As you know I love mushrooms, so much so I have just bought a selection of fungi plugs to grow my on!. I have been trying to do this without buying plugs, but not had much success, except with some oyster mushrooms. The plugs cost £10-£25.00  for small amounts and can be ordered from various sites online. Just do a Google search for “grow your own mushrooms”....stay away for any sites selling hallucinogenic stuff. Some good sites are www.gourmetmushrooms.co.uk and www.gardeningexpress.co.uk

 

Growing mushrooms

 

Mushrooms grow in three basic mediums: wood, soil and dung. For growing shiitake mushrooms, for example, I recommend using wood as the growing base. Most sources recommend oaks (not much of them in the Highlands), but birch, beech, elm and other hardwood trees also work. Trees used for mushroom culture should be cut in the winter before the sap rises, If the tree has budded, it's too late to use it. Make sure it’s your tree and not a neighbours or local farmer before you start going crazy with the chain saw! Logs used for mushroom growing should be easy to move and small, about 8 inches in diameter and 2 to 4 feet long. I recommend a beginning mushroom grower start with five or so logs. To ensure success, the logs should be inoculated as soon as possible, or within a month from the time they are cut. Select trees with few low branches and avoid any with broken or rotten limbs. Treat the logs with care. Injured areas could become points for diseases or competing fungi to enter the log To inoculate the logs, drill holes three-eighths of an inch deep every 6 inches using an alternating pattern. Insert the fungi plugs and cover the holes with melted wax (try using baby bell wax if you have kid) . Stack the logs in a log cabin arrangement or slant them in inverted-V rows.  Label the logs with the year type of edible fungi.

 

Care and harvest

 

Keep the logs well damp for four to six months. Typically waters 5 minutes in the morning and 5 minutes in the evening every day. But water needs will vary depending on rain. If it rains, don't irrigate the logs as they shouldn't be overwatered.  If the logs aren't watered enough, the mushrooms will crack or just not produce. A white colouring under the bark or on the ends of the logs is a sign that fungus is actively growing inside the wood. To initiate a fruiting cycle, soak the logs overnight then restack them. In two or three days, "little buttons" should emerge and begin to expand. Most logs should produce mushrooms for about five years.