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Low on calories and high on nutrients, mushrooms are a big part of food diets for their amazing taste and health benefits. They are available in many varieties, including oysters, buttons, straw, ceps, and shiitake mushrooms, that can be cooked in different ways.
Urban gardening has become a fun pastime for people who work from home or for those who need a calming recreational activity. If you are looking to experiment with growing mushrooms in your home, you would be shocked to see how simple the process is.
You can get your hands on home mushroom grow kits to see majestic mushroom clusters appearing out of a box within a few days. Or grow your own to enjoy fresh mushrooms all year long!
Which Mushroom Grow Kits Should I Buy?
A lot of farmers have started growing mushrooms as they are easy to cultivate, environment-friendly, and reap big profits.
With a focus on sustainable agriculture and creative farming practices, urban farmers are defining new ways of organic food production.
Growing mushrooms is good for the planet, especially if combined with the use of non-GMO and biodynamic ingredients and recyclable compostable packaging for products.
Here are some amazing mushroom grow kits to help you get started. All you have to do is open the box, read the instructions, and use the provided spray bottle to mist the box. Tada! Your mushrooms are ready for harvest and to be cooked in your desired way.
Organic Mushroom Grow Kit
The mushroom growing kit by Back to the Roots is a natural plant-based soil mixed with mushroom produce. It is a convenient method to grow organic and safe-to-eat mushrooms at your home. All you need to do is open the pack and spray every day with the provided mister.
You will start to notice fully grown mushrooms within 10 days out of the box! It makes for a great gift for garden-loving, foodies, and eco-conscious family and friends.
All-in-one Bulk Monobag Kit
Harvesting mushrooms was never this easy. The All in one Monobag kit by Midwest Grow Kits is a rapid process of growing mushrooms in large quantities. Once you’ve got the hang of using jars for growing, this kit is a step forward.
All you have to do is just split the provided colonized grain and blend with our already-prepared Select Bulk casing mix, which you can find in the monobag kit. This generally counts as an expert cultivation method, but we made it easier for people who are new to urban gardening.
With the aid of clear instructions, we offer you an easy way out of getting beautiful shrooms at home. The 12″x8″x20″ polybag is sturdy and does not require additional support.
It can be effortlessly accessed by anyone to spray the insides as required. The pack includes 2 inches of adhesive filter disks to encourage the exchange of air. The filter holes have also been cut to the appropriate size. All one needs to do is peel off and attach the filters for fruiting.
Pink Oyster Mushroom Grow Kit
This mushroom grows kit is perfect for harvesting your own edible mushrooms. This amazing product by the Forest Origins Mushroom Kit includes all the necessary things to cultivate mushrooms from a box.
They only require frequent watering (or as mentioned in the box) and you will soon have gourmet mushrooms to cook and use in pizza toppings, pasta, or soup.
The great thing about this kit is that there is a full guarantee of exchange. So if for some reason your mushrooms don’t grow according to the ones described, you can ask for a replacement.
The kit is made up of plant-based soil mixed with pink oyster mushroom produce. The spray mister is included in it for easy misting.
Here’s a video of a step-by-step guide on setting up your pink oyster mushroom grow kit, Follow all steps to grow twice the time of harvest.
It makes for a great gift option as it can stay protected in a box for several months. For friends and family who enjoy eating mushrooms will thank you for this kind present.
Button Mushroom Spawn Kit
Button mushrooms are said to be the easiest to grow as they do not need much space. The spawn is made for use at once, It can be sown in an already prepared compost that should be kept at a suitable temperature, as mentioned in the instructions.
The compost only requires wheat straw and some other nutrients. Next, it would be placed in wooden flat containers. Button mushrooms take a few weeks to fully grow and the set stays good for over 10 months.
Oyster Mushroom Kit
The kit comes with polypropylene bags and mushroom spawn that can be used directly. Before cultivation, you would need a straw substrate that would need to be boiled in hot water for an hour and then dried.
The packet containing mushroom spawn should be broken into thin grains and mixed with the dried substrate. The mixing ratio would be 10 per cent substrate in the whole PP bag. The box would then need to be misted with water after every two weeks.
You enjoy beautiful and delicious oyster mushrooms within a month with this kit.
Milky Mushroom Spawn
If you are not a fan of oyster mushrooms and prefer milky mushrooms, this kit would be a life changer for you. You can get your healthy milky mushrooms in a matter of weeks. Milky mushrooms are also said to be tastier than other mushrooms.
The kit comes ready with 400 grams of mushroom spawn. It is to sow in a mixture of soil, that could either be prepared before or at the time of cultivation.
You can start to see the results in about 15 days and the mushroom growing kit can be used two or three times to grow your mushrooms.
Diy Tips For Beginners
- If you have a closed and narrow space for mushroom cultivation, opt for button or oyster mushrooms. They grow best in a closed space. Other mushrooms need more space and strict environmental conditions.
- If you are not using a mushroom growing kit, it can get complicated to grow mushrooms from scratch. You would need to get some experience with the sterilization process of straws.
- For an efficient sterilization method, submerge the material in water with a temperature of 158 degrees Fahrenheit for up to two hours. After that, the straw can be left to dry at room temperature for 6 to 7 hours overnight.
- Get all the valuable knowledge from nurseries, farms, or particular centers to understand the ratio of the substances and other necessary processes for cultivation.
- Be patient and try to follow all the instructions on the box (if you are using a kit).
- Monitor the weather conditions to see if it matches the ideal environmental conditions for the mushroom growth. Some regions experience extreme weather that can hinder the process.
- Try to look for mushroom grow kit reviews online before purchasing them. There can be faulty farming companies selling fake products. So beware of them and make sure you are buying from an authentic website.
- Try to open and use the kit as soon as possible as keeping it for a longer period can cause them to lose its effectiveness.
- Teach your children to spray the water so they can get encouraged to grow their own mushrooms and develop an interest in urban farming.
- Cook your mushrooms thoroughly before using them in any of the recipes. Try new ways of cooking them and use them in your favorite foods.
- Don’t forget to document your experience and have fun with the whole process!
What Are Mushroom Grow Kits Made Of
You might be wondering what goes into the DIY mushroom growing kits. To resolve your curiosity, we have some answers for you.
The kits are made up of blocks of compacted waste extracted from sawmills. They have been embedded with the mycelium of the wood-eating fungus. Mycelium is thin tendrils that make up any fungus, of which mushrooms are the fruiting parts.
The mycelium works well with the sawdust and digests it to grow threads. They seek moisture and air but are unable to find it due to enclosed boxes.
Therefore, when they are sprayed with water with a hole to breathe, the mycelium will gather on the spot and take the form of solid flesh, hence growing mushrooms.
Mycelium is being used for its groundbreaking application and encourages farmers to find new ways of incorporating them.
Fungi nourish in decay and waste. In a way, they turn trash into something valuable. Mushrooms decompose fast as they fully emerge in a few days. It is a magical process that is unbelievable at first.
They help infiltrate all kinds of waste and decompose deceased organisms, and even plastic or radioactive materials. Some fungi also clean up environmental waste sites efficiently by digesting toxins and changing them into fruit.
Growing Your Own Mushrooms
While mushroom growing kits are amazing, they can be a bit on the pricey end. If you want to eat fresh mushrooms at home, you can grow your own.
Oysters and shiitakes can easily be grown at home for less than a dollar for a pound of mushrooms. They are also good for getting a continuous supply of food, unlike mushroom kits.
You need a few simple materials and dark and cool space to get started. They can be grown indoors unlike other vegetables. Even apartment owners can enjoy home-grown mushrooms. Keep them under a sink or in your storage room where they don’t receive bright light.
While you can grow any type of mushroom indoors, they require their own growing medium. Here is a guide on how to get started with growing button mushrooms, that fall under the same mushroom species as portobello and cremini.
The mushroom grow kits have a mushroom spawn and growing medium in them. But you need to buy mushroom spores to get started with growing mushrooms without a kit.
Step 1: Add mushroom spores to the growing medium
You need to start with setting up the substrate or the growing medium for the cultivation. You would need a planting tray made of plastic, metal, or wood, that should be approximately 14 x 16 inches with a depth of 6 inches.
The tray needs to be filled with manure and compost. Leave only an inch of space at the tray’s top. Then start spreading the spores. Make sure to keep sterilization in consideration and clean your hands while working with the substrate.
Step 2: Keep the soil moist at all times
Mushrooms love a humid environment so it is necessary to keep it if the soil is moist. You need to keep spraying it with water once or two times a day or keep it covered with damp towels.
Step 3: Incubate the mushroom spores
The conditions of growing mushrooms are very important to keep the soil incubated at 70 degrees for effective growth. Keep the planting trays in a warm area.
You can opt for heating pats with the required temperature. Additionally, you can use a soil thermometer to monitor the soil temperature. It should not rise above 70 degrees, otherwise, the spores can be killed.
Step 4: Reduce the temperature
You will notice mycelium growing on the upper layer of soil. The temperature now needs to be lowered between 55 to 60 degrees and cover the mycelium with almost an inch of potting soil.
After some days of being at a lower temperature, you will notice small mushrooms sprouting from the tray.
Step 5: Time to harvest the mushrooms
It takes over three to four weeks to grow white button mushrooms. Check for the caps, if they are fully open and separate from the stems, then it’s time to harvest them. They will become larger in size once their growth stage is complete.
Cut the stem with a knife to harvest the mushrooms. You should not pull them from the soil as it can ruin the surrounding growth.
You can enjoy continuous mushroom growth for nearly six months if they are harvested on a daily basis as the mushroom will release their spores indiviudally.
When growth becomes stagnant, you can add more spawn to the existing station. You should cook the mushrooms within a few days as they won’t’ last very long after being cut.
Mushroom Growth Industry Booming
Farmers report that sales of mushroom grow kits increased over 400% during the pandemic. Lockdown was a time when everyone had time to take on new hobbies.
Those already interesting in gardening ordered at-home mushroom kits to enjoy the freshness of organic mushrooms.
The mushroom import-export business is a massive market. It is predicted to cross the worth of $86.6 billion by 2025, as reported by the market research company called IMARC.
It is a lucrative business and it is a good time to invest in a mushroom grow kits. Restaurants were the biggest clients and had a huge demand for organic mushrooms, but now a lot of people are showing interest in buying them.
Benefits Of Eating Organic Mushrooms
Diabetes, heart diseases, improved bone health and so much more – mushrooms have lots of benefits. They are filled with fiber, antioxidants, and protein.
Fresh mushrooms are used as an alternative to meat and are helpful for weight loss and various metabolic disorders such as hypertension. They offer good protein without the added fats of meat, especially beef.
Scientific research has shown mushrooms to contain psilocybin compounds, helpful in treating mental health issues. A non-psychedelic and edible mushroom species called Lion’s mane has been reported to help with memory loss in mice.
The results have not been proven in humans yet. However, lions mane supplements were known to improve the cognitive functions of elderly people.
The global climate situation is worsening every day. Therefore, mushroom growth is a practice that is proven to be kind to the environment as fungi is a sustainable material. Mycelium also has quick growth and coalesces into an architectural form.
Growing Mushrooms Can Be Therapeutic
Imagine how wonderful would it be if we all start growing our own food and stop relying on markets. We need to encourage eco-friendly habits and make them a part of our lifestyle.
The first step would be difficult, but after that, you will realize how rewarding it is. To see a mushroom grow from scratch is like an animal being born.
It is a beautiful transformative experience that turns trash into something so valuable. Farming also has good effects on the brain and is a great activity for people who have an unhealthy life.
We live in a fast-paced world where we hardly have time for ourselves. However, we need to take some time to do the things that we love. If you love food, growing it organically can feel amazing.
You can marvel at the laws of nature and how only a few things are required to create something so significant.
It can shift our priorities and help us get connected with nature. Growing your own food and then cooking it and seeing it on a plate is a feeling beyond words.
You don’t even have to have a garden to start farming. You can start from the balcony of your apartment, or even your room.
All you require is the will to do something productive and experience the art of growing mushrooms. We hope you are ready to embark on this journey and to enjoy some delicious mushrooms grown by your very own hands.
