PART 6 Mycology in the Garden: Grow Mushrooms Using Trench Composting Method

In this video we show you how to grow culinary mushrooms in your garden using mushroom grow blocks from HiFiMyco. It's a great way to build your soil by adding organic matter. We are joined by Carter Humphrey from SmallHold and the Myco Research Station.

​Mushroom blocks are made from sawdust and grains, and they are what many farms use to cultivate their mushrooms on. They will typically fruit about 4 times, but with increasingly longer wait times and smaller yields. For this reason, most farms restock after a harvest or two, and will sell their spent blocks very cheaply to the public.

Golden Oysters growing with cardoons.

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​If you are in Austin, you can sign up to get recycled mushroom blocks for your garden.

GET MUSHROOM BLOCKS

If you are not from Austin, find a mushroom farm in your area.

STEPS:

1. Pick a shady spot in your garden that has a lot of moisture or where you have run-off problems.  They can be placed creatively in underutilized garden space. For example, a trench of blocks beside your garden pathways, or "interplanted" on the shady side of vegetables.  In addition, there is evidence that King Stropharia mushrooms in the garden make for healthier root systems.
2. Dig an area out as deep as your blocks are tall, and place them in flush with the ground. You can also add other compostable materials like coffee grinds (rich in nitrogen) and leaves and straw (rich in carbon).
3. Then, top with a few inches of hardwood chips, soil and straw to keep it moist. Avoid cedar as it has anti-fungal properties. 
4. Then just gently water like you would your other plants.
5. In 3-4 weeks you should see mushrooms fruiting. They will grow quickly so be sure to harvest before the spores drop and the mushroom edges curl upwards.. After 3-4 days, cut at the base and store in a brown paper bag in the fridge. They will fruit a few more times before decomposing and eventually becoming organic matter added to the soil.

PART 1: HOW FUNGI BENEFITS THE SOIL

PART 5: GROW MUSHROOMS ON LOGS