Has Anyone Used a Mushroom Kit?

[neobite]

Having seen a gorgeous one at the Ferry Building mushroom store, I decided I had to have one. Seems like it could be ridiculous or wonderful, but I've just ordered one to see what it's like. Has anyone else ever tried a kit? Would love to hear if you've had an experience, good or bad. I found mine at:

http://www.gmushrooms.com/POTS.HTM

[Quine]

I have had great experiences! I have grown several kinds indoor, with minimal attention. I was introduced to the mushroom culture when I was lucky enough to get into a Paul Stamets Mushroom Culivation Seminar. Oyster mushroom are crazy easy to grow from a culivation spawn bag. You almost have to beat them down to stop them! They are sorta the zuccini of the fungi world.

Like any living thing, shrooms have time/temp/conditions. Shitakes are a slower fruiting, need a cold cycle, thing. Yes, they feed/grow on decaying wood, so you see log kits. Spawn bags are easier, more forgiving and better producing. Shitakes are like tulips, you get this dead looking thing, you plant it in the fall, you forget it and are amazed if you see someting fruit inthe Spring. Think of Shitake logs you can buy at Farmer's Markets as those dollar store bulb bags you buy....cheap, and you forget if they grew or not.

Mushrooms are fun to grow, but they are fungi and different. Oysters will literally grow before your eyes and you can see that they convert their growing medium to fruit. heck, one of my seminar mates said he harvested some wild oysters and wrapped them in a moist towel. He placed that bundle in his frig...and well the Oysters ate the towel in spots with a few day, growing. yeah, Oysters rock as growers.

Here's the link:

http://www.fungi.com/kits/indoor.html

[al b. darned]

I tried a kit a few years back, but it produced more flies than mushrooms.

[neobite]

Ha - okay, good to know. I'm not exactly after a fly kit. Anyway, in response to MisterBill, it is actually very much like the log form - it's just soil that's inoculated instead of the "log." Might indeed be an interesting experiment, barring vermin infestation that is.

[MisterBill2]

Has anyone tried a mushroom log (I assume this is not what you are talking about). I had never heard of them before but they sell them at my local farmers market, which will be opening again soon. It sounds interesting..

[lisa13]

I had a shitake kit. It grew some wonderful mushrooms, but it really required a lot of attention, to the point that it was ridiculous =)

I would be happier taking care of a variety that is not so easily found at the market. It's a fun experiment though!