Good idea, I'll weigh them from now on. Or maybe I shouldn't - might be better not to know? 
Growing Oyster Mushrooms Indoors
- Thread starter larry_stewart
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This one took close to a month to produce. They did say that these were slow to start. I have another kit (different 'shroom) but I'm not starting it until this one is almost spent. I love mushrooms but don't want to drown in them.
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larry_stewart
Master Chef
I've retired my indoor mushroom tent for the season. Now Im focussing on the outdoor mushrooms , primarily shiitake and wine cap. Inoculated 12 logs with various kinds of shiitake. They break them up into cool weather, warm weather and wide range specimens, I got 2 wide range varieties and 1 warm weather. The holes are drilled with a special bit that corresponds to the size and length of the innoculated hard wood dowels. Each hole about 6 inches apart . The dowels are then hammered into place. Wax is then placed where the dowels have been hammered in, the ends of the logs, and areas where branches were cut off . This is to conserve the moisture in the log. The logs are then placed in shaded areas to allow the spores to colonize the wood. I keep mine in range of one of my sprinklers, to keep it moist. It could take 6 - 18 months before producing, depending on the variety and conditions. I have 3 year old logs that are still producing. The logs I got last year took about 12 months to produce.
The wine cap garden consists of a layer of cardboard to keep weeds out, and direct contact with the underlying dirt. a layer of wood chips, then a layer of soaked straw. The inoculated saw dust is then sprinkled on the straw and worked in. Another later of wood chops is then placed on top of the straw . the top layer of wood chips helps keep the straw moist. The mushrooms grow faster on the straw , but once they inoculate the wood, they will produce longer, beaus the wood takes longer to break down . Using a combo of straw and wood gives the best of both worlds. quicker inoculation, and a bed that produces mushrooms longer. I keep the beds on the north side of the fence for shade.
The wine cap garden consists of a layer of cardboard to keep weeds out, and direct contact with the underlying dirt. a layer of wood chips, then a layer of soaked straw. The inoculated saw dust is then sprinkled on the straw and worked in. Another later of wood chops is then placed on top of the straw . the top layer of wood chips helps keep the straw moist. The mushrooms grow faster on the straw , but once they inoculate the wood, they will produce longer, beaus the wood takes longer to break down . Using a combo of straw and wood gives the best of both worlds. quicker inoculation, and a bed that produces mushrooms longer. I keep the beds on the north side of the fence for shade.
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larry_stewart
Master Chef
Just built a new outdoor mushroom bed for Maitake Mushrooms . No pics yet, but basically a wooden frame about 2 ft by 5 ft. I lined the bottom with card board, filled a few inches with moist hardwood saw dust, placed the inoculated saw dust blocks on top of the saw dust. covered with the remaining moist sawdust , and then a few inches of relatively fresh wood chips. The saw dust and wood chips are more to keep the blocks from drying out than anything else . I also got a 'mushroom fruiting blanket'. Which you cover the bed in for both shade and to maintain the moisture. They say I should see mushrooms in a few months.
Usually this time of year I focus more on my outdoor mushroom beds ( Shiitake logs and Wine cap bed which are perennial ( for a few years), and the Almond flavored mushroom which is a warm weather mushroom and needs to be be reinoculated each year, and now the new Maitake bed). Once fall sets in, I focus on my indoor mushrooms ( Oyster , lions mane and a few others), but still periodically check the outdoor beds. Depending on the weather, a rogue few mushrooms pop up every now and then, even In the cold months .
That's the one thing I like about the outdoor mushrooms is their unpredictability. With other outdoor crops, I have a pretty good idea when I'll be harvesting once they make it into the garden. With mushrooms, you can get nothing for months , check the bed in the morning and nothing in sight just to come home from work and see a dozen full sized mushrooms, then nothing again for a month. What I dont like about the mushrooms outside are the slugs and if you have a mushroom that has deep gils, it's a great place for bugs to hide. ( indoor is basically bug free).
Usually this time of year I focus more on my outdoor mushroom beds ( Shiitake logs and Wine cap bed which are perennial ( for a few years), and the Almond flavored mushroom which is a warm weather mushroom and needs to be be reinoculated each year, and now the new Maitake bed). Once fall sets in, I focus on my indoor mushrooms ( Oyster , lions mane and a few others), but still periodically check the outdoor beds. Depending on the weather, a rogue few mushrooms pop up every now and then, even In the cold months .
That's the one thing I like about the outdoor mushrooms is their unpredictability. With other outdoor crops, I have a pretty good idea when I'll be harvesting once they make it into the garden. With mushrooms, you can get nothing for months , check the bed in the morning and nothing in sight just to come home from work and see a dozen full sized mushrooms, then nothing again for a month. What I dont like about the mushrooms outside are the slugs and if you have a mushroom that has deep gils, it's a great place for bugs to hide. ( indoor is basically bug free).
