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Hi, might be a daft question but please bear with me.

I'd like to have a go at growing my own mushrooms in the garden, but don't, and don't have access to freshly cut hardwood logs. But what i do have is some offcuts of untreated hardwood sleepers.

So if I soaked these in water and then implanted the spore dowels would that work? does anyone have any experience? am i better off sticking with the indoor kits? or just try it and see what happens?

Thanks

Have no idea if that would work but I put some dowels into freshly cut wood last spring, followed all instructions but all that happened was a bit of mycelium here and there and nothing else ???

Quote from: agapanthus on February 02, 2006, 17:48:32
Have no idea if that would work but I put some dowels into freshly cut wood last spring, followed all instructions but all that happened was a bit of mycelium here and there and nothing else ???

I did the same: a waste of time and money.

I would be interested to hear from someone who has actually been successful with this.
Did understand that the mycelium was the actual fungus, and the mushroom the fruiting body, so mycelium was a good sign but why no mushrooms?
Have bought some spawn, this says to sprinkle it onto well rotted horse manure, and gives further instructions. I thought this may be easier? Somewhere in the back of my mind I remember reading something about certain mushroom growing only on certain types of wood. This may be the problem. Come on, someone please help !

Or maybe it just needs time? How long did you give it?

i think the dowels need the damp from the sap of a freshly cut deciduous tree(not laburnum....i'm growing some of these-i do have mycelium on them buit too early for mushrooms....another 5 months..so i have to be patient!
i always get good results from kits tho..i'd like to try just the spawn as i have access to rotted horsey poo.....
where did you get the mushroom spawn please?
kitty
xx

Spawn can be bought from these:
http://www.seedsofitaly.sagenet.co.uk/funghi.htm
http://seeds.thompson-morgan.com/uk/en/form/dlist/name/mushroom?er=googleuk;term=mushroom+spawn
http://www.mycologue.co.uk/xcart/customer/homecu.php?cat=3

There is a brilliant read here on shiitake mushroom growing if anyone's interested:
http://www.highlandbirchwoods.co.uk/publications/InformationSheets/Info4.pdf