When people think of farming, they usually think of large-scale agriculture—or maybe a nice garden in their back yard.
Few people consider mushroom farming… but let us tell you, that’s a mistake!
how to start growing mushrooms at home
Mushrooms are a fantastic crop to grow, either as a hobby, a “side gig”, or a full-time business. You can easily start your very own small-scale mushroom farm within a few weeks (or even a single afternoon with one or two of our bestselling All-in-One Grow Kits).
The other nice thing about small-scale mushroom farming is that it doesn’t require much in the way of electricity or expensive equipment. In fact, “low-tech” mushroom cultivation is very desirable thanks to its ease and affordability. With a little dedication, you could even turn a significant profit on each of your harvests, as many different types of culinary mushrooms are always in high demand.
In this post on the Monster Mushroom Company’s Magic Mushroom Growing Supplies blog, we’re going to discuss some of the following:
In addition to the above, the FIRST thing you should do—even if you’re just a tiny bit curious about mushroom farming or setting up a cultivation system at home—is to download a 100% free copy of our eBook:
The really key thing about our eBook is that it includes a glossary of terms relevant to your new mycological adventures. Don’t skip this part! Learning the information in the eBook will make everything else easier.
Now, having said that, let’s get started. Why grow mushrooms at home in the first place?
Small-Scale, Home Mushroom Growing Operations Have Become Really, Really Popular – Here’s Why
In the past couple of years, and during 2020 especially, growing mushrooms at home became the hobby du jour, with more people than ever taking up an interest in mycology. Stories like the “mushroom cowboy”, a young man who dropped out of school to work full time on his successful fungi farm, have become more and more commonplace.
So why the sudden fungi fanaticism?
We think it boils down to the fact that growing mushrooms is a hobby that’s very easy to get started in but also offers a ton of headroom for developing your expertise. What’s the saying? Easy to learn, tough to master. That describes fungi cultivation very well.
Once you grow your first batch of mushrooms—many of you reading this probably already know this feeling—the sense of pride and accomplishment you earn is second to none. It’s a bit addicting, and as soon as you’re done with the first, you’ll be on to the next. And the next, and the next… and sometimes that may lead you to want to do more, like expanding your operation into a small-scale mushroom farm.
If you think that might be you, here’s how to get started:
How to Start a Mushroom Farm: Equipment, Space Requirements, and Mushroom Grow Kit Cost
The cost of mushroom growing is minimal, at least compared to other types of cultivation: a few hundred bucks and you’re more or less going to be off to the races.
The easiest way to get started is with one of our very popular All-in-One mushroom grow kits:
Included in our mushroom grow kit is everything you need for at least 4-6 crops. You get a 54 quart professionally customized monotub, which is one of the best growing chambers for small-scale mushroom cultivation, and everything else you need—from an air filtration system to a drying, curing, and storage system.
However, the real star of the kit are our included substrates: our Super Spawn Pak Of Sterilized Grain Spawn and our Super Shroom Final Fruiting Substrate. Follow those links to learn more about why each are so fantastic.
In terms of space required, it’s not much—how much room do you have to house your monotubs? We’ve seen setups using our equipment with up to eight tubs in a spare bedroom, which was not only flattering but really cool to see!
How to Avoid the #1 Mistake New Mushroom Growers Always Seem to Make
One of the biggest mistakes someone new to the “myco” scene can make is to bite off more than they can chew before they know the basics.
Start small! Get a mushroom grow kit, learn the ropes by growing a few crops, and then expand. Odds are you’ll know if the hobby is for you by that time. If you can’t stop thinking about mushrooms, then it’s probably a new lifelong passion!
The other thing to avoid is to not use the informational resources available to you. So make sure that you check out our…
Additional Resources to Help You Grow Mushrooms at Home
We have several other helpful articles from the website that we strongly recommend checking out, starting with our top 10 tips for mushroom growing, which details many beginner-friendly tips and pieces of must-know advice. It’s packed with the kind of stuff we genuinely wish we knew before we started cultivating mushrooms way back in the day, so don’t skip it!
You may also want to check out our detailed article about mushroom fruiting substrate and our article Everything You Need for Amateur Mycology at Home which goes into great detail about the equipment you’re most likely to need.
Finally, if you want to know more than you ever thought there was to know about monotubs, see why cultivators love monotubs for growing mushrooms.
That’s a lot to absorb, but take it slow and remember to have fun! Good luck on your mushroom farming ventures!