Mushroom gardening in the winter months.

[larry_stewart]

Now that the outdoor garden season has all but come to an end ( still got some herbs, leaf lettuce, kale and scallions that I'm harvesting sparingly, although my cilantro is doing so well, I plan soon making a cilantro/ mint chutney this weekend). Im not turning my efforts into growing mushrooms indoors.

Ive done it multiple times in thee past ( Shitake logs, cremini, white button, oyster..). The company I used to get my kits from no longer sell them, but give several referrals to other companies that do. While browsing one of the sites, I came across the TeePee Mushroom kit. As I read on, they basically send you oyster mushroom inoculated grains, which you poor into the center of a semi sterilized toilet paper roll ( boiled and saturated in hot water then left to cool). All is inside a mushroom growing bag ( which has a breathable filter). Placed in the dark at room temperature for about a month, then shocked in a refrigerator door 2 days. After this , the bag is open, left at room temperature out of direct light , and misted each day. about 10 -14 days later, you got yourself some mushrooms. ( the pic below is from 4 rolls. I made about 10 rolls. the others you can lead in the fridge for up to 6 months before taking them out and starting the growing process). Theoretically you can get a few harvests out of each roll by repeating the process. Ive never had luck getting multiple harvests, but im going to give it a go.

Pics of the harvest, the toilet paper and inoculated grains in their bags, and and action shot of my wife pounding in shiitake inoculated dowels into some fallen oak tree looks that I got from a recent storm that took down multiple trees in the area . The shiitake logs are left outside in a semi shaded area and take from 6 - 12 months to produce.

[medtran49]

I grew some once years ago with a kit, the pink ones. Think I got 2.5 harvests out of it. I got the kit from Fungi Perfecti or some such name, but they no longer sold kits when I looked recently.

Is that a toilet paper roll with paper still on it? What company did you use? As above, I looked recently as was thinking about growing some of the colored ones, but most companies were out of 1 or more colors and I didn't want to pay a bunch of different shipping charges, so never ordered.

[larry_stewart]

The sit I ordered from was "Field & Forest" ( Link Below). I also got my first few kids from Fungi Perfecti. They are the ones that do not supply home kits anymore, but on there she its a list of others that do. That is where I got this site from. And so far, they were very efficient with my order, the packaging ... No issues whatsoever.

https://www.fieldforest.net/category/indoor-grow-kits

Its a regular roll of toilet paper ( Paper still on). Just bring a pot of water up too boil, dunk it in until full absorbed, let it cool, place in bag, dump grains in, rubber band bag closed and let it sit. put in fridge 2 days, open bags, mist each day, harvest. Pretty much as simple as that.

A couple oof things.
1) the TP absorbs quite a bit of water, so may have to refill the pot a few times ( small kit is 7 rolls, large kit is 15 or something like that)

2) The TP kinda starts disintegrates a bit there is a window of when its saturated to when it falls apart.

3) somewhere on the site are videos that show the process. its like 1 1/2 minutes long.

4) I wouldn't use colored or scented TP.

Also, the first roll, my wife gave me was this huge, extra absorbent one. The thing swelled up so much, barely fit into the bags.

Not sure if the harvest pays for the price of the kit. But for me, its not only growing, but entertainment. So even if I dont break even, its still a fun way to pass time. Amazing how quick mushrooms grow.