The Mushroom Farm
I inoculated the logs in the mushroom farm with three types of shiitake spores. Snowcaps, the early ones, fruited both last fall and this spring. And now the wide range WR-46 logs have gone berserk.
These logs contain four different species and are designed to fruit over most of the summer.
Weather conditions (rain for a week) were ideal and here are 8.5 pounds of shiitakes I harvested yesterday. As organically grown fresh shiitakes, they are worth more in a big city market than what I paid for all the expenses of the mushroom farm!
The third set of logs contain warm weather WW-44 spores and have done nothing. So, I called the spore producer and indicated as such. He suggested a few things including watering and restacking the logs just before the next change in weather. I suggested that if that didn't work I would probably use the logs for firewood. He was aghast. He said the spores are in the logs and are just waiting for the right conditions to kick them off. So, I'll be patient. I have nothing to lose.
I've decided to grow a second kind of mushroom called Wine Caps down in the Hillside Garden. These grow on wood chips (young mulch), on the ground, in partial shape (where nothing else will grow). They should fruit in late fall if I pick the right spot and will keep coming back thereafter so long as I continue feeding them fresh wood chips.
These logs contain four different species and are designed to fruit over most of the summer.
Weather conditions (rain for a week) were ideal and here are 8.5 pounds of shiitakes I harvested yesterday. As organically grown fresh shiitakes, they are worth more in a big city market than what I paid for all the expenses of the mushroom farm!
The third set of logs contain warm weather WW-44 spores and have done nothing. So, I called the spore producer and indicated as such. He suggested a few things including watering and restacking the logs just before the next change in weather. I suggested that if that didn't work I would probably use the logs for firewood. He was aghast. He said the spores are in the logs and are just waiting for the right conditions to kick them off. So, I'll be patient. I have nothing to lose.
I've decided to grow a second kind of mushroom called Wine Caps down in the Hillside Garden. These grow on wood chips (young mulch), on the ground, in partial shape (where nothing else will grow). They should fruit in late fall if I pick the right spot and will keep coming back thereafter so long as I continue feeding them fresh wood chips.
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