If you're looking for a unique and potentially lucrative business to start, you might want to consider becoming a mushroom grower. Mushroom growers can choose from a wide range of mushrooms. Furthermore, mushroom growing businesses can be of any size.
It's absolutely possible to have a lucrative business growing edible mushrooms on a small scale, and the start-up costs are minimal. Though, you may need to seek out a loan to start a larger scale mushroom growing business. Here's how you can do it:
Decide What Type of Mushroom You Want to Grow
Due to the fact that there are many different types of mushrooms that you can choose from, choosing what type of mushroom you'll grow might be more challenging than you'd think. White button mushrooms are commonly sold in supermarkets, and they're what most people recognize as cooking mushrooms. However, you can also grow chanterelles, shiitake mushrooms, and many more varieties. These are a few mushrooms that you might want to consider growing and a few key facts about them:
- Chanterelles: Chanterelles are orange mushrooms, which have a shape that's similar to oyster mushrooms. They tend to have a fairly smooth texture and appearance. They tend to have a velvety consistency, and their flavor is earthy and woodsy.
- Shiitake Mushrooms: Shiitake mushrooms have a mild taste, and their texture is quite meaty. In fact, they can even be used as a substitute for burgers!
- Enoki Mushrooms: Enoki mushrooms are long and thin, and their flavor is fairly mild.
- Oyster Mushrooms: Oyster mushrooms are great for a wide range of dishes, and their flavor tends to be relatively mild. They also tend to be very easy to grow, which makes them a great choice for beginners.
- Morel Mushrooms: Morel mushrooms have a very strong earthy and nutty flavor, and they're quite valuable compared to many other mushroom varieties.
Figure Out Where You'll Grow Your Mushrooms
If you have a basement, you may be able to start a small mushroom growing operation that's based out of your home. Homeowners without a basement may be able to use a closet or another small, dark space in the house. Furthermore, it's important to realize that you'll need to use a substrate material of some kind, which means that you'll need to find an area of your home where you'll be able to have bags that contain dirt, wood chips, or other substrate material.
Can You Grow Mushrooms Outdoors?
While mushrooms do grow outdoors, spores from mushrooms in other areas of your yard could contaminate the crop. Therefore, it's important to only grow your mushrooms in an indoor, controlled environment.
How Long Will It Take to Grow the Mushrooms?
After you set up the substrate, moisten it, and add the spores, it typically will take a period of three weeks or so for the mushrooms to mature. However, some types of mushrooms can take a year or even longer to grow.
