George asks…
where can i sell my organic mushrooms?
I grow shiitake mushrooms, and i use them for cooking but my production is so big im growing more than i can eat. so i would like to know where i can sell my mushrooms. Also ive considered selling them at the farmers market but i cant find a price for a vendors spot. So how much is a farmers market spot on average, and where can i sell my mushrooms besides a farmers market?
GardenersCardiff answers:
Farmers market charge between zero and $50 a day for a spot-it depends on the market. Ypoy need to go to whichever market where ypu wish to sell and find the market mahager and ask if they have room for you, costs, etc..
Also unless you are certified organic or are following the USDA NOP to the letter. That means you are keeping track of where you get all your inputs-spores, compost, anything you might be feeding the shrooms and everything you use is OMRI approved-if you don’t know what I am talking about than don’t call your product Organic or may well get a $10K fine for each offense. Mushrooms usually sell themselves any way.
You can also check out restaurants by physically going to them with samples of what you have.Locally owned health food stores may also take them
Maria asks…
I have a question about spore prints?
I have been planning on making spore prints of a few different mushroom types and had a question. I wanted to start my own mushroom farm for personal use. I have a few dried crimini mushrooms and was wondering if re-hydrating them would allow them to start giving off spores again. If now how would i go about extracting the spores from them?
GardenersCardiff answers:
Your best bet for growing your own mushrooms would be to contact a company that produces mushroom spawn. That way you are guaranteed to get the proper mushroom. Do a search for mushroom spawn starters or kits and you should get a good number of sources.
Betty asks…
can you grow mushrooms at home without buying a kit?
I’ve been looking for information on growing mushrooms at home (yes, legal mushrooms). Everything I’ve found says you have to buy a kit, but why cant I make my own kit?
GardenersCardiff answers:
Yes- you can make your own kit. You may want to buy specific types of mushroom spawn (kinda like a seed would be to growing a tomato).I’ve been wanting to try this also-
And found this great article- and yes – you can download a free pdf version.
Hay- I’d love to hear how you make out.
Elizabeth
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Maria asks…
Am I taking the right steps to grow mushrooms?
So i recently got interested in growing some mushrooms and have made a kind of starter kit if you will. Its a 10 gallon fishtank with 1 inch of gravel at the bottom for drainage, 2 inches of miracle grow moisture soil, single strip flourescent tube and a full hood to trap the moisture inside. I was thinking about just injecting the spores into the soil but i was wondering if i needed anything. I also heard they need fresh oxygen but idk.
GardenersCardiff answers:
Dump the florescent tube. Mushrooms do not need light, as they do not use photosynthesis to create energy to grow. Miracle grow potting soil is also not the best. What they need is decaying matter. An aged piece of wood, kept moist in a dark place, is best. Under the kitchen sink is ideal.
Start by getting a mushroom kit sent to you on the internet. It will have everything you need. Then you can start expanding by finding your own nurse logs, and collecting spores as you gain experience.
An old log, in a cardboard box, lined with plastic, under the sink, is all you need. Cover with plastic loosely to keep moisture in, but don’t seal it. Mist daily if the humidity seems low.
Richard asks…
Do any of you vegans grow your own food?
I need a survey of how many of you grow your own food. This is for my personal research.
GardenersCardiff answers:
Currently growing beetroot, pumpkins/squashes, tomatoes, maize, olives, goji berries, curry leaves, parsley, mint, rosemary, aloe vera, purslane, strawberries and eggplant. Have grown other things in the past, including beans, kohlrabi, mustard, rocket, potatoes, capsicum and chillies. Tried growing mushrooms, but didn’t succeed.
It would be nice to be able to be self-sufficient, but what we’re growing wouldn’t cover more than a tenth of what we eat. So, we still have to keep buying fresh, frozen and canned produce from the supermarkets and grocers. It also helps having friends, family and colleagues who grow lemons, oranges, grapefruit, kiwifruit, berries, etc. Or who have a surplus from *their* friends, that they want to share.
Nancy asks…
How/where can I buy Mushroom Spores/spawn?
I’m interested in growing my own mushrooms (Button, Shiitake, Oyster, Chicken of the woods, etc)… The only problem is that the mushroom spores are either VERY hard to come by, or they are VERY expensive. I’d like to be able to get a good deal on it… somehow.
GardenersCardiff answers:
You can cut a fragment of a fresh mushroom in sterile conditions, and place it in sterile substrate. That is how mycologists start mushroom spawn, more often than using spores.
Mushroom spawn costs about $20. If you can create a sterile lab setup, you can keep the spawn running indefinitely. You can create a semi- reliable setup with alcohol and a pressure cooker.
Paul Stamet’s book “growing edible and medicinal mushrooms” is the advanced manual for the field; there are probably simpler methods, but I don’t know where to find them.
Button mushrooms, paddy straw mushrooms, and shiitakes can be propagated with natural, low tech methods. Stropharias in wood chips will keep producing as long as you keep adding fresh wood chips. I’ve grown these; I don’t like them much.
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