If you have a warm house you may be able to grow them in winter. They are a tropical mushroom and need a warmer temperature – something between 18 and 27 0 C. As well as being a stunning colour, these are one of the fastest growing mushrooms, producing fruits in as little as three or four weeks. They also grow in cooler temperatures than some – anything between 10 and 20 0 C (50 – 68 0). These are the easiest and one of the highest yielding. Two good choices of oysters to grow first are:

There are many varieties of oyster mushrooms. mushroom spawn – you want a supplier who sells the spawn on its own (without having to buy a whole kit) – Mushroom Box in the UK is the one I use.a bucket or bowl that will hold boiling water.a water spray bottle to keep them moist.warmth (anything from 10 – 25 0 C, depending on the variety of oyster mushroom).daylight (while they are fruiting – enough to read a book by).

space to put them – about the size of a medium cardboard box is plenty.

Here’s what you will need to grow oysters on cardboard: So I asked Ivan to show us how to use waste card, which IS usually in plentiful supply. While the easiest media to grow on is chopped straw, this may be difficult for some of you to get hold of in small quantities in your city (at least, it is where I live). Coffee grounds can also be used but are more difficult because they easily go mouldy. These will grow happily and prolifically inside the home, in very little space (even under your bed!) on chopped straw, cardboard, old cotton clothes, unbleached paper – or a mix of any of these. Ivan explained that the choice of the mushroom you grow is critical to success. To find out, I went to visit mushroom expert, Ivan Lucas, who runs Mushroom Box. Have you ever wondered if there’s an easy way to grow mushrooms at home – without needing to buy a new kit each time?

Home mushroom growing download free