If you want to have an edible mushroom garden at home, we leave you this complete guide that will help you do it. This type of self-cultivation is easy to perform and offer a big plus – savings for those who like different dishes with mushrooms. Also, it can be a commercial alternative for many people.
In any case, in this note we will tell you how to create your own edible mushroom cultivation at home. We include details on what items you need, how to get started with this business, and how long it takes for the first harvest. Here we are!
Mushroom characteristics
Before starting your own edible mushroom garden at home, you need to know the characteristics of the product you are going to grow. Well, the first thing to say is that mushrooms grow naturally and attach themselves to rotting logs.
They appear there because they feed on organic matterwhich gives us a first clue about the conditions that the substrate in which we are going to grow must have.
On the other hand it must be said that mushrooms need an environment with a good amount of light and oxygen. This will ensure that the crop is healthy and suitable for later ingestion.
It should also be emphasized that mushrooms are considered a food supplement with a high nutritional value:
- Presence of vitamins: niacin, thiamine (vitamin B1), B12 and C.
- 57% to 61% carbohydrates based on dry weight.
- Minerals: potassium, phosphorus and calcium.
- 26% protein.
- 11.9% fiber.
Some research suggests beneficial effects of mushrooms on human health. For example, talk about his antioxidant actionits ability to lower blood cholesterol and a promising biological action in the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases.
What do you need to start your own edible mushroom garden?
Now that you know a little more about the product, it’s time to learn about the elements you’ll need to harvest to start your own edible mushroom garden at home. Take note!
1. Fungi or spores
It seems obvious, but it’s not. The first thing you will need is the mushrooms you will be growing or the spores.
You can buy aspen mushrooms, mushrooms, shitake or thistle, among others. They can be purchased in specialized stores where they can offer you mycelia or mycorrhizae. Now it’s up to you to decide which of these options you will start your mushroom garden at home with.
2. Suitable substrate
The second thing you need to have is the substrate in which you will be growing your mushrooms. You can also buy it in specialized stores, or you can prepare it yourself. Ideally, you should have straw, sawdust, coco, vermiculite, compost, mulch, or manure.
There are now even more homemade options, which include using coffee grounds and logs, so that the mushrooms reproduce as if they were in nature. The former are added to the substrate or become the basis by mixing them with pieces of wet cardboard.
3. Support for cultivation
The substrate in which you will start harvesting requires support or a container. Among the options we offer you are the dark colored recyclable plastic containersan old basin and even a water jug.
Now, if you continue in the specialized shop, you can ask for an alpaca or bala, that is, ready-made bags with the substrate and spores. About those options that make everything easier for us, some kit cultivation of edible mushrooms or mycokitthat carry everything you need.
Beginner’s Guide: Step by Step to Growing Mushrooms
With everything ready, we are about to start with the work which, in a period of between 3 and 6 weeks, will allow us to collect some tasty homemade mushrooms. Here we are!
- Wash your hands: It is important to have your hands and the elements you will use in total order. Use soap and water, alcohol or disinfectant gel.
- Prepare the culture container: wash it. If you’re going to recycle a plastic bottle, cut off the top; then drill six holes (three on the bottom and three on the sides). In the case of a container made of other material, make sure it has holes to drain through.
- Start sowing: Take a small amount of your chosen substrate and place it in the base of the grow container. Then, spread a layer of spores and add a new layer of substrate. Do this until you’ve filled three-quarters of your container.
- Put a cap: If you used the plastic bottle, use the part you removed to cover the container. First, make holes for the crop to breathe. If you have another type of container, you’ll also need to find something to cover it with.
- Put your crop in a bag: This should not stick to the crop as it will damage the mushrooms.
- Look for the optimal temperature: The ideal is to put the mushrooms in a place protected from the sun, where the temperature is between 15 and 20 degrees Celsius. Likewise, you need to keep the environment moist, so you can spray the crop frequently.
- Wait for the spores to germinate: between the second and fourth week you will be able to see the incipient shoots. Three to six weeks later you will be able to harvest your mushrooms.
Get started with your own edible mushroom garden at home!
Starting your own edible mushroom garden at home is very simple. You have the option to buy everything you need or use various recyclable products, such as plastic bottles and coffee grounds.
Now everything is ready for self-cultivation. You can use the mushrooms for personal or family consumption. And if you are an entrepreneur, to sell them. Let’s do it!
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