Mushrooms are a delicious and nutritious addition to many dishes Fresh mushrooms have an amazing umami flavor that simply can’t be replicated by store-bought varieties There’s nothing quite like homegrown produce picked straight from your own mushroom patch.
While cultivating mushrooms outdoors requires some specialized skills and equipment, growing white button mushrooms indoors is easy with a simple growing kit. These kits come with everything you need and make mushroom gardening fun and accessible even for beginners.
White button mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) are the most popular mushroom variety grown and eaten worldwide They have small, white caps that range from a rounded button shape when young to broadly convex as they mature The gills on the underside start out light pink but darken to chocolate brown with age.
Sometimes called table mushrooms or common mushrooms, white buttons have a mild, earthy flavor and smooth, meaty texture. Their versatility makes them a home cook’s staple, useful in everything from sautés and stir fries to casseroles, soups, and sauces.
Shoppers can find white button mushrooms year-round at the grocery store. But store-bought mushrooms are often bland, mushy, and fragile compared to just-picked homegrown varieties. Growing them yourself results in plump, tasty mushrooms with unbeatable freshness.
What’s Included in a White Button Mushroom Growing Kit
Commercial mushroom growers require climate-controlled environments and meticulous maintenance. Thankfully, producing mushrooms at home is much simpler with an all-in-one growing kit tailored for first-timers.
These kits come with:
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The growing medium or substrate. This is usually a compressed block of pasteurized composted materials like straw, hay, or manure. It’s pre-inoculated with mushroom spawn (mycelium).
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Casing layer. This is a moistened peat moss or soil mix that helps trigger mushroom formation.
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Container. The substrate block sits inside a box, bag, or other vessel. This helps retain moisture and humidity.
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Instructions. Growing kits include printed guidelines and/or access to online tutorials.
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Harvesting tools. Most kits include a small hand trowel or knife for harvesting mushrooms.
That’s it! Everything you need comes in one box delivered to your doorstep. All you provide is water and a suitable growing area.
Where to Place Your White Button Mushroom Kit
White button mushrooms prefer consistent cool temperatures between 60-70°F. Avoid extreme heat, direct sun, or freezing cold. An ideal spot is a basement, unheated garage, or cool indoor location away from heating vents or appliances.
Mushrooms also require high ambient humidity around 80-90%. Enclosing the kit inside the box it’s shipped in helps achieve this. You can further improvise a humid microclimate by placing the box inside a clear plastic bag.
Good airflow is essential to prevent mold or bacteria. Don’t seal the growing kit completely. Leave openings for gas exchange and monitor humidity levels closely.
Easy Step-by-Step Growing Instructions
Growing kits are designed to be virtually foolproof. Just add water and watch your mushrooms grow! Here’s an overview of the basic process:
Step 1. Unpack your kit as soon as it arrives and inspect for any damage. The pre-colonized block should not be dried out or moldy.
Step 2. Make sure the substrate remains moist. Lightly mist the block with water if needed but avoid soaking it completely.
Step 3. Prepare casing layer mix according to kit instructions, usually by just adding water. Evenly apply 1-2 inches over the top and sides of the substrate block.
Step 4. Place the entire setup inside the box it arrived in or improvise your own humidity tent. Position in your prepped growing area.
Step 5. Mist the casing layer when the surface appears dry. Check moisture and humidity levels daily.
Step 6. Small white pins will emerge after 1-2 weeks. At this point, remove any lid and increase air circulation.
Step 7. Once caps reach full size, twist gently to harvest. Use a knife to cut mushrooms at soil level.
Step 8. Continue misting and harvesting additional flushes every 5-10 days for 2-3 months.
It’s that easy! Keep your eyes peeled because mushrooms grow rapidly. Don’t let them over-mature before picking.
Growing Kit Tips and Tricks
Here are some additional pointers to get the most abundant harvest from a white button mushroom growing kit:
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Patience is key. It takes 10-14 days for pinheads to first appear after adding casing layer.
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Use distilled or bottled water to prevent mold and bacteria. Tap water may have high levels of minerals that alter substrate pH.
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Rotate the block occasionally to prevent lopsided moisture levels and growth.
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Pick mushrooms as they mature. Don’t leave overripe ones to rot.
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Between flushes, use a clean kitchen spoon to scrape off casing layer. Re-apply fresh casing mix to stimulate new growth.
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Supplement light with a fluorescent or LED grow bulb to boost yields. 12-16 hours daily is ideal.
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Stagger your crop by starting a new kit every 2-3 weeks. This ensures a constant harvest.
Enjoy Your Homegrown Harvest
Now the fun part – reaping the rewards! Nothing beats the flavor of freshly picked white button mushrooms. Their shelf life exceeds grocery store varieties, staying fresh for up to two weeks in the fridge.
Try them in your favorite recipes like mushroom omelets, pasta primavera, or mushroom stroganoff. Or simply sauté in butter or olive oil and add to salads, sandwiches, pizza and more.
Preserve any excess using standard canning methods or by dehydrating mushroom slices in a food dehydrator or low oven. Dried mushrooms keep for months and can be reconstituted in soups and sauces.
Growing your own white button mushrooms is easy, fun, and rewarding. These kits are perfect for first-timers and make great gifts for aspiring gardeners. Turn your kitchen into a gourmet mushroom farm!
white button mushroom growing kits: 19
mushrooms: 40
growing kit: 17
white button mushrooms: 7
casing layer: 6
substrate block: 5
humidity: 4
harvest: 4
flush: 3
grow: 3
fresh: 3
easy: 3
fun: 2
delicious: 2
homegrown: 2
store-bought: 2
yields: 1
crop: 1
rot: 1
oversaturated: 1
mold: 1
bacteria: 1
foolproof: 1
rapidly: 1
lopsided: 1
improvised: 1
ambient: 1
umami: 1
condensation: 1
pinheads: 1
dehydrator: 1
reconstituted: 1
reviewWhite Button Mushroom Growing Kit The Easiest Way to Grow Fresh Shrooms!
FAQ
Are mushroom growing kits worth it?
What is the best mushroom to grow for beginners?
What is a white button mushroom growing kit?
White Button Mushroom Growing Kit ~ Makes it Easy to Grow Your Fresh Shrooms! Fun for The Whole Family! Kits ship each Monday Morning (cut off: 4pm CST Sunday). Indoor Growing Fun! 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).
What are mushroom growing kits?
Mushroom growing kits come in a variety of mushroom varietals, from white button mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms to specialty morels and oyster mushrooms. Fresh homegrown mushrooms are a versatile ingredient for topping pizza or adding a meaty element to a vegetarian ramen. They’re also packed with multiple health benefits.
Where can I find all mushroom kits?
To see all mushroom kits go to “Shop Mushroom Kits” on the top blue menu bar, or on a cell phone the “3 Bar Menu”. Portabella Mushroom Growing Kit, Certified Organic by the CCOF. Shiitake Mushroom Growing Kit, Certified Organic by the CCOF. Crimini Mushroom Growing Kit, Certified Organic by CCOF.
How many white button mushrooms does a willow mountain mushroom kit produce?
Willow Mountain Mushrooms produces their kits to order. This kit is a little larger than other mushroom kits — it weighs 15 pounds — but it claims to produce up to four pounds of white button mushrooms, which is a higher yield than most mushroom kits (most produce one to two pounds).
Why do you need a mushroom growing kit?
It allows you to learn the process of mushroom cultivation, expose your palate to new mushrooms and even find a new hobby. Mushroom growing kits come in a variety of mushroom varietals, from white button mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms to specialty morels and oyster mushrooms.
How many lbs of mushrooms can you grow in a 12 x 12 kit?
Since March of 2004 Bob and Wendy have been growing mushrooms organically for the Missouri Ozarks. 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! So much fun to watch for children as well as adults.