Do you have a shady area in your yard that you wish you could grow some food in?\u00a0 Well, not every crop craves sun the way most due.\u00a0 Get yourself some hardwood logs and spore dowels and you could be growing delicious and valuable shiitake mushrooms for years to come.\u00a0 Here are some tips to get you started.<\/p>\n
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First, you will need to get spore dowels or plugs.\u00a0 There are plenty of retailers online that carry them it shouldn\u2019t be too difficult to find some with good reviews.\u00a0 You will also need to collect some fresh cut hardwood logs to put your plugs in.\u00a0 Oak is the best, but other hardwoods will work if you just can\u2019t get your hands on oak.<\/p>\n
Then, soak your logs in water for 24 hours.\u00a0 After they have absorbed all the water they can, take them out and start drilling the holes that you will fill with your spore dowels.\u00a0 Place the holes 6 inches apart from each other in a straight line.\u00a0 Depending on the size of you log you can make several lines of holes, but make sure that you alternate the spacing, so that your next line of holes start in between the first holes, not directly below them.<\/p>\n
Then, fill the holes with the spore dowels.\u00a0 Make sure that they are a little bit below the surface of the log and not flush with it.<\/p>\n
Next, seal the dowels in order to protect them from competing fungi.\u00a0 This can be done with bee\u2019s wax.\u00a0 You can either melt some in a pan or use a candle.<\/p>\n
After you have sealed the dowels in the log all you have to do is stack them.\u00a0 You can make a log cabin pattern, or an \u201cA\u201d frame.\u00a0 The logs are stacked mainly to keep them off the ground to again reduce the chances of contamination with competitive fungi.<\/p>\n
Keep your logs from drying out.\u00a0 They should produce mushrooms for you in six months, and then every spring and fall for years to come, basically until the logs completely fall apart.<\/p>\n
Harvest the mushrooms when about 2\/3 of the gills are visible.<\/p>\n
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Don\u2019t see your shade as a limitation for sun loving crops, but rather an opportunity to grow something a little different.<\/p>\n
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