Mushrooms on the homestead: species and conditions

In short

• The best start is oyster mushrooms on straw (crop in 4–6 weeks) and shiitake on oak logs (crop in 9–18 months, but 3–5 years running).
• Mushrooms need 85–95 % air humidity, fresh air, shade and a clean substrate. They need no sun and no fertiliser.
• The biggest enemy is mould: hygiene and pasteurising the substrate matter more than anything else.
• You buy cultivated mushrooms as spawn of a known species, so there is no risk of a mix-up. Never eat wild mushrooms that pop up on your substrate without 100 % certain identification.
• In the first year try 2–4 bags of oyster mushrooms and 5–10 shiitake logs, then scale up.

What's inside

Chapters

1. How a mushroom lives
2. Which mushrooms for a homestead
3. What mushrooms need
4. Where on the homestead
5. Substrates you already have
6. How much crop, how much work
7. The first year step by step
8. Equipment and costs
9. Safety and rules in brief
10. Common mistakes
11. Printable checklist

Worksheets

• Homestead mushroom calendar
• Yield calculator
• Start-up cost calculator
• Site assessment
• First-year plan
• Temperature and humidity log