homegrown mushrooms

[-gem-]

I have a small garden and was going to grow some mushrooms, maybe in my shed. How hard is this?

[Jugglering]

They are exceedingly easy to grow - just mix the spore stuff with some water, spread it over the compost and keep it warm, damp and dark for a week or so, then remove the lid and watch your babies develop over the next few weeks.... there is nothing quite like a newly cropped mushroom. There are loads of different kits around (on line or in your garden centre as well as places like B&Q). I'm not growing them at the moment simply because I have two new (to me) small feline ladies that I am trying to persuade to use my garden instead of the litter tray, so I didn't think having a box of compost in the kitchen would really help ! However, I have in the past grown many many boxes successfully but have never tried the *log* variety.

[Ethel]

That's interesting, juggerling I love mushrooms but have been put off using the kits because of the many reports of only ever cropping 2 or 3 mushrooms at a time, which is no use to man nor beast.

Is your experience different?

[Jugglering]

Yes Ethel.... the only time I had a pathetic crop was when I had forgotten to water the compost (to be fair, I'd gone on holiday and totally forgotten to ask the neighbour to include the mushroom box on the list of plants to water lol). The �5 boxes generally gave me about 3 lb of mushrooms over a 2-3 week period and the more expensive, bigger boxes (�15) gave me about 12 lb over 2-3 months.

[Ethel]

I shall have to give it a go. :)

[disappointed]

the main thing - do not use soil, use potting compost, they stay nice and clean and only need wiping. And somehow they always seem to grow overnight.