Growing gourmet mushrooms at home that it’s actually quite simple to do so. Recently, a man shared a video on youtube that shows everyone how to do it. This way is very easy yet actually effective.
Growing Mushrooms in A 5-gallon Bucket
The bucket makes things a whole lot easier since you don’t need any special equipment. After just a little while, you’ll be growing tons of fresh mushrooms in the comfort of your own home.
Effective and Less Effort
Let’s go over everything you need, first
Just grab any bucket from your local home department or hardware store and make sure to get the lid, too.
If you use an older bucket, give it a thorough was to get rid of any possible chemicals before you start growing mushrooms to eat.
You’ll also need a power drill, preferably with a 1/4″ bit
We’ll use it to drill some holes in the bucket, which will give the mushrooms the ability to grow. Another important item in this ‘recipe’, so to speak, is wood chips.
Your future mushrooms will need these as substrates, otherwise, they won’t grow. The FreshCap expert recommends aspen wood chips, as they’re relatively cheap and you can find them just about everywhere.
A plastic tote is also important, as we’ll use one of these to soak these chips in some hot water. Make sure there’s plenty of room. You don’t specifically need a tote, just make sure that you can soak your chips in water somehow.
Of course, we also need some oyster mushroom grain spawn
For people who have grown mushrooms before, feel free to create your own mushroom grain spawn, but the easiest method is just to grab some pre-made spawn from a specialized store or reputable online source.
The fresher it is the better, although you can store it in the fridge for a little while. Recommended variants are Pink, Blue, and Pearl Oysters, although there’s plenty of room to try out new things and experiment. P
lus, these mushrooms are quite known for their strong and delicious taste.
The last thing you’ll need is some water in a spray bottle to keep them moist. Also, keep in mind that it can get messy, so keep a trash bag nearby.
First up, you’ll have to drill holes in the bucket
Drill plenty of holes all around, leave a couple of inches of room in between. The 1/4″ bit drill is recommended as it leaves plenty of room for the mushrooms to grow.
If the holes are too large, the substrate will dry too quickly, so that’s not exactly ideal either. If you’d like, you can also drill smaller holes (1/8″) to get rid of any excess water, but this isn’t particularly a must.
Next, pasteurize the wood chips
You’ll have to treat them by drenching your wood chips in hot water. You’ll notice that they’ll start floating, so you might need to do your best to keep them submerged. The ideal temperature of the water is between 150 and 185 degrees Fahrenheit (65 – 85 Celsius).
Tap water not hot enough? Add some boiling water until the temperature reaches this range. Soak for at least eight hours or overnight to make sure they’re softened.
Now, drain the water from the wood chips
It should still be hydrated, but they can’t be swimming in water. Drain them in a way you see fit, or you could just squeeze the water out with your hands before you place the wood chips into the bucket.
After a layer of wood chips around 1 1/2″ thick, add a thin layer of spawn
Usually, spawn rates of 10% are used which is more than enough, a lower percentage will definitely work out as well. Repeat the process until the whole bucket is inoculated.
Close the lid, and let it colonize, somewhere cool and dark. Basements and garages are perfect.
In 2 to 3 weeks, your mushrooms will be colonized!
Feel free to take a quick look from time to time, and you’ll see how the mycelium has progressed. Once you see clusters of pins coming from the bucket holes, it’s time to get some mushrooms!
Make sure that everything stays hydrated because your shrooms will definitely start growing quite fast.
It’s important to harvest mushrooms before the spores release
You can tell that it’s the perfect time to harvest when the caps are starting to curl upwards, although you could also harvest them earlier. Preferably, do this cluster by cluster – just use a sharp knife against the bucket.
Finally, you’ve got yourself some delicious homegrown oyster mushroom.