Button Mushroom kits

[Vermont2008]

Hey,
Has anyone ever bought one of these or even better can this be made at home? I would love to give it a try but $30 plus shipping is a lot of money for mushroom! If anyone has made one and can tell em how please let me know asap. Thanks :)

[TennOC]

I have used them, they're ok. You DO have to watch the moisture and especially the temps. Follow the directions to a "T". After you've grown the kit, maybe you could google for mushroom spawn and make your own box, there's quite a bit to it.

[TennOC]

That sounded kinda goofy, lol. I mean I SUGGEST you grow the kit first. fungi.com has the spores or started mushrooms too. There's a lot to read on their site about sterilization, etc that you need to start from scratch. (sterile 'cause you don't want even one of the wrong kinda mushroom coming up in your sawdust). Good luck.

[deb65802]

I want to grow them inside my storage shed, rather than outside. In five gallon buckets.....Would that be easier?

[TastyofHasty]

Another link is http://www.mushroompeople.com/

We bought the shiitake "plugs," chopped down a couple smallish white oaks, cut 'em into 3' logs, drilled holes for the plugs, hammered 'em in (gently), left the logs under the north side of house under the eaves where as much water as possible would land on 'em when it rained ... half covered the logs with an old blanket ... actually got shiitake mushrooms!!! ... after about a year.

On the other hand, I bought the maitake spawn (in sawdust) and have had it in the bottom drawer of my fridge for about two years now. :o ... I DID go around "inoculating" some old stumps at the bottom of the woods about two years ago ... no visible results yet. You need a good portable drill, some beeswax or "cheese wax," a cigarette lighter (to melt the wax), ... it's quite an experience ... I ought to go out there and do it some more ... oh yeah, and rather than buying one of those expensive brass things to pick up the spawn and shove it into your drilled hole ... just get a BIG straw from Wendy's or wherever they have the BIG straws (a bit over 1/4" wide) and another SMALLER straw to fit inside it. Cut the bigger one so it's about 2/3 as long as the smaller one; put one inside the other; thrust the BIG straw into spawn mix -- push out into hole with the small straw. It works.