Whether for a kitchen garden or a science experiment, these kits allow you to grow mushrooms at home. They typically include a colonized substrate and instructions on how to mist it two times per day during the growing cycle.
Kits vary in how long they take to fruit, but all are easy to use and come with clear instructions. Some even have guarantees on their first harvests.
Substrate
Some mushroom species require specific growing conditions that may be difficult to mimic in a grow kit. This is why it is important to check if the kits are designed for beginners and not intended for advanced cultivation.
Some kits offer a ready-to-fruit substrate block that eliminates the need to prepare the substrate and inoculate it yourself. This makes the process faster and simpler, but you still have to be careful about sourcing good quality mushroom spawn.
If you are a beginner or want to get a feel for cultivating mushrooms, we recommend starting with a ready-to-fruit mushroom grow kit that contains all the ingredients necessary for success. Most reputable suppliers also offer a grow guarantee for their mushroom grow kits. Some kits produce more than one flush of mushrooms, which allows you to enjoy your crop over a longer period. This is especially beneficial if you live in an area with a shorter growing season.
Water
Mushroom grow kits offer a convenient way to cultivate mushrooms without dealing with soil and pots. They contain the mushroom spawn and the growing block in one package, making them ideal for beginners or kids. The growing blocks are made of organic material such as sawdust and wheat bran, so you can rest assured the fungi are being grown in an environmentally friendly manner.
These kits are also easy to maintain, requiring no special equipment aside from misting the substrate a few times each day. Most mushroom grow kit instructions include detailed information on how to maintain proper conditions for your mushrooms. Some may recommend soaking the substrate over a six to 12-month period, while others may suggest utilizing a humidity tent in drier climates.
These types of mushroom kits typically produce one or two flushes of mushrooms, and once the mycelium is spent, it needs to be tossed. However, you can often use the fully colonized substrate as mushroom spawn for your next project, or bury it outside and it will eventually become soil-enriching compost.
Humidity
Mushrooms need a high level of humidity to form fruiting bodies. A kit’s instructions will advise how to maintain proper humidity levels, including using a mister or making a simple fruiting chamber. Mushrooms that grow long and leggy typically indicate a lack of fresh air exchange.
One of our favorite budget-friendly kits comes from the aptly named 2FunGuys, which grows shiitake mushrooms in a log-style block. This mushroom growth kit has one of the higher product yields at the end of the first flush. However, it’s more aesthetically difficult to work with than the other kits tested because of its purple and black packaging and the fact that it has a dome that looks like an ICEE lid on top of it.
The instructions on this kit are more clear about how to manage the mushrooms, which include a benchmark that indicates when the mushrooms have stopped releasing water and when they’re ready to harvest. This is a nice addition that more kits could use to help new users understand best growing practices.
Light
Like any living thing, mushroom kits require regular misting and a good environment in order to produce. Many companies that provide kits will give you detailed instructions on how to care for them and what type of conditions they thrive in.
Generally, you will want to place the kit in a dark room that is cool but not cold and spritz it with water two or three times a day. Most kits will come with a spray bottle that you can use for this.
If you do not follow these instructions, it is possible that the mushrooms may not grow and/or not fruit properly. This is the primary reason why it is important to choose a company that provides easy-to-follow instructions when purchasing a kit!
