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Hi everyone,

I'm experimenting this year and I want to try growing mushrooms (cos I love them). I've bought a kit which looks rather good, but I'm hoping some of you may have some advice before I start.

The mushrooms are agaricus hortensis - the German name Wiesenchampignon translates as meadow mushroom, they look like white button mushrooms and should reach 8cm across.

Do you know how fast we can expect the mushrooms to grow and how often do we need to harvest them? How long will one kit keep on producing, and how long can you keep individual mushrooms growing before you harvest them? How often should I water them, and will they recover if they're not watered for a week, can they be overwatered to keep them going while I'm away?

Do you ever need to feed them or do any maintenance other than watering them?

Any other tips on things to avoid?

Thanks!

Hi, they look like white button mushrooms because that's exactly what they are.
I haven't grown them for a few years but I think it took about 2 or 3 weeks for them to get going, depending on temperature I believe, and they go on producing for about another 2 or 3 weeks, you can cut them at any size though they do go a bit woody if you leave them too long. It is vital that you don't let them dry out but it is not important to keep them in a dark place, any light level will do other than the fact that full sunshine will dry them out faster. I grew mine in the shed and they do taste much better cut fresh.
Funny, I was thinking about having another go just this morning, I'll have to order myself a kit

merry-where will you get them from please?
-i grew them about 5 years ago-but i cant remember where i got the kit-it was quite large and it did really well-but recently i got a very small dutch one  and it was a dead loss.... :(.

The ones I used to grow were the bog standard polystyrene tray kits from your average garden centre, roughly the size of a standard seed tray but much deeper. I have noticed that some of the seed companies now offer kits including some quite exotic types growing on logs etc. I'm not sure if I can be fussed with these but I'll do a bit of research & see what I fancy......... I'll be back :)

How coincidental- just harvested a HUGE shittake from my kit- it was one id forgotten about- it seemed to work better without water though, I used a sawdust block impregnated with spores from bakker.co.uk- the instructions said to water regularly and submerge in cold water between flushes of mushrooms- but i did the exact opposite and it worked great- so goan and experiment!
John

That should say shittake

K ill try again known as the medicinal mushroom- s h i t t a k e ???. Im not swearing Dan, honest!

Just set a kit off today..... will post on how I go on with it.

Ive done them a few times in the past but alway get troubled with flies.

I'd love to have another go so any ideas? Anyone had the same prob?

Cant remember what the flies were, possibly little black ones.

They sound like compost flies. Harmless and cause no trouble. Just a nucsense when they fly about. Other than that completely harmless.

Can anyone tell me what the point of those flies is/are??  I understand the ones that eat my plants, and the ones that eat the ones that eat my plants, and the ones that eat my plants when they are dead and turn it into wonderful soil - but the little black flies that hover around my compost and get on my ****.  What are they for?

they are there to get on your ****!!! ;D


actually-i think the same about fruit flies(praps they are fruit flies),rats and bluebottles.what are they FOR?????? :-\