[Jethro Tull]

A kind neighbour has offered me a plentiful supply of straw mixed with horse manure. I would like to grow button or field mushrooms. I am looking for a simple method, can anyone direct me to a book or a website or even outline their own method

[chrismahon]

We tried growing them in our cellar Jethro, with one of those starter kits. Didn't have much success and assumed the kit was in some way defective, so looked into what was involved DIY. Seems compounding the compost they grow in is rather complex, so at that point we gave the idea up. Of course you need mushroom spores as well.


Unfortunately I can't remember the sites I looked at because it was a long time ago. But I don't think it will be simple as you hope.

[clydesdaleclopper]

you can buy the spores from http://www.annforfungi.co.uk/shop/index.php

[RUSTYME]

Roy Genders wrote the best book on growing mushrooms , and is available on amazon , he wrote a few in fact . No doubt there are new books out now , but i haven't read them .

[Lesley Silvester]

I have tried three different kits and none of them worked.

[Jethro Tull]

I am determined to avoid kits but Chrismahon has thrown down a gauntlet and i love a challenge. I will let you know how I get on

[cloddopper]

look in the similar topics below this post to get a better idea .

Adding gypsum ( sprinkled on builders gypsum plaster powder)   chicken muck a bit of cow slurry and water ,then  turning it spray watering where needed and a light sprinkle of the plaste every other day for 10 days should see things start to compost/ decay enough to get going.
 You'll also need a sterile sieved soil capping to cover the bed about 2 " deep after sprinkling the spore on the top the final turning over ,. Put in a warm dark humid place covering the box /crate with a net curtain to keep out the flies and also keep your moggies away for they tend to pee all over it as the ammonia released is a bit like a cats calling card .
Spray water daily with clean soft water so the soil capping is just damp .
By about day 8 if I recall correctly the first baby heads start to appear . let teh grow to at least 17 1/4 inches acros before twisting them off and recovering the hole theybhave come out of with a littlemor clean capping.
 

Once the first flush of mushrooms has finished you can usually reactivate the bed by a good soaking of th capping using a dessert spoon of cooking salt dissolved in a gallon of water  Stand it in the same warm room for 24 hrs to let the chlorine evaporate off and for it to attain the ambient temperature, then put on the bed with a fine rose watering can that has never ever been used for weedkiller.