Button mushrooms are a popular choice for beginner mushroom enthusiasts to grow at home. While they are not the easiest to grow, they have other advantages. Compared to growing other types of mushrooms these are the most similar to traditional gardening. Additionally, button mushrooms has a neutral flavor and go well with many dishes you can make at home.
What You’ll Need to Grow Button Mushrooms
The material’s for doing this are simple and require no fancy sterilization techniques. Button mushrooms are relatively hardy and resist most contamination issues other mushrooms might have. You’ll need:
- 6 inch deep growing trays
- Compost for growth medium
- Button Mushroom Spawn
- A controllable heating pad (optional)
The compost you get is not too complicated, but should be a manure blend if possible. You can buy sterilized bags of mushroom compost substrate on Amazon for around $20. These are ready to use and the best starting point for absolute beginners. Alternatively you can make your own compost for mushrooms, but results may vary and the compost may become infected with other fungi while processing.
Steps to Growing Button Mushrooms at Home
The steps are about as simple as the materials:
- Fill the tray with compost and inoculate with spawn.
- Keep the trays around 70F for three weeks (use the heating pad if necessary, don’t over heat the spawn).
- Move the tray to an area that is around 55 – 60F and cover lightly with additional compost or potting soil (~1 inch).
- Keep the soil moist. Spray slightly with water or cover with a damp cloth as needed to keep the moisture in.
- Harvest Mushrooms when fully grown. (3-4 weeks).
The whole process is fairly straight forward and only takes about 6 weeks total to start producing mushrooms. So long as you keep the soil moist and the the mushrooms out of direct sunlight a single tray can produce mushrooms for up to six months.
Tips and Tricks to Growing Better Button Mushrooms
If you want to get the most out of your mushroom farm, you need to take good care of it. Keep the farm out of direct sunlight and in an area free from strong airflow that might dry the tray out.
Button mushrooms should be harvested gently with a sharp knife. This will prevent harm to the underlying fungi. Similarly do not pull on the mushrooms as this will hurt the fungi directly.
Mushrooms can be harvested daily for up to ~6 months before the tray is depleted of nutrients. The try will need to be kept moist, but not wet, for continued growth. If other fungi or mold visibly grow in the tray, stop harvesting and discard the medium.
Try Growing Button Mushrooms Today
Button mushrooms are a simple way to start your hobby and great thing to try at home. Nothing makes a meal quite as nice as fresh food you’ve grown yourself. This beginner level mushroom farm can easily be started within days and takes minimal care, so there’s no big risk in giving it a try.
