Get Started: Mushroom Bucket Farm

Today I'm replanting my Mushroom bucket.

Here's what I'm using.

Bucket Garden, Sawdust, Straw, Water, Spent mushroom block

Building the bucket garden is easy. I drew a grid on the bucket of 4"x4" and drilled 1/4" holes at every intersection. I also drilled a slightly larger hole at the bottom in the side to drain excess water. Ensure you get a bucket with a tight-fitting lid. I used one from an unsponsored hardware store who will remain anonymous. Seriously, don't ask, I'm not telling!

The growth medium I'm using this time is straw with a mix of soft and hardwood sawdust. The straw will colonize much more quickly than the woodchips I usually use, and the sawdust should provide more food for the mycelium. 

These "Spray and grow" mushroom kits are getting very popular right now. Many companies offer them, some I like more than others. You can probably find these in many superstores, especially at Christmas. They are easy to use and an absolute blast to do with kids! When they are done producing, you can use them in a bucket garden to get a whole new 'flush' out of your crop! This one is removed from the box because this company also doesn't sponsor me. Well, nobody does, but if you would like to, hit me up! Seriously...

I simply mixed my grow medium with a gallon of water in a wheelbarrow.

Remove your mushroom block from the plastic and break it up into pieces: a good mix of fine particles and some larger chunks. This block is mainly sawdust and coffee grounds which the mycelium has completely colonized. All the white you see is the body of the fungus. The mushroom you are familiar with is just the fruiting body; a reproductive, uh, gland that is responsible for spreading the spores around much like, um, the thing that it looks like... I'm moving on now.

Now all you do is build a lasagna starting with a layer of straw and alternating between layers of your mushroom mulch and more substrate. Make sure you have enough of the straw to fill the bucket to the top. You'll need to eyeball this to ensure you have enough mushroom mulch to inoculate each layer, but don't stress. If it is healthy, it will grow all through the bucket.

Put enough material in here so that you need to squish it down with the lid. You don't want any headspace if you can help it as mushrooms will try to grow there, which isn't the goal.

I finish up by pouring another can of water all over this to ensure uniform moisture. I let it sit at a slight angle outside or in a tub for 30 minutes so that all the excess water drains out.

Stick this in a warm, dark place, and in a couple weeks, mushrooms should start growing out through the holes in the sides. Keep it moist as mushrooms are mostly water. Harvest your mushrooms when they stop doubling in size daily or follow the instruction with the original block.

Enjoy!