The Wonderful World of Mushrooms

Mushroom growing experiences

One day we decided that growing mushrooms would be a great idea, and the research began. What type of mushrooms should we get?

How do mushrooms grow? What mushrooms are like in the Pacific Northwest?

A lot of research online, a lot of reading and a mushroom book helped to narrow down things. We also had watched videos and shows about mushrooms. Interestingly as soon as I started to tell other people including friends and family, many people got excited and shared their own stories about mushrooms.

After about 4 weeks we received and planted our first set of mushrooms. We decided to try 5 types of mushrooms to start with. This included two types of oyster mushroom golden oyster and pink oyster. Additionally, we picked Shitake because we just love shitake mushrooms. The two addition become Lion’s mane — it is just so funny looking, and the descriptions were intriguing, and vine cap.

We decided to try multiple ways to grow mushrooms and see which way works the best for us. We created mushroom beds, mushroom totem poles, mushrooms in the bag, mushrooms in buckets, and mushrooms in wood. There are multiple steps involved when it comes to mushrooms and we did try to follow all the recommended steps when we planted them.

After some observation, we had to decide to move one of our mushroom beds because the place we originally placed it was getting too wet and did not have enough drainage. We felt like we were drowning our mycelium. I had noticed that the pink oyster mushrooms that we placed in the buckets are starting to grow out of the holes we drilled. It was a very exciting moment. The first sign that our mushroom efforts are paying off. A few tiny clusters are starting to grow. Very exciting. Moved the bucket outside to the porch yesterday and found a spray bottle and sprayed them this morning. Hopefully, they like where they are, and they will keep growing.

The wine cap mushrooms I had in a bag had to be taken out because they looked like they are too wet, and some mold started growing. I had read before that when this happens throw the whole thing away. Well, I was stubborn and did not do that. I carefully opened the bag and removed all the areas where it looked like there was mold. Then I used a wooden box I made a while back, lined with cardboard box pieces, laid the mushroom layers in the box ad placed them outside into our porch. Today it looks like the mycelium is happy and visible in some places and no sign of mold. I am hopeful that it will be a success. Looking at the other buckets the yellow oyster mushroom looks like has a lot of good mycelium growth and the lion’s main although I cannot see the mycelium, I think it is growing because some of the contents of the bucket are being pushed out through the holes.

One of the other reasons is why I am so excited about the pink oyster mushroom growing because I accidentally placed the bag into the fridge after we used most of them in the outside beds. The bag said not to refrigerate. I thought I ruined it and it was great to see that they are the first ones growing. Nothing yet in the outside beds which is a little disappointing, but we did have to move one of the beds a few weeks ago so it might just take some time. It was very wet, so I am not sure if we were in time to save those oysters. Time will tell. I am happy that something is growing at least.

Sad to report that we had to scarifies and say goodbye to our pink oyster mushroom totem post. We found mold on it yesterday. I was afraid that this will happen to the others as well they seem to be too wet in the bags, so we improvised. We created 5-gallon buckets and placed the remaining four mushroom totem posts in them. Yellow oysters, shitake, lion’s mane, and vine cap seem to be all doing well and growing nice mycelium around the wood. I had visited the 4 beds we have outside, and the oyster mushrooms are not doing anything, yet we did move them it might be just time, but I don’t see signs of mycelium growth, they got wetter, they should have gotten, unfortunately. I am afraid we had lost them. If nothing will be happening in the next few weeks, it will be for sure. We can reuse those beds once the yellow and pink oyster mushrooms are done fruiting in the bucket, we can put the mycelium out for a second chance to grow more.

I am very excited about our tiny little pink oyster mushrooms they are adorable and seem to be happy. Spraying them with water mist twice a day. Also doing the same with the vine cap that is out in a box. We also built a nice platform shelf for them outside next to the house. I hope that they will like the area. The vine cap in the box seems to be happy I see good mycelium growth. Very exciting. It is so much fun watching something grow.

The totem poles failed, the buckets and bags failed, probably it is too moist here in the air and a great chance for mild growth. The mushroom beds were the most successful.

We were successful in growing vine cap mushrooms and pink oyster mushrooms last year. This year we are also experimenting with mushroom blocks inside and had a wonderful result with Black pearl oyster mushrooms.

Please see the video below for more mushroom pictures and to hear more of my mushroom experiences.

Thank you for reading and watching, Gabriella

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