Growing Mushrooms

Mushrooms are one of the more unique vegetables you can grow in the home garden. You may grow mushrooms for edible or medicinal purposes, but the process of getting them started is about the same in either case.

Mushrooms are one of the more unique vegetables you can grow in the home garden. You may grow mushrooms for edible or medicinal purposes, but the process of getting them started is about the same in either case.

Mushrooms are fungi, meaning that they grow from microscopic spores instead of from seeds. Mature mushrooms can drop billions of these spores, which are collected and innoculated to create spawn, an equivalent of seeds for mushrooms. Spawn is available for sale online, as are mushroom growing kits, which not only include the spawn but a log or other organic place to plant them.

Since mushrooms do not have green leaves, they do not produce chlorophyll as food and must instead receive all of their nutrients from the soil. Organic growing mediums, like logs, straw or compost, works best for most mushroom types. The spawn is worked into the organic material and a root structure will begin to grow. The sterility, humidity and temperature of the growing area must be carefully controlled for best results.

Mushrooms you can grow at home include white button mushrooms, shittakes, portobellos, crimini mushrooms and more. Watch below for an overview on the mushroom growing process!