If you’re interested in cultivating your own mushrooms but prefer not to engage in indoor cultivation, an appealing alternative is the outdoor mushroom bed.
How can you cultivate mushrooms outdoors? Several mushroom species, such as King Stropharia, oyster, shaggy mane, pioppino, or elm mushrooms, can be grown outdoors in a designated mushroom bed. All you need are wood chips, a bag of spawn, and a suitable location with consistent moisture for optimal growth.
Frequently, individuals inquire about the feasibility of growing mushrooms in their garden. The answer is yes! In this article, I will guide you through a simple and effective method to achieve this using an outdoor mushroom bed.
How to create an outdoor mushroom bed.
In today’s discussion, our emphasis will be on cultivating the King Stropharia mushroom in an outdoor setting using wood chips. This particular mushroom is alternatively referred to as the garden giant or wine cap.
This delightful mushroom thrives exceptionally well in wood chip beds, making it an ideal choice for those new to mushroom cultivation.
Step One: Find a place to set up your bed
To provide a designated area for your mushrooms to thrive, you can initiate the process by establishing a raised garden bed and lining it with cardboard.
The cardboard serves a dual purpose by retaining moisture beneath the setup and acting as a weed suppressant for the underlying soil. This can be executed within a raised bed structure or beneath existing trees, bushes, or other plants in your garden.
People often opt for locations underneath their existing plants. Interestingly, when done correctly, the mycelium can have positive effects on the roots of nearby plants, enhancing their growth.
The specific location or method chosen to set up your mushroom bed is not overly critical. The essential concept revolves around having a space filled with wood chips where mushrooms can flourish. Ideally, this space should be chosen to prevent the mushrooms from drying out too quickly.
Step Two: Start layering your bed with wood chips and mushroom spawn
Initiate your mushroom bed by placing an initial layer of wood chips over the cardboard foundation you’ve established.
Various shredded wood chips or garden mulch can be utilized for this purpose, but it is crucial to avoid any wood chips treated with chemicals.
Next, create alternating layers of mushroom spawn and wood chips, resembling a lasagna, starting with about half of your mushroom spawn on the initial layer of wood chips. Follow this with another layer of wood chips on top of the mushroom spawn, effectively sandwiching the spawn between the wood chip layers.
Over the subsequent months, the spawn will continue to grow, utilizing the wood chips as its nutrient source to eventually yield mushrooms.
After applying the second layer of wood chips, proceed to introduce an additional layer of mushroom spawn. Ensure uniform distribution across the entire bed surface throughout this entire procedure. Complete the wood chip and mushroom spawn stages by adding a third layer of wood chips, spreading it evenly across the entire bed.
Step Three: Cover the entire bed in straw
Once you’ve utilized all your wood chips and mushroom spawn, complete the process by covering the entire bed with a substantial layer of straw. The purpose of the straw is to function somewhat like mulch.
This layer serves to prevent excessive drying of the bed beneath, retaining any rainfall or water that comes into contact with it. Additionally, it offers a degree of warmth and insulation during colder months.
Now that the straw layer is in place, it’s time to thoroughly water the entire bed. Ensuring sufficient moisture during the initial weeks of growth is crucial, and continuous watering in the following weeks and months is necessary. Set up your bed in a location easily accessible with a garden hose.
Throughout the entire process, the primary concern is preventing the bed from drying out, as this could hinder the growth and feeding of the mushroom mycelium beneath the wood chips. To further aid in moisture retention, consider adding a layer of shade netting to the bed. While not as essential under a large tree, if the bed is situated in an exposed area, the addition of shade cloth provides extra shade, helping deter persistent weeds from growing through the straw.
Step Four: Maintaining Your Mushroom Bed
Your mushroom bed is now finished. Moving forward, make sure to water the bed at least once a week. Of course, if there’s rainfall, there’s no need for additional watering.
Monitor the bed regularly and maintain a consistent watering schedule to prevent it from drying out.
Allow the bed to sit undisturbed for two months before checking its progress. By this point, you should observe significant signs of life, with white filaments of mycelium visibly growing throughout the entire bed. This indicates that the spawn has activated and is consuming the wood chips and straw.
Around six months after the initial planting, you should start noticing the emergence of mushrooms.
Step Five: Harvesting Your Mushrooms
Ensure to harvest garden giants before they reach an oversized stage. Once the cap expands too much, it tends to break down rapidly, attracting various bugs and insects.
When harvested at a young age, these mushrooms are exceptionally tasty. You can prepare and savor them in a manner similar to various other mushroom varieties.
Step Six: Identity your mushrooms before eating
Before consuming the mushrooms from your garden, be sure to properly identify them. Confirm that they match the specific variety you have cultivated.
For instance, if you are cultivating King Stropharia mushrooms, look for distinctive reddish caps that are easily distinguishable from most other mushroom types. It is advisable to steer clear of growing Agaricus mushrooms (such as button mushrooms, cremini, portobello) in your mushroom bed. This precaution is due to their potential confusion with several poisonous species of amanita mushrooms.
Although it is unlikely, a stray wild mushroom resembling the variety you are growing could appear in your mushroom bed and unintentionally end up on your plate.
Considering the abundance and affordability of button mushrooms in most grocery stores, it is not worth the risk to cultivate them at home. Instead, focus on cultivating more exotic varieties that are not readily available in stores to maximize the benefits of your mushroom bed.
Step Seven: Annual Feeding
To sustain a mushroom bed like this, all you need to do is annually replenish it with a fresh layer of wood chips. By doing so, you can expect to harvest mushrooms for several years without the need to repeat the entire layering process.
There’s no necessity to go through the comprehensive lasagna layering procedure again. Simply apply a sufficient amount of wood chips to cover the entire bed, and then use a rake to thoroughly blend the fresh wood chips with the existing mycelium. This straightforward maintenance approach will help ensure a continuous yield of mushrooms over the years.
Get a copy of our guide on how to grow mushrooms Here
Things to look out for if your Mushrooms beds are not growing
Several factors could contribute to your mushrooms not growing as desired. Here are some significant aspects to consider:
It got Contaminated:
The world teems with a remarkable variety of tiny organisms. In any given sample of soil or air, numerous types of bacteria, mold, and yeast are likely present.
When cultivating mushrooms outdoors in a bed, you relinquish the sterility and environmental control inherent in indoor cultivation. It’s simply a risk associated with outdoor mushroom cultivation. You rely on the hope that your mycelium will establish itself and outcompete any other organisms vying for the same space.
Not enough moisture
Mushroom spawn requires elevated humidity levels and ample moisture for growth. It’s crucial to maintain a consistently moist bed by lightly dampening it and misting with water whenever it shows signs of drying out.
Be vigilant and inspect your beds regularly, ideally every few days. You can assess the moisture level by touching the wood chips to gauge if they still retain dampness.
Too much moisture:
Conversely, some individuals may become overly concerned about their mushrooms drying out and inadvertently overwater them. Excessive moisture can result in mold growth.
It’s essential to ensure your mushroom bed has proper drainage to prevent standing water accumulation. Avoid locations prone to water pooling when establishing your mushroom bed, considering how water flows off your property.
Not enough air exchange
This can often lead to failure in indoor mushroom projects, but it’s typically not a concern outdoors. Simply ensure that your mushroom bed has ample access to fresh air.
For instance, you may want to avoid placing it in a confined courtyard nestled between buildings where airflow is restricted.
You got bad spawn
Mushroom spawn is a living organism, and it’s susceptible to dying during transit from the supplier to you. Additionally, the spawn itself may become contaminated before reaching your doorstep.
It’s advisable to purchase from reputable companies with faster shipping methods. Upon delivery of your mushroom spawn, aim to transfer it to your bed promptly.
If immediate inoculation isn’t feasible and you must wait until the weekend, that’s acceptable. However, avoid prolonged delays, as the spawn may weaken and become susceptible to contamination.
If you anticipate a delay of more than a week before planting, consider storing the spawn in your refrigerator to prolong its viability.
Wrong growing environment
Mushrooms adapted to tropical environments may not thrive as effectively in cooler climates, and vice versa. For instance, species native to cooler climates may struggle to flourish in warmer conditions. In the UK, mushrooms like King Stropharia, oyster mushrooms, and elm mushrooms are well suited for growth, as they thrive in similar climates across Europe and North America.
However, if you reside in regions such as Australia, Africa, or South America, it’s advisable to seek out species native to your specific climate.
Each mushroom species has its preferred substrate. Attempting to cultivate wood loving mushrooms in soil, or vice versa, is unlikely to yield successful results. Conduct thorough research on your chosen species beforehand to determine its preferred growing conditions.
You are not being patient enough
While oyster mushrooms can mature from premade kits to full size in just 14 days, such rapid growth cannot be expected from a freshly established mushroom bed.
Considerable preparation is required to ensure kits are primed for fruiting upon opening. Similarly, your new mushroom bed will undergo several processes before mushrooms begin to appear.
Mycelium requires time to colonize the substrate and initiate mushroom production. It’s advisable to anticipate approximately six months before your mushroom bed yields its first mushrooms. Depending on the season of planting, this timeline may extend to a full year. Therefore, exercising patience is key, and it’s essential not to anticipate a robust mushroom harvest within the initial months of bed establishment.
Frequently asked questions about growing mushrooms on beds outdoors
Q: If mushrooms can thrive outdoors in beds like this, what prompts people to express concern about sterilization and similar practices?
A: That’s precisely our perspective! We believe the emphasis on sterilization is somewhat exaggerated, particularly for robust species like oyster mushrooms.
Provided you provide them with the essential conditions for growth, you’ll be amazed at the level of success you can achieve.
However, it’s important to note that you won’t achieve yields of mushrooms as substantial or consistent as those grown indoors under controlled conditions.
Q: What methods can you employ to prevent pests from damaging your mushroom harvest in outdoor beds?
A: Preventing pests in outdoor mushroom cultivation poses challenges. Slugs, worms, and even larger animals such as birds and squirrels share a fondness for mushrooms.
We strongly discourage the use of pesticides on your mushrooms, as they can be absorbed into the fungi. Instead, the best approach is to harvest the mushrooms early, before the caps fully open.
Q: During the winter season, will mycelium perish, or will it remain dormant and naturally repopulate once the weather becomes warmer? Is there a specific temperature range that you believe could be feasible for this process?
A: Indeed, mycelium remains dormant in colder temperatures and resumes growth once temperatures rise. It can endure the winter season even in colder climates without encountering significant challenges.
Optimal temperatures for mycelium growth typically range between 10°C and 30°C.
Kiki's Agroplace 
Leave a comment