Wood chips for cultivating edible mushrooms

Growing mushrooms on wood chips

The King Stropharia mushroom variety is highly suited for home gardeners who want to use wood chips as substrate for outdoor cultivation. This mushroom is also known as wine caps, it grows to a good size and it has a strong meaty flavor. A great variety to grow mushrooms at home.

These mushrooms can be grown in a trench 12 to 6 inches deep and 1 inch wide. You can order a packet of mushroom spawn of this species (costs around $10) which should be sufficient for a 24 square foot trench. The spawn will come in the form of dowels.

The best time to grow these mushrooms will be spring time. This is what you need to do

  1. Dig up a trench 1 inch wide and 10-12 inches deep
  2. Lay newspapers at the bottom to a thickness of 2 inches
  3. Spread a layer of finely ground wood chips to a thickness of 2 inches
  4. Introduce close to 50% of the spawn on this layer of wood chips
  5. Add a layer of hay or straw on top for about a thickness of 2 inches
  6. Add another layer of wood chips and introduce the rest of the spawn.
  7. Add some bark mulch and straw on top and tamp down the layers so they make contact
  8. Water amply to keep the layers moist.
  9. You can place a log of wood on top if there is too much frost.

You should get a growth of mushrooms with four months if you ensure proper humidity.

Some popular varieties of edible mushrooms

Meaty shiitake mushrooms

Here is a list of some popular edible mushrooms that home users prefer growing. The selection has been made in terms of taste and ease of cultivation.

1. Oyster mushroom - They can be easily cultivated using a substrate of sawdust and dried wheat or rice grass. Can be availed in mushroom kits. These mushrooms taste a lot like oysters and hence the name. They also have a delicate texture. You can flavor your risotto, omelets or soup with these tender delicacies.

2. Enoki mushrooms - Easy to grow in regions where the temperature remains around 45-65 F. They have long edible stems and meaty caps. Owing to their crisp texture, they can be eaten raw or enjoyed with a mixed salad.

3. Shittake mushroom - They are very popular in the oriental countries and are valued for the nutritional and medicinal value. The caps grow up to 3 to 4 inches in diameter and they have a rich meaty flavor. They grow well in temperatures ranging between 55-75 F and yield close to 2 to 3 pounds per flush.

4. Buttons - They actually look like golf balls and have round, globe-like heads. They are usually white in color but there are varieties with gray or pink colored heads also. Buttons have a delicate flavor and are usually fried with batter.

Growing mushrooms at home can become a passion with many not only because of the sheer enjoyment of the process but also the rich rewards later. Mushrooms are some of the best delicacies around in the culinary world and to enjoy some home grown ones is a rich experience in itself.