to buy or not to buy

[jodawi]

You have 5 items in your basket.

Item Qty Description Unit Price Ds cnt Total
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1 Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) Sawdust Spawn $19.00
1 Pearl Oyster (Pleurotus ostreatus) Sawdust Spawn $16.00
1 Stropharia (Stropharia rugoso-annulata) Spawn $20.00
1 The Giant Morel Mushroom Patch™ $29.95
1 The Blewitt Mushroom Patch™ $24.00
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Subtotal: $108.95

Comments

[culloden.livejournal.com]

:)

imho

[plantgirl.livejournal.com]

To reliably grow mushrooms from kits takes a fair bit of attention, humidity & temperature control, etc. If you haven't done it before, start small. And buy from a reliable company, such as Fungi Perfecti (http://www.fungi.com/).

I think the stropharia will grow in Seattle - can be done outdoors in garden under other veggies. I'd skip the oyster - they're easily found in markets and don't cost very much. Ditto shiitake. I don't think morels can be reliably cultivated, so I'd skip those, too. Blewitts are tasty.

There, I just saved you $65.

Re: imho

[jodawi.livejournal.com]

easily found in markets

do you mean for buying and eating, or for buying and putting into dirts to grow?

i'm currently in the wide-childlike-eyes stage of wanting to see 1024 species of mushrooms growing in the back, all with no effort at all.

this appears to have taken over from the previous goal of growing wildflowers, which was deemed a success after six or seven flowers came up upon scattering of a cubic gallon or so of seed mix

Re: imho

[zaiah.livejournal.com]

Wildflower quip made me laugh.. ONly thing I have to say is no on the shitakes.. we'd inhereted severan spawning bricks and put them in most suitable place on property and still were unable to keep them in right humidity, etc. as well.. as they were not as good tasting as some bought.. I do not know why.. though it WAS fun to go out and pick for dinners as wanted. I hear Crimini grow well locallyish? I will try them when next can.

with no effort at all

[plantgirl.livejournal.com]

Hah! is what I have to say to that. I understand the desire, but save your money, and keep it to what you can keep properly moist/humid/temperature controlled. Find your local fungus federation/mycological association (http://www.psms.org/), and ask them what will grow most easily. I promise you, they will have people who know, and it will save you much time & trouble & money.

And yes, I meant for buying fresh to eat, rather than to grow. If they're cheap enough in the markets, save your cultivation efforts for things that are harder to find or more expensive to purchase fresh.

I'll see if I can get Rollotreadway (http://www.livejournal.com/users/rollotreadway/) (aka G) to weigh in on this, as he is the one who has shelled out the cash for many, many fungus kits.