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northwest gourmet
Student

Registered: 08/12/15
Posts: 132
Loc: Canada
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advice
#22083314 - 08/12/15 08:29 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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Hello, I had to create a new profile (for obvious reasons lol), but I have lined myself up to supply my towns local restaurants and grocers with 100+ pounds/week of different varieties of oyster mushrooms.
I have just received some funding, and have applied for much more (hoping it all goes through )
I am just about to start building a dedicated mushroom grow building (will basically be a garage that is retrofitted for growing mushrooms) The garage is going to be 24x24 with 3 sections. The front 16' will be split into 2 rooms, an incubating room and a fruiting room, with the back being a lab/clean room.
I am just seeking any wisdom and advice from anyone who has done the same thing, also if this sounds like a wise use of space in the grow building, or maybe a smaller lab would be better with more room for growing?
Any input is greatly appreciated. Thank you, and wish me luck. Lol
Edited by northwest gourmet (08/12/15 08:39 PM)
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drake89
Mushroom Magnate



Registered: 06/26/11
Posts: 4,168
Loc: TN
Last seen: 4 years, 10 months
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if you just want to grow oysters what do you need the lab for? commercial spawn is almost cheaper than you can make it, when factoring in labor costs. i'm talking about the 3015 from amycel or 123 from lambert. both are excellent blue oysters. for oysters, equal room for fruiting and incubation is good. you could get away with less incubation space since the logs can be closer together. i would try cold pasteurizing with hydrated lime and laundry detergent. i do 50/50 straw and cotton seed hulls by dry weight.
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northwest gourmet
Student

Registered: 08/12/15
Posts: 132
Loc: Canada
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I live in northern Canada...., if they even will ship to me do you think it will still be cheaper? I was looking into amycel but couldn't find any prices. Also....I really want to get into isolating, and working with agar in general lol.
But I suppose if I drop the lab (or maybe make it significantly smaller), it will ultimately leave me with more room for growing.
How big of a room do you figure will be needed for say 100lbs, or 200lbs? I was figuring if there were room for 50 straw logs that are 8" by 4', it would be overkill lol.
I will def be looking into cold pasteurization. When using cotton seed hulls is there a significant difference in yields?
Thanks for the quick reply
Edited by northwest gourmet (08/12/15 09:35 PM)
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deadmandave
Slime


Registered: 02/16/10
Posts: 3,355
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Drake, do you do any g2g after purchasing spawn?
I think a lab space is a good investment especially if you ever plan to grow other edibles or isolate local varieties of mushrooms.
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northwest gourmet
Student

Registered: 08/12/15
Posts: 132
Loc: Canada
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I will be keeping a lab space....just maybe not 8x24 haha.
Edited by northwest gourmet (08/12/15 09:21 PM)
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solarity
mm... my favourite food



Registered: 03/31/09
Posts: 1,590
Loc: UK
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I agree with Drake.
Also you will need prep space and chilled storage.
The link in my sig gives some calcs for working out space and amount of sub for a specific qty of mushrooms.
Oh and quite a lot of money to set it up.
-------------------- Commercial exotics farmer for 8 years - now sold up!
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drake89
Mushroom Magnate



Registered: 06/26/11
Posts: 4,168
Loc: TN
Last seen: 4 years, 10 months
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i expand my spawn to sawdust since that's part of my regular production schedule, making sawdust bags that is. i would try and keep your lab as far away from your grow area as possible to avoid cross contamination. even with constant vigilance you're going to get contaminants in your grow area. plus you're going to want that space for substrate preparation. and storage. you can certainly grow 100lbs per week in a small area...say 8x8 or 10x10. but you'd be much better off with more space. think about it like this; if you want 2 flushes you'll need room for 3-5 weeks worth of logs in your fruit room. at least 3 weeks worth of logs in your colonization room. but asking these questions leads me to believe you may be setting yourself up to fail at first. if you have the cash to deal with it, no big deal. otherwise...baby steps. nobody goes from 0-100lbs per week without getting their ass handed to them.
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northwest gourmet
Student

Registered: 08/12/15
Posts: 132
Loc: Canada
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I have read your link solarity, that's actually what kind of set me off on this lol (I love it by the way)....I went in reverse though....had a total amount of product and worked backwards. So I suppose a thank you is in order .
Drake, I am planning to have the lab room completely sealed off from the grow room, with the entrance between the incubating room and the lab. Do you think this is sufficient to keep out contams? (Also will be using a flowhood, and possibly another hepa filter and fan for positive pressure).
Believe me, I know the risks, and I am willing to invest my time and money, I really enjoy the whole process of growing mushrooms, right from inoculation. Also I know there WILL be set backs, but I can and will succeed....may it be in weeks, months or longer lol.
The only thing that I am having trouble figuring out is the amount of logs to prepare....so I figure if I prep 50 logs/week until the first flush arrives, I should have more than enough mushrooms, unless there is a contam problem, which will be a lesser chance because everything will be new. Then I can judge in the first month or 2 as the flushes will continue fruiting how close or way off my target I am.
My question is I guess, if I just continue making "x" number of logs on a weekly basis, I should have a perpetual flushing period no?
Sorry if this is too long lol. Just so excited about it all. I have an excellent opportunity to do something I really enjoy, and I fully intend on taking it. Even if it means courses, classes, or consulting to succeed. I am also looking into purchasing spawn for the first while to get it all started.
Thanks
Edited by northwest gourmet (08/13/15 08:22 AM)
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drake89
Mushroom Magnate



Registered: 06/26/11
Posts: 4,168
Loc: TN
Last seen: 4 years, 10 months
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My logs are 50lbs each. So I make 30 a week for about 200lbs a week. How big are yours? I started selling wholesale because I was throwing 50+lbs of oysters out weekly. So don't think you have an infinite market demand.
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northwest gourmet
Student

Registered: 08/12/15
Posts: 132
Loc: Canada
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The size of straw logs is what I am trying to figure out right now. You are correct, there is not an infinite demand, but seeing as there is no supply within 800kms of where I live, there is a large area for me to supply. This is why I am going to over shoot at first....to allow me to see what the demand is, while producing enough to fill the demand.
How big are your logs? If you don't mind me asking.
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bryanbzl
Spawn Runner



Registered: 03/11/07
Posts: 563
Last seen: 5 years, 10 months
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What ever you do. Build a lab space. There is no fun in this hobby without it. You will want to mess around at some point. Not building a lab just seems like nonsense. I don't think anyone here would enjoy the hobby without it. By lab space I mean anything from a clean space with a still air box to whatever your money can afford...
Good luck with your project.
-------------------- Cheers, bzl -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "From 1898 through to 1910 heroin was marketed as a non-addictive morphine substitute and cough medicine for children." conclusion: poor fucking children of the early 1900's.
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northwest gourmet
Student

Registered: 08/12/15
Posts: 132
Loc: Canada
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Thank , i will be building a flowhood.
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drake89
Mushroom Magnate



Registered: 06/26/11
Posts: 4,168
Loc: TN
Last seen: 4 years, 10 months
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My logs are about one foot by four feet. You should not treat this as a hobby if you are in it for business purposes. That was the biggest hurdle for me and most beginner organic farmers- trying to grow too many things at once. You're smart to start out with one crop and get good at it. Maybe by next year you'll be out of your garage!
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solarity
mm... my favourite food



Registered: 03/31/09
Posts: 1,590
Loc: UK
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Glad it was helpful!
The simplest way to think of it is that every week you need to make around 5 x the weight of mushrooms you want/week. So if you want 100lbs of Oysters a week you need to make 500lbs of sub. You need to wait for the build up, if you make more than your system can handle you will just clog it up and production will never be steady.
I would recommend making logs of a size that you are comfortable handling.
Do not forget handling your waste substrate. You ideally want that set up from the start. People will not be queuing up to buy it from you !
Oh and don't forget that there is a Mushroom God, and he like to have a laugh at your expense, so promise quantity or delivery time, just not both!
-------------------- Commercial exotics farmer for 8 years - now sold up!
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northwest gourmet
Student

Registered: 08/12/15
Posts: 132
Loc: Canada
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Thanks for the great advice. Drake, what do you mean by one crop? Solarity, there is a large farming sector where I live, so I will get on that immediately lol.
The only reason I am starting with a garage of this size and a grow of this magnitude is I don't currently have an adequate space to grow.....and rather than build several times over while I grow a business, I am going to start with the space needed to supply enough to turn a profit, I can always add more building if need be.
Like I said earlier, I have the money and time....my thoughts are, if I am thinking of doing this for an area with a demand and no supply, odds are someone else is as well right? Lol. So I am going to continue to research, while I put all my knowledge and prior research to work.
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drake89
Mushroom Magnate



Registered: 06/26/11
Posts: 4,168
Loc: TN
Last seen: 4 years, 10 months
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Quote:
northwest gourmet said: Thanks for the great advice. Drake, what do you mean by one crop?
I mean growing one species. keeps things simple. forces you to get really good at it and develop a functioning production SYSTEM.
Like I said earlier, I have the money and time....my thoughts are, if I am thinking of doing this for an area with a demand and no supply, odds are someone else is as well right? Lol.
Mushroom startups come and go. most of the people with capital have no knowledge. most of the people with knowledge have no capital. seems like you have a little bit of both so you're in a good position to be successful. you have to be very good at growing mushrooms and find a market for them. If you're in a city, you may find direct marketing to be profitable. I was spending 15+hours a week delivering to restaurants before I started doing wholesale, so I was basically just spinning my wheels in the mud.
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northwest gourmet
Student

Registered: 08/12/15
Posts: 132
Loc: Canada
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Thanks, that is my plan at first. I will be growing blue oyster for a while, then adding a few other strains that have the same fruiting conditions. Or is there maybe a suggestion as to what strain to grow at first?
There is a population of 110,000 in my city..with a great community that likes to support local. Sorry to hear that it went that way for you. But it sounds like you turned it into something that works good to hear.
Thanks again
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drake89
Mushroom Magnate



Registered: 06/26/11
Posts: 4,168
Loc: TN
Last seen: 4 years, 10 months
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as i said before, grow amycel's 3015. there's really no other strain that compares that you can get in Canada. you have to call them to get a quote. and pay by check. pretty sure they have a canadian facility?
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northwest gourmet
Student

Registered: 08/12/15
Posts: 132
Loc: Canada
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I will be checking it out later today lol. Thanks. When I looked on their website the other day I believe the closest to my location is PA or IN....but I will inquire.
Thanks again.
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drake89
Mushroom Magnate



Registered: 06/26/11
Posts: 4,168
Loc: TN
Last seen: 4 years, 10 months
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Ah well if you have to import you might as well shop around. Lambert sells yellow, blue, and brown. Doesn't CANada levy a huge import tax?
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