Gary Woods wrote in message . ..
(mimus) wrote:

You can grow the dam' things on newspaper, or rather in newspaper-
stuffed cardboard boxes . . . .

Then IIRC you induce fruiting by tossing the boxes in water for a day
or so, and allowing them to drain.

Can you point me at any links? I got some oyster mushrooms at a local
(Hudson Valley, NY) garlic festival, and want very much to grow my own.
I'll likely start with a kit from mushroompeople, but would like to do it
"from scratch."


You are better off starting with one kit, and then propagate it.
Stamets company is www.fungi.com. Oysters are the easiest to grow, but
they don't compare to some of the other mushrooms tastewise. You could
start with an indoor oyster kit, which after a couple flushes could be
broken into pieces and put in your compost pile. You should also buy
the plugs, which are cheap and produce if well tended. Inject a few
logs and wait. As with growing vegetables, there are a few basic rules
that you cannot disregard: no direct sun, and as much moisture as
possible. That means burying the logs almost completely (not
vertically half way, as some suggest), some watering during dry spells
(rain or well water is best). I have also found that a layer of leaves
as winter protection allows the mycelium to keep developing. For
oyster, total darkness will result in no fruiting, so pull back the
leaves in the spring. Different mushrooms like different additives,
such as coffee grounds (acid, high N), woodash (basic), and charred
wood, but if you start with freshly cut (at least two years from the
cut, but no more than 3 months) logs from a live tree, water and shade
will get you somewhere.

for further propagation, once you have your mushrooms, a small plastic
container, a scalpel, some agar-agar, and a jar full of boiled grains
will give you new spawn.