Growing mushrooms

Has anyone tried growing shiitake or oyster mushrooms? I have seen kits for sale and would like to have a go but not sure where to start

Thanks

Aria

 

I've had a go twice with the grow-your-on kit boxes. The first produced nothing at all whilst the second worked a treat. I did nothing different either time. I'm just guessing that I had a duff one first time round.
I had two crops off the one that worked. They were just the standard white button mushrooms which came out lovely. Although, for the cost of the kit versus the cost of mushrooms I don't think I'd bother again.

 

Were currently trying one of the kits for the first time... doesnt really seem cost effective at all.

All I think is that its a fun novelty, and you know there are no chemicals (well... non youve added yourself)

 

Same here Luke, I just wanted to try it to 'tick a box'.

 

Just out of interest daytona, did you notice a taste difference with your home grown shrooms? I cant really imagine the basic button mushrooms having much taste at all.

It would be nice to try the more expensive varieties such as shittake or oyster, as ariadae had mentioned.

 

Don't do oyster mushrooms indoors, when I worked on the mushroom farm, a neighbouring farm tried a tunnel of them. Spawn clogged all the vents & everyone came down with flu like symptoms.

http://www.thefind.com/food/browse-oyster-mushroom-log

Innoculating a pile of logs outdoors is better.

The supermarkets only wanted unopened cups from us as they used them for ready meals & said the opened ones made the meals brown.

The fact that the "brown" meals would have had a much better flavour didn't interest them:DOH:

 

Luke, they definitely had more flavour than shop bought, but still pretty mild and insipid once cooked. Good raw on a salad though. I would have gone for something more exotic but the kids didn't want "the manky looking weird ones."
Although having read Ziggy's comments I might be glad we stuck to the basics!

 

No pine or cedar for the logs either they wont grow.



Spruce

 

I've tried a couple of kits, over the years, and only got a hand full of mushrooms and no "second flush".

I have read that it is key that the kits are fresh (seems reasonable), I have no idea how long the stack of kits has been stood in the local Garden Centre,a nd pretty much the only thing that Marshalls don't sell online (which I think would be more likeely to get me a fresh kit) is their Mushroom kits

We have logs impregnated with plugs of mushroom spawn in the garden. They've been there a year and "nothing yet" (there is still time though).

If I was home-growing I would much prefer to grow Chestnut Mushrooms than regular supermarket "buttons" - for flavour.