Growing Mushrooms in Straw Bales

 Several months ago my neighbors threw out a straw bale that they had used as a Fall decoration.  Hating to see anything go to waste, I asked my husband to lug it home.  At first I was just going to use it for mulch, but I had been reading about growing mushrooms in straw, so I decided to experiment.

The most heat tolerant mushroom (Florida here) that is readily available is pink oyster mushrooms.  I hauled the straw bale to a partially shaded area under a tree and gathered my tools:  pink oyster spawn from Northspore , and a hori hori knife (crowbar would also work).

I broke up the spawn within the bag, used the knife to pry open holes, and stuffed the holes full of spawn.  Since then I’ve watered the straw bale every day.  Within a week or two I began to see fruiting mushrooms.

Once the weather started warming up, occasionally in the 80’s F, the pink color began to fade.  In speaking with other mushroom growers in Florida they confirmed that the pink fades in warm weather, but doesn’t affect the quality of the mushrooms.

Many people sterilize the straw substrate before inoculating with spawn.  I would have, but the straw bale was so big I didn’t think it would be effective.  Some ink cap mushrooms also started growing, but I have been hand picking and discarding them before they can mature and release spores.

I’ve enjoyed this experiment and I’m looking forward to seeing how long the bale keeps producing oyster mushrooms.  Growing mushrooms has been a great addition to my frugal garden and adding variety to our diet.

God bless,

Pam

Northspore mushrooms

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