We now carry indoor edible mushroom growing kits. Both children and adults will have fun with these easy-to-grow mushroom kits. You can grow Oyster Mushrooms in your kitchen, which are both nutritious and tasty! This grow system is easy. Simply lay your mushroom bag length wise on a table with morning sun, afternoon shade exposure. Make one 1″ slit on one end of the bag and then cover mushroom bag with a larger clear freezer zip-loc bag, which will stand in an upright position like a dome to help hold humidity in and around your mushrooms. The freezer bag need not be zipped shut, but rather left open on bottom facing side. Every day, once or twice per day, mist the inside of the freezer zip-loc dome and mushroom bag with spring or distilled water to promote higher humidity. You will notice primordia (small mushroom pin heads) forming on the inside of your bag near the sight of your incision, which will grow rapidly once exposed to oxygen. Within 1 week, your oyster mushrooms will be bursting out of your bag, eventually reaching the size of a human fist, possibly larger. You will notice when it is time to harvest because your mushroom will slow growth considerably, and turn from pure white to crème colored. If you can harvest the mushroom cluster just before it turns crème colored, that would be best. Simply take a knife and cut the oyster mushroom stem as close to the base of the bag, near to the incision you made in the bag, in order to harvest the mushroom cluster, without injuring the rest of the culture. Then seal the incision on the bag with a piece of tape to prevent bacteria from entering into the bag. Then, flip the bag upside down, still lengthwise, and make another 1″ incision on the other end of the bag and repeat the same method as used for the first harvest. Once you get your 2nd harvest, flip the bag upside down again (this would be the same side of the bag that the original incision was made), and make another 1″ incision on opposite end of the bag from your original mushroom harvest. Cover with zip-loc dome for the 3rd time and repeat method as described for the first harvest. Ultimately, you can get four harvests per bag if you keep the bag well humidified, which is the biggest secret to success.

Once you have harvested at least 3-4 times on the oyster mushroom bag, there is yet another way you can expand the culture. Its called the straw box culture, which is even easier than bagged mushroom culture. Simply select a used cardboard box, approximately 2′x2′. Then purchase a bale of straw, which is the same straw you would buy if you were seeding and strawing your lawn. Soak the bale in water for 24 hours minimum, by immersing in a big rubber-made container or other water holding vessel. Once thoroughly soaked, grab a single section (flake) of straw, typically a 4″ thick section and pull it apart and pack the loose wet straw about 4″ thick in the bottom of your cardboard box, making sure it is welled packed against sides and bottom. Then, take your used bag of mushroom spawn and open the bag and thoroughly break up the grain spawn block with clean hands. Once mushroom spawn is broken up into grain-like consistency, sprinkle 1/3 of the spawn content a top newly packed wet straw in box. Then, firmly apply a 3″ layer of wet straw on top of the newly sprinkled mushroom spawn layer, followed by another 1/3 contents of mushroom spawn on top of the 2nd packed straw layers, followed by another 3″ layer of packed straw followed by the final spawn layer, and then pack once last 4″ layer of wet straw on the top of the final spawn layer. Close the box lid and cover the box with a trash bag, open end facing towards ground, to create a humidity tent over top of your mushroom grow box, similar to how you used the freezer bag to create a humidity tent a top your mushroom grow bag. Water your mushroom grow box with rain, spring or distilled water once to twice per week to keep the straw moist. The mushroom grow box should be located in an area where you can leave it in one place on the ground or on a table that is okay to get wet during watering. A garage, back porch, balcony, patio or deck works great for growing mushrooms in a cardboard box. Check for mushrooms to start growing through the bottom of the box, after about 6 weeks to 2 months. You will harvest when the mushrooms achieve maturity, similar to the size and color you harvested during bag culture. You will be able to harvest mushrooms in your box for about 2 full months. This straw, once permeated with mushroom mycellium, will turn web-like and white, similar to the way it looked inside your mushroom grow bag. After your grow box slows down, you can used that inoculated oyster mushroom straw spawn to again expand your grow box culture. Or, if you are finished growing mushrooms, just put this high quality mushroom straw spawn in your compost pile and cover with organic matter like partially decomposed leaves or wood chips. If the compost stays moist, you will usually get one more good harvest right out of your compost pile. Just add water to your compost pile 1-2 times per week until mushrooms emerge.

Bon appetite and happy mushrooming!