How to grow mushrooms at home: bales or kits for growing mushrooms

Today I am going to explain how to grow mushrooms at home. Mushrooms, due to their characteristic texture and flavor, are a typical autumn delicacy that we can incorporate into our home organic garden.

It is very common at this time to go to pick mushrooms in the field; however, if we do not have a certain knowledge about fungi, eating mushrooms that we do not know can be very dangerous. What if we could have freshly cut mushrooms in our own home and be sure that they are edible?

Well, we can, and in a very simple and ecological way, thanks to the producing bales or bales or the kits for growing mushrooms. In this article we will see these options and the tricks to grow mushrooms at home.

How to grow mushrooms at home

mushroom substrate

There are several substrates to grow mushrooms, in this article we will focus on growing in bales or straw bales. The bales are made up of a block of compacted straw covered with black plastic. In this straw has been inoculated («seeded» if we compare it with a plant) the fungus that will later produce our tasty mushrooms.

We must make holes of about 4-5 cm in diameter in the plastic so that the mushrooms can come out. The bale may already come pre-drilled, however I recommend about 10 holes, so if it comes with a smaller number you can complete it yourself using just a pair of scissors.

Lightning

You should not place the bale in a place where it receives direct sunlight, although it does not need to be a dark place, just in the shade. If you have it on a terrace or patio and there is no shaded area, you can turn the bale over so that the areas with holes are facing away from solar radiation.

Optimum temperature and humidity for mushrooms

It is preferable that the temperatures are mild, between 15 and 20 °C, although if they are slightly lower or higher, what will happen is that the mushrooms will grow more slowly. We may have problems if they stray too far from that margin; in that case we will have to put them in a place where the temperature is more similar to the ideal. If it is very cold you can try to build a kind of greenhouse covering them at night, when temperatures are lower.

Mushrooms are moisture lovers, so ideally the bale should be placed in a moist location. In any case, it is interesting to spray water in the holes to promote the growth of the mushrooms. If the environment is too dry, it is advisable to spray three times a day; twice if we are in a normal environment, and once, or even none, if the environment is humid.

Grow mushrooms in bales or grow kits

If the conditions are right, we will begin to see primordia form that grow very quickly and, possibly in a week or 10 days, the mushrooms will be ready to harvest. We must also spray the mushrooms while they are growing to keep them moist, although in this case the frequency will be less.

When to harvest mushrooms

In a few days your mushrooms will have grown considerably, it’s time to harvest them. To do this you simply have to start the whole bunch with a dry twist. Finally, take them to the pan and enjoy them at dinner! There are many ways to cook them (grilled, fried, battered, scrambled, tortillas, sauces, creams…) Dare to try new dishes!

Tips to keep in mind when growing mushrooms at home

• The bales give enormous quantities of mushrooms. To preserve them, it is preferable that you harvest them and keep them in the refrigerator instead of leaving them in the bale where they can dry and harden.

• Once the first harvest is done, the paca can continue producing mushrooms. For this we will follow the indicated procedure in the same way.

• It is possible that the mushrooms expel a white powder, do not be scared, they are the spores (similar to the seeds of the plants), they are not harmful and you can clean them easily.

• The best thing about mushrooms as a crop is that they are very easy to grow in the sense that they are generally not attacked by pests.

• There are many types of commercial edible mushrooms. Although the most common is the oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus), we can also grow boletus or mushrooms, among others.
• Experiment with several species and you will get a wide variety of colors, textures and flavors in your dishes.

It’s relatively easy and cheap to get an inoculated bale online, even at some garden stores, so there’s no excuse… Start growing your mushrooms now!

I hope you liked it and you are encouraged to try it, I have done it myself and it is very easy. It is also very curious and fun to see how fast they grow. You will be able to enjoy these delicious mushrooms for a long period of time, since the paca produces a lot and you can keep them for as long as the following crops are growing.

An easy and affordable way to obtain a healthy and highly valued food in the culinary environment. I await your comments!