Pink Oysters mushrooms are one of the easiest species to grow. They are fast to colonize, produce a ton of fruits, and aren’t at all afraid of less than perfect conditions. I just recently finished a fun backyard grow, and wanted to share how easy it is to produce a fresh bounty of one of nature’s prettiest fungi.  WHAT MAKES PINK OYSTERS DIFFERENT? Pink Oysters are stunningly beautiful, producing huge bouquets of overlapping fruits that are truly (almost shockingly) pink. One unique feature when compared to other types of Oysters is that they are heat tolerant. They can easily be grown mid-s ..read more

New to growing mushrooms? If so, you may just be a little mystified – which is totally understandable. There is a ton of information to try and digest and make sense of. Terms like inoculation, agar transfers, laminar flow- what does all of this mean? And what of all this do I really need to know? I just want to grow some mushrooms! Don’t fret- because if you really dive into the hobby of mushroom cultivation, it will all make sense before you know it. In the mean time, check out some of these great tips to you get started. 1. Start With a Mushroom Grow Kit By far the e ..read more

New to mushrooms? You’ve come to the right place. At FreshCap, we know mushrooms. And we want to share that knowledge with you! Growing mushrooms can be a ton of fun. But there is so much to learn! Use this page to help navigate your way through the information on the site. First step- join thousands of other mushroom growers and join the mushroom growing group on Facebook! Lots of helpful folks there to help you on a mushroom growing journey ? Join Group THE BASICS Learn the 7 basic steps to the Mushroom growing process, an outline of what’s involved in mushroom cultivation Che ..read more

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Mycelium, agar, colonization… what does it all mean? Here’s a quick primer on some of the most common terms used in mushroom cultivation. Agar: A seaweed derived powder used to make a nutrified media for petri dishes and master culture slants. Autoclave: A vessel or pot that can be pressurized with steam. Used for sterilizing grain, substrates and agar. Biological Efficiency: A measurement of yield. A ratio of the amount of fresh mushrooms you harvest to the weight of the wet substrate. Block (fruiting): A term referring to the cube shape of the supplemented sawdust once it has been grown ..read more

Making grain spawn at home doesn’t have to be that complicated. If you can make spawn yourself, it allows you to grow basically any type of “cultivatable” mushroom you want. Read on to find out how you can make your own grain spawn easily at home without needing too much space, or without the need to invest a bunch of money into building out your own lab. You will still need some equipment (most notably a pressure cooker) but you won’t need an expensive laminar flow hood, which is usually the biggest barrier to entry for new growers. Making grain spawn can be ..read more

Believe it or not, it’s actually not that hard to grow your own medicinal mushrooms. Of course, it can be complicated- but I wanted to show you a easy way to grow your very own Reishi mushrooms using the “mini-greenhouse” method. This method works so well because it mimics the traditional method the Reishi is grown at scale, where whole logs are inoculated with Reishi and placed inside large shaded greenhouses in warm humid climates. For this mini greenhouse, the basic process involves taking fully colonized fruiting blocks, burying them in a thin layer of garden soil, and then installing a m ..read more

Buying a mushroom growing kit is by far the easiest way to start growing mushrooms at home. That’s because edible mushroom grow kits are totally beginner friendly- requiring almost no special skills, tools, or other equipment. Other than the mushroom kit itself, you probably already have everything you need at home. These easy to use mushroom kits allow new growers to get a feel for what it’s like to farm mushrooms without having to dive to deep into the hobby. So are these kits worth buying? If you can find a high quality kit, then yes- absolutely. There are loads of different branded mushroo ..read more

If you’re just starting to learn about growing mushrooms, the process can seem overwhelming. There is so much to learn! Unfortunately, that can be a turn off for some people who are looking to get into the hobby. The truth is, growing mushrooms can be as simple, or as complicated, as you want it to be.   I find it can be helpful to break down seemingly complex processes into simple steps. That way, you can easily identify where you want to jump in, and how far you want to wade into the deep end! LEVEL 1: Starting From A Kit If you’ve never had any experience with cultivation bef ..read more

At first glance, mushroom mycelium can be somewhat unassuming. Because it doesn’t look like much is happening, the casual observer might not expect anything from this white filament like substance, slowly feasting it’s way across organic matter. But behind this humble appearance hides an enormous amount of potential energy, which- if properly handled- can be unleashed in the form of delicious gourmet mushrooms. This is where Alex Winstead comes in, apex grower and owner of Cascadia Mushrooms. Starting in 2005, Alex has been honing his skills, artfully controlling ..read more