Take a walk-through a nearby woods and wild mushrooms will almost always be a familiar sight. Despite this, have you ever stopped to consider growing them in your own garden?
Growing mushrooms outdoors is much simpler than flowers or vegetables and can be a rewarding experience. Because of this we highly recommend beginners consider growing them, as the results are somewhat quick to see! In this guide we’re going to cover how to grow gold cap mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, and growing mushrooms outdoors in general.
Table of Contents
1. How to build a mushroom bed
2. How grow Gold Cap mushrooms
3. How to grow Enoki mushrooms
How to Build a Mushroom Bed
The first step in starting your own mushroom garden is to setup the bed. Thankfully mushrooms aren’t very picky, part of what makes them easy to grow. They can thrive in a variety of beds such as compost, wood chips, logs, and even straw. The most important element for mushrooms is moisture, so regular water is key. Just like the rest of your garden overwatering can be harmful, strive for a healthy balance without waterboarding your mushrooms.
Another thing to consider is the amount of sunlight your mushroom beds receive, ideally it is shady for the majority of the day. One of the best parts of adding mushrooms to your garden is being able to use the shadier areas that other plants cant survive in, this is especially important for urban growers.
Planting
Once you’ve selected an area for your mushroom bed clear it of all other plants until you have naked ground, also if possible level it with the surrounding area. Spread out your chosen material evenly between 1 and 2 inches deep, making sure your mushroom spawn is spread in the middle as if you’re making lasagna. Finally water it periodically to keep the area moist.
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How to Grow Gold Cap Mushrooms
In this section I’m going to teach you how to grow Golden Cap mushrooms also infamously known as Psilocybe cubensis. Like most mushrooms these guys are simple to grow making them great for novices.
As a disclaimer I would highly recommend researching these mushrooms before growing and consuming as they have psychedelic effects.
In the wild golden cap mushrooms grow in the tropics primarily central and south america, because of this they must be kept at a minimum of 75 degrees fahrenheit. They’re very distinctive due to appearance, as you can guess they have a large golden cap.
The spores can be ordered online like any others, but depending on your climate may need to be grown indoors with heating equipment. If you do live in a warmer climate golden cap mushrooms will grow fine with the mushroom bed from our earlier segment.
How to Grow Enoki Mushrooms
Enoki Mushrooms known as Flammulina velutipes or “Winter Mushrooms” are easy to spot, they’ve got long slender stems with small white caps. In the wild you’ll find them in clusters growing out of rotting wood, likely in full shade. They’ve been made popular to eat because of their healthy properties, they’re great for your liver function!
To grow Enoki mushrooms you’re going to use a plastic container and sawdust as the medium. Plant your spores and store them at room temperature, roughly 75 degrees give or take.
Leave the Enoki undisturbed for 15 days, at this time you should be seeing the roots begin to form. At this point you need to move their container to a cooler area, as low as 52 degrees or as high as 65. Doing this will encourage your mushrooms to grow, after 60 days they should be big enough to eat!
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