by Angie Lavezzo, CFSA Communications Coordinator | Monday, Nov. 1, 2021 –
Pink Oyster Mushrooms in Grow Bag
There are so many great reasons to grow mushrooms for yourself, your family, and your customers that it’s hard to choose just five. Mushrooms are relatively easy to grow. So much so that mushroom farms exist in all 50 states. While you don’t have to become a full-fledged mushroom farm, 它们可以使你的菜园作物或农场收入多样化.
种植足够的蘑菇来养活你的家人，并在农贸市场或餐馆出售额外的蘑菇将花费你很少的时间. In fact, after the initial setup, 当你将照看原木和袋子的时间与你所获得的食物数量相比较时，蘑菇可能最终成为你产量最高的作物.
Before we dive into the whys, let’s review the basics. How do mushrooms grow? 有些类型的蘑菇生长在土壤中，但往往更复杂的开始. For beginners, 对原木进行接种或对锯末或木屑等生长介质进行消毒, inoculating the medium, and packing it into plastic bags are more accessible projects. 原木和纸袋两种方法都有不同的优点和缺点，值得考虑.
To compare mushrooms to vegetable crops, 把菌丝体想象成你的蘑菇作物的根——在生长介质中发生了很多在它结出果实之前你看不到的活动. As the mycelium grows, it’s referred to as running in the industry. 菌丝体在开始结出果实之前，会在培养基中完全生长，以衡量有多少食物来源可用. 种植袋一般放在室内，水果比原木多. 疏松的材料使菌丝能够快速移动，并在几个月内开始结果. Logs, because of their density, can take much longer. Depending on the type of wood and mushroom used to inoculate, 它可能需要6个月到2年的时间才能开始结出果实. Logs can last for many years before they stop fruiting, though. In contrast, 种植袋大约每年都需要更换，以保持水果生产循环.
You Choose How Much Money to Invest
你可以用很少的前期投资就开始种植蘑菇. For effective inoculation, logs must be green and freshly cut, no more than 2-4 months old, depending on the season. If you own property and have tree trimming to do, logs can be obtained this way. 通过Craigslist这样的在线销售平台，你也可以花很少的钱甚至不花一分钱就找到他们. Need outside help? 与当地的树木修剪公司取得联系，让他们知道你在寻找什么. 你也可以问你购买蘑菇菌种的公司，什么样的木材最适合你感兴趣的不同类型的蘑菇.
In fact, after the initial setup, 当你将照看原木和袋子的时间与你所获得的食物数量相比较时，蘑菇可能最终成为你产量最高的作物.
Arguably, 袋装蘑菇是更可持续的选择，因为这种方法能够使用可回收的基质. Accessible to all budgets, substrate-grown mushrooms are grown on free material like woodchips, coffee grounds, or spent grains from breweries. You can spend money on bags, 但是农作物也可以用回收的塑料购物袋成功地生长.
就投资而言，主要的支出是购买菌种来接种你的材料和 your time setting up your operation. 这并不是说没有在维护上花费时间，但这是最少的. Your returns can be well worth it, 因为新鲜蘑菇目前在农贸市场上的售价在每磅12到25美元之间, depending on the variety. 把重量差异考虑在内，干蘑菇的价格差不多. 这个高市场价格不太可能很快下降，可以是一个重大的利润在你的蘑菇的生产生命.
Grow Mushrooms in Unused Areas
If you think about where mushrooms grow naturally, 这些地区通常不种植传统蔬菜作物. Mushrooms’ low labor and environmental 需求可以是一个极好的机会，使用的地区是树木或树荫太大，不能种植任何其他东西. 搭建蘑菇原木或建造一个简单的结构来保护基质生长的蘑菇袋，可以在一个下午完成，可以持续数年.
White Button Mushrooms Grown on Soil
Dried or Fresh, Mushrooms Are in High Demand
作为市场作物种植蘑菇的好处之一是用途广泛. 什么东西不能新鲜出售，可以干燥，然后包装全年出售. Mushrooms are easy to dry; some farmers don’t even bother selling them fresh and take harvests straight to the dehydrator. The market for fresh or dried mushrooms is strong. Sales have been climbing steadily over the past decade, with sales for the 2019-2020 mushroom crop at a whopping $1.15 billion in the U.S.
Provide Another Source of High-Nutrient Food to Your Family & Customers
蘑菇是一种非常多用途的烹饪材料，可以作为一道菜的主角或配角. 它们的肉质和美味、鲜味使它们受到素食者和肉食者的喜爱. The protein in mushrooms contains all nine essential amino acids. Fiber-filled, with significant anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting benefits, mushrooms are helpful with graceful aging. With so many benefits, 蘑菇是一种美味的作物，你可以很高兴地提供给你的社区. 蘑菇是如此的酷和多才多艺，它们也被用来 make fabric, new types of biodegradable “plastic有一些激动人心的菌丝体研究表明，菌丝体有这种能力 eat plastic. There’s promising research exploring mushrooms as medicine for mental health. 所有这些结合在一起，让蘑菇当之无愧地成为聚光灯下的焦点.
Mushrooms in a Spiral, Photo Credit: Mushroom Mountain
Build Soil and Amend Animal Feed
Mushrooms are the world’s composters, 而种植蘑菇意味着你可以为你的菜园提供稳定的高质量有机材料, fields, or to add to your compost pile. 和啤酒厂用过的谷物一样，用过的蘑菇基质也可以是一个很好的补充 animal feed, providing extra nutrients and antioxidants.
Learn How to Cultivate Mushrooms In-Person
Join our half-day intensive, Introduction to Mushroom Cultivation on the Farm, with Tradd Cotter at Mushroom Mountain in Easley, SC on Nov. 15, 2021. Tradd is the co-founder of Mushroom Mountain and author of Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremediation. 所有的方面，它需要开始增长和维持生产将被涵盖. 这是一个独特的、亲身实践的机会，可以向有几十年经验的蘑菇种植者学习.
In addition to Introduction to Mushroom Cultivation on the Farm作为2021年可持续农业大会的一部分，Tradd将领导两个虚拟研讨会: Four Easy Ways to Grow Mushrooms at Home and Cultivating Mushrooms on Pasteurized & Sterilized Substrates.
Join Us at SAC 2021
This November, CFSA’s Sustainable Agriculture Conference 会聚集一群在卡罗来纳种植可持续本地食物系统的人. Please join us at SAC 2021 to learn, share knowledge, make valuable connections, and “see” old friends. If you haven’t been yet, we invite you to join us this year.
Learn more about this year’s conference by perusing this SAC 2021 program. Registration runs through Nov. 15, so it’s not too late to sign up!