Mushroom cultivation, also known as fungi culture became so popular nowadays due to the accessibility of mushroom growing kits and the fun experience they provide. Don’t let me start on all the diverse tastes you can’t find elsewhere and the benefits they provide.

In this article, we will provide you with all the useful information that you need to start enjoying the full growing experience and a review of those beginner-friendly kits.

All the products reviewed in this article:

• Back to the Roots Organic Mushroom Growing Kit
• White Button Mushroom Growing Kit
• Lion’s Mane Mushrooms
• Morel Mushroom Growing Kit
• Pink Oyster Mushroom Grow Kit
• Organic Blue Oyster Mushroom Growing Kit
• Shiitake Mushroom Growing Kit

What are the steps to grow mushrooms?

Start by bringing all the components together (most kits provide you with everything you need or instruction on what you need to have). Different varieties come with extra materials, but they all have the option to grow the mushrooms in a tray or a container.

First step: Find a dark place with an adequate level of humidity for almost any type of mushrooms.

Second step:

• Fill a tray with compost (mushroom compost).
• Add mushroom Spawn provided in the pack to it.
• Cover with another layer of straw or compost when mycelium begins to grow.

Third step: Keep the mix moist by spraying water or covering it with a damp cloth (make sure it isn’t dry nor soggy).

Fourth step: Harvest your mushrooms after the caps open, do not pull them out; instead, stalk from the steam.

A mushroom growing kits contain a considerable amount of mycelium pre-colonized but not yet put into the right conditions to start forming mushrooms so that it can be preserved in a packaged box until opened and provided with a suitable environment.

Water and organic materials are the requirements to start the process; they begin to form pinheads to become egg shape that would eventually become a thick stalk and rounded cap with gills underneath.

Features and benefits of each product:

Back to the Roots Organic Mushroom Growing Kit

The taste of oyster mushrooms is very mild, and some describe it as subtly woody or like seafood. What makes this mushroom so unique is its texture, it is very meaty when prepared properly.

Included in this kit is an organic plant-based soil infused with mushroom spawn and a booklet with instructions, Each crop produces three to four servings of mushrooms, and each box can grow up to two crops.

Features:

• 100% ORGANIC AND NON-GMO: There’s no need to worry about intoxicants that may hinder your plant’s growth because the Back to the Roots Mushroom Growing Kit is completely organic and not genetically modified.
• GROW YOUR PLANT ALL YEAR-ROUND: This organic mushroom indoor kit allows you to grow your own crop all-year-round; Just place the box near a window with indirect light, mist twice a day, and you’ll see delicious, beautiful mushrooms growing within a week
• CONVENIENT AND EASY: All you need to do is open, spray daily with the included mister, and in 10 days you’ll be harvesting your own mushrooms right out of the box
• THE PERFECT GIFT: The perfect holiday gift, it comes in a beautiful packaging so that it’s ready to be given to foodie, garden-loving, and eco-conscious friends and family

White Button Mushroom Growing Kit

They have a mild taste and can be used in just about anything from salads to sauces. Button mushroom flavor intensifies when cooked  

This beginners kit comes with instructions, colonized growing medium, and the casing layer YOU get to mix with water and apply

• these mushrooms are pulled directly from the farms. Just like any living thing, the kits need to be tended to upon arrival. 
• Takes up 12 inch x 12 inch x 12 inch high space. No light needed. Growing Temperature: between 63-68 degrees F (65 being optimal).
• The 12″ by 12″ kit offered weighs 12 to 14 lbs and can produce up to 4 lbs of mushrooms during the 6-8 week growing cycle, Once the mushrooms emerge they double in size every 24 hours! 
• Great for the Home School as well as in the Science Classroom (ANY age group!). 

Lion’s Mane Mushrooms

Lion’s Mane has a flavor and texture similar to lobster or crab; stringy, meaty, and delicate. Once cooked, it’s slightly chewy, tender, and juicy.

this product is colonized with Lion’s Mane substrate for mushroom cultivation.

• Produces Up To 4lbs of Mushrooms
• A great introduction for first-time mushroom growers
• Top shelf gourmet mushrooms that can reach the sizes of 7 inches in diameter.
•  This grow kit requires a light misting to produce three to four flushes over a two-month period. 
• It grows fairly well in warm climates as well, recommended temperatures are between 50-75 degrees. 
• Expect 3 to 4 pounds of mushrooms with proper care. 
• Setup takes 2 minutes, preferably within 7-10 days of purchase for best results. 

Morel Mushroom Growing Kit:

Morels are considered the highest quality mushrooms, due to their depth and earthy, nutty flavor. They also have a meaty texture, unlike the more slimy texture of other mushroom varieties

Morel Mushrooms are generally grown in the backyard. you can start any time your soil is workable: Spring, Summer, Fall, and even Winter (in areas with a mild climate) may take two seasons to start producing. 

• Create an earth-friendly, sustainable, organic, outdoor Morel Mushroom garden.
• this arrives with complete instructions and spawn (seed), of morel mushroom strains.
• The Morel Habitat Kit can supply an individual with pounds of morel mushrooms in an earth-friendly garden area as small as 4 – 5 sq.ft. to 16 sq.ft. 
• Made in CALIFORNIA USA. Use spawn immediately or store for up to six months.

Pink Oyster Mushroom Grow Kit

The pink oyster mushroom has a meaty and fishy taste. Just like most mushrooms, it is quite umami. Its texture is both meaty and chewy. When fried until crispy, it resembles bacon or even ham.

Grow gourmet pink oyster mushrooms kit in a few weeks. Just open the package and mist the mushroom for it to be ready to harvest.

• you can grow your own gourmet mushrooms in your kitchen
• Unopened, this mushroom kit lasts for months. This is why it makes it a great gift for family, friend, or for a science project. 
• All of Forest Origins products are all natural and made in the United States.

Organic Blue Oyster Mushroom Growing Kit

Just like other oyster mushrooms, the taste is very mild, it is also very meaty when prepared properly.

All you need is water. Arrives ready to produce mushrooms and includes everything needed for home mushroom growing

•  These Kits Certified Organic by Quality Assurance International (QAI). 
• Mushroom logs produced through methods that integrate cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity. 
• Takes only a 9″ by 9″ space for growing mushrooms, on a coffee table, counter, or desk at a room temperature of arround (65 to 73 F)
• Requires no more care nor knowledge than a common tropical plant and comes with complete instructions and materials to maintain the correct environmental conditions around your log. 
• Each kit can produce around a pound of mushrooms in 2 to 4 crops. 
• Oyster mushrooms need plenty of fresh air to develop normally. 

The color of your mushrooms and total number of mushrooms you can expect to get on each log may vary from log to log, and depend on your care of the log and the environmental conditions in your home.

Shiitake Mushroom Growing Kit

shiitake mushrooms are known for their strong, earthy flavor.  When cooked, shiitake caps have a velvety, meaty texture, while the stems can be tough or pleasantly chewy, if well cooked.

This pack Arrives with detailed instructions, it is very easy to grow at home, You do not need any extra tools to start! the only thing you need is patience! 

Cordyceps militaris is known as Scarlet Club Fungus, or Caterpillar Killer in the U.S, In China it is called ​蛹虫草 (Yǒng chóngcǎo) which roughly translates to pupa grass.

Most asked questions:

How easy is it to grow mushrooms?

Growing mushrooms is relatively similar to growing vegetables; there are beginner varieties and intermediate ones that require more attention.

We recommend starting with a variety that requires little to no attention; in this case, all the kits reviewed in this article are a good fit.

The good thing about mushrooms is that they are very nutritious (full of vitamins and minerals), at the same time fat and calorie-free.

Where do mushrooms grow?

You have many options on where to grow your mushrooms. They usually get their nutrition from wood logs or chips, sawdust or even compost or straw, which gives it energy from the decomposing process to turn Spores into a spawn.

In its turn, Spawn is essential to the growth of the mycelium that will eventually form a mushroom.

Mycelium is a white, fluffy substance that acts as the root system (an underground network) for the mushroom.

The Best conditions to grow mushrooms?

Mushrooms should be grown in the dark. Light will diminish their growth, they also require humidity, so it is preferable to grow them indoors, preferably in a basement. If you don’t have one, then the space under your kitchen sink is your next best option.

Mushrooms require the temperature to be between 55 and 60 degrees (lower for some varieties)

If you are intending to give this mushroom kit as a gift, we recommend you read out article on gardening gifts here where we review many other options