidebar:Wood Blewit Production
Unlike the almond agaricus and wine jacket , the forest blewit requires a somewhat more patient grower . Field and Forest recommends two methods for yield :
Fall — Easy Growing
The easy method for set forest blewit is to start in the fall .
Asyou’re cleaning up garden waste , layer the spent plant with chunk of spawn , adding in a level of finished compost every third layer of so to hold in moisture . You call also entomb the spawn in a composted hay bale or big level of grass snip that has been well - hydrated , have it seat out overwinter , then disseminate out the cloth into the garden as a loggerheaded bed of mulch in the natural spring .
While both of these method are low intensity , what you realize in ease , you pay for in sentence . Do n’t have a bun in the oven to see your first fruiting for at least a year .
Spring — Maximum Results
For a quicker , more plentiful harvest , grow your wood Clitocybe nuda intheir own bed .
Layer compost materials with spawn at least 8 to 10 in deep . Spent oyster mushroom straw works great as a substrate , as does composted straw , compost grass and leaf , and vegetable matter . Then mulch the layer , and keep it well - hydrous .
This narrative originally appeared in the November / December 2019 exit ofHobby Farmsmagazine .
