Want to (potentially) do well outside? Always wanted to post this. Albeit, it invloves mostly sops, it's one of the first things I had success with when I started years ago. The reason it's called pot-luck is explained below.
Grow your spawn first. Then go to horse stable that has alot of horses and uses sawdust/chips (not too large pieces) for bedding. Go for a large pile (I mean "King-of-the-hill" large) that is smelling distictly like ammonia when you dig a little (don't worry if what you dig smells like it still). Go a couple shovels deep and look for stuff that is not "mucky" soaked, or full of sand, ants, or something other than compost. Take every shovel carefully choosing the burning hot stuff...grey is good (actinomyce) and fill garbage bags with it. You will have to move around to find the good scoops. Watch out for bugs, worms, etc. It's a sign it's not hot enough for using. This compost should burn your fingers when placed into pile.
Bring compost to area in sun (or shade is ok if it's tropical) where soil, drains well. Place two normal size garbage bags on the ground in an area about 3ft X 4ft and a foot or so tall. Break it up some and remove any foreign things like horse hair, large stones etc.
Now (with a garden hose) soak it with water for five or ten minutes with a hose, without letting the water spread it too far out of it's "mound". Keep the mound around six-eight inches tall, sometimes reshaping with your hands while watering (while not bringing dirty soil, into the mix).
Water the compost until the water runs out of it clear...the yellow/brown urine, bubbles, etc. is gone. This takes a while.
After it's washed place about six to eight colonized BRF cakes (pints) or better...colonized rye grain (four quarts or so) or similiar, broken into pieces throughout the "mound". Be sure to cover any little piece of spawn sticking out by poking it further into the mound with your finger.
Casing (Spawning and casing are done at the same time)
Now take some clean, dry peat moss and break it up in a barrel or bucket until it's fine. Place layer by layer onto the top of mound covering every little bit of it. After each layer, mist it with highb power mist to moisten it just a little...Not completely. This casing goes on early but slightly dry and it protects the mound until fruiting like a peat bog protects a 2000 year old corpse.
Now place good quality, seed-free(relatively) straw(not hay) on top of mound. It provides a nice humid microclimate for your mushrooms, plus hides everything well under the mounds. Place about eight or more inches on top...The mushrooms can easily grow a foot each with this tek.
Water daily for half to one minute (sometimes 1.5 min. depending upon climate and sun, etc.). Just keep the top of the peat slightly moist with daily gentle waterings.. After first week you can give the mounds a little soaking once each week, about one and one half to two extra minutes. If it rains then don't water for several days unless it dries out.
Fluff the straw daily to provide fresh air and keep anaerobic activity down.
Pray it doesn't rain for first couple weeks (maybe plan with forecats prior to planting), and at temp around 75 to 80, will be colonized within two to four weeks. Keep extra mound (if possible) for occasionally checking the progress and colonization inside.
After it's quite colonized in about 18 to 25 days (at 70F + daytime temp), the mycelium will really start poking through the surface. Now it's time to soak each mound for as long as you like. I give five tor ten minutes each mound. This completes casing moisture, cools the mound down (temporarily), and initiates fruiting.
If they begin fruiting prior to this then give them a good soaking and keep the straw fluffed up so the mushrooms have some air while remaining covered by straw.
Tomatoes and peppers do great in between the mounds(buy ones already fruiting) and offer reason for being out there bent over all the time.
When the mushrooms are mature utilize a sharp knife to cut each mushroom at the base. Do not pull the mushrooms out! The leftover stem base will revert back into mycelium so don't worry about leaving it on the mound.
After each flush, give it a day or two and soak again. After the first flush, it's difficult to overwater, except during fruiting and the mushrooms become overly saturated. Keep the microclimate humid with daily mistings utilizing your thumb over the end of the hose-You require a decent stream to penetrate all the straw.
I had 1/4 acre like this towards end of using this tek. You couldn't imagine. The first field I ever had (much smaller) produced over 250 lbs dry within 65 days.
The straw will rise as they grow and you have to cover the mushrooms poking through now and then...But depending upon your location...This tek can offer a decent return...stealth. It does look slightly obscure when every seven to ten days your golden field of straw raises a foot or so...then you pick and it's down again. Blame it on field mice.
Always wanted to pass this tek on, although it's basic mushroom cultivation and not much new. The semi-dry peat seems to protect the mound well until it's fully colonized...provided it doesn't rain too often in the beginning.
It's called "potluck", because sometimes you get a half pound dry per mound and sometimes you get 3 or more dry pounds per mound. I went indoors years ago for greater control...and because I could.
Even if your compost is compromised, you often can still acquire one or two nice flushes. Have fun!
Regards and gratitude to the man who first taight me this method and introduced me to the world of mushrooms and mushroom science (and one big trip). He once told me that "learning to cultivate mushrooms would be more of a trip than taking them"...and he was ultimately correct. He's now away for a very long time in a very bad place due to very bad people for doing very good things and I hope he makes it through the rain.
Edited by happyday (07/16/08 02:13 AM)
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