Growing oyster mushrooms for profit is fairly easy. You can be making good money in just a few weeks. Still, you probably have some questions. Here are the top 10 FAQs about growing oyster mushrooms.

1. Why oyster mushrooms?

Exotic mushrooms are enjoying a high level of demand. Last year alone, Americans grew more than a million and a half pounds of exotic mushrooms. Oyster mushrooms, a type of exotic mushroom, are one of the easiest exotic mushrooms to grow. They can grow in about six weeks’ time, and are currently selling for about $6 a pound. They’re fairly easy to grow, they grow quickly, and they can make you good money-all reasons why you should choose them to grow for profit.

2. How should I get my spawn?

There are two ways you can get your spawn. You can make your own using a sterile culture. In the long run, this can be less costly, but the start-up costs can be very high. Instead, consider buying ready-to-inoculate spawn from a supplier.

3. What temperature should my incubation room be?

Your incubation room will need to be at a certain temperature to help your mushrooms get off to a great start. A temperature of 78 degrees F. should do the trick.

4. Can I use supplements?

You sure can. Supplements can help improve flavor and increase yields. Some popular supplements include cottonseed meal, alfalfa meal and soy meal.

5. How can I maintain a high level of cleanliness?

Make sure any surfaces that come into contact with your straw, spawn or eventual mushrooms are clean. Wipe down and disinfect all surfaces. Spray a 10% bleach solution in the air. Seal off any drafts using weather-stripping or caulk. And finally, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly before handling any substances.

6. Where can I sell oyster mushrooms?

There are three places in particular that you’ll want to try. Farmers’ markets draw big crowds who might be eager to try your mushrooms. Restaurants have to get their fresh mushrooms from somewhere, so why not from you? And finally, many supermarkets are carrying exotic mushrooms, and there’s a good chance they might want to buy yours.

7. How can I increase my sales?

Give out free samples of your mushrooms. This is how you’ll be able to sell to grocery stores and restaurants. They’ll want to taste your mushrooms before buying them. If a grocery store allows, put on demonstrations. Handing out free samples of your oyster mushrooms is a great way to increase business.

8. How much growing area do I need?

Because oyster mushrooms are so productive, you don’t need much growing area to be a success. Here are some numbers to get you thinking about what you might want. In a growing area that measures about 100 square feet, you can produce around 2,500 pounds of mushrooms a year. Selling at $6 a pound, that means even a tiny 100 square foot growing area can be worth about $15,000 a year.

9. What should I use for a substrate?

A substrate is your growing medium. Growers usually use straw. Some opt for wood chips. Straw is generally the better option, because you can find it at most feed stores for a reasonable price.

10. What if I can’t sell my mushrooms right away?

Your oyster mushrooms will be at their best when they are fresh. That’s when you want to sell them. If you can’t sell them right away, freeze or dry them to sell later. Freezing or drying enables you to sell your mushrooms days or months in the future.

Hopefully these 10 FAQs and their answers will help you get off to a strong start with your mushroom-growing business. In just a few weeks’ time you could be making some nice money.

By: Craig Wallin

About the Author:

Depending on the initial budget, on the outlet from the area of the investment, a mushroom farm can be started in two ways:

1. A mushroom farm with a continuous production, with a daily harvesting.

This is assured by a minimum of four growing rooms.
Depending on the local market there can be cultivated the white button mushrooms or oyster mushrooms

2. A mushroom farm with 1-2 growing rooms.

In this case the selling of mushrooms will take place directly on the local market. The necessary steps to start a mushroom business:

1. Decide upon the type of mushrooms you want to cultivate.

This is determined by multiple factors:

- the area you want to invest in (the local market),
- the budget you want to allocate to the investment (growing agaricus mushrooms requires a bigger investment than oyster or shiitake ones).

2. Growing system

The growing system can be:
- Dutch system of growing mushrooms, system adopted by the most mushroom farms in the world
- the tray system of growing mushrooms
- the growing system on floor (it”s an old growing system )

3. The labor force in your area.

Taking into consideration that mushroom harvesting for retail selling is manually made, make sure that the area provides you labor force.

4. Choose the right location.

A mushroom farm can be placed in:

- former livestock farms or poultry farms. These buildings require a special hygienic and insulation to achieve the right technological parameters inside
- Greenfield investment

In this case the field where the mushroom farm is to be placed must dispose of the following utilities: three-phase, access road for lorries, water coming from networks or drilled well and it must not be on a slope.

5. Investigate the market.

It is important to know which are the suppliers and at the same time where you can sell the mushrooms. Calculate the costs of the provisioning with compost, casing soil, labour costs, energy and study the local market in order to see the selling prices. In this way you can establish if the mushrooms growing can be a successful business for you or not.

6. The business plan

Like any business, a mushroom farm needs personnel, energy and fuel expenses, logistics. You will need a business plan for it. The budget must be established for every stage of the investment

7. The most important thing in a mushroom farm, for a good start of the business, is the technologist.

Without an experienced technologist you will have to do more things at the same time: growing mushrooms, finding customers, selling the production. An experienced technologist can help you to create a successful business. He will take care about quantity and quality of your production and you will take care about the market.

By: Rodica Ene

About the Author:

Not everyone has the space for a garden. But that does not mean they cannot grow tomatoes that are just as delicious as those grown outdoors. Growing tomatoes indoors can be done as successfully as they can be grown outside in a garden.

The first step in growing indoor tomatoes is to choose which variety of tomato you want to plant. Determinate varieties may be better for indoor growing, as they do not grow as large as indeterminate varieties. Crack-resistant types of tomatoes are also a good choice, as they will do better under the lights required for indoor growing.

Deciding where in your house to grow the tomatoes will depend on several factors. It is necessary to be able to get to the plant frequently to care for it, but the tomatoes should at the same time be kept out of high-traffic areas. It also has to be an area of your living space that will not get very cold, as basements and garages tend to. The floor may also be too cold, so consider growing the plants on a table. In fact, no matter where you place the plant, it should always remain warm. The temperature should stay above 60?F (about 15.5?C) at night and be at or above 70?F (about 21?C) during the day.

Tomato plants require lots of light. This is a key concern in growing them indoors. Sometimes, a location in the home that gets ample sunlight is sufficient, but often grow lights are necessary. For tomatoes in particular, a light that produces about 40 watts per square foot is needed. Grow lights may be HID, HPS, LED or MH. HID, HPS and MH are all high-intensity lights that closely resemble natural sunlight. LED lights have a long life and come in a variety of colors so you can choose the one that works best for your plant. Grow lights can be purchased at most home improvement stores.

Once the plants have a location and are in their pots, they will need to be monitored and cared for. Tomato plants need 12 to 14 hours of light from the grow lamps every day. Keep the lamps about an inch (2.5 centimeters) from the top of the plant.

The plants may need to be transplanted as they grow, as tomato plants can grow to be large. They will also need thorough, regular watering. Too much or too little water can harm the plant and ruin the fruit. The soil should dry out between watering.

Eventually, the tomatoes will start to appear on the plant as yellow blooms. At this point, the plants need phosphorus, which they can get from bone meal scratched into the top of the soil.

The plant will also need to be pollinated. Usually, the wind will pollinate the plant, but because it is being grown indoors away from the wind, it will be necessary to do this process by hand. You can simply shake the plant gently to allow it to pollinate. This can be done about once every week during the time in which the plant is producing blooms.

All tomato plants need support as they grow. A cage or stake will give the plant some support as it becomes heavier and heavier from the ripening fruit. Gently attach the plant to its support and allow it to continue growing.

Soon, you’ll be enjoying fresh tomatoes grown right in your own home.

By: Adam J Bradley

About the Author:

Mushroom gardeners abroad use different techniques for growing this delicacy. With indoor growing becoming an ever popular trend, mushroom growing kits have become a favorite for the majority. Kits contain the supplies and materials that are needed as well as detailed instructions that are easy to follow. There are kits for almost every type of mushroom and they can be grown year round without the climate being an issue. Some of the more popular types for indoor growth are portobello, oyster, shiitake, and morel. These most generally produce a better yield, often as much as three to five pounds, depending upon diligence in harvesting the mushrooms when ready to give room for the maturation of others.

Purchasing a Kit

Growing kits are available at most gardening stores and even in many larger retail stores. With many individuals turning to online shopping, there are many sites that offer supplies and kits for the mushroom enthusiast. Once a kit has been purchased, it should be meticulously inspected for colored mold and other abnormalities. If there are problems of any kind, it should be returned to the source of purchase for a replacement or a refund. Most kits are moderately priced between twenty to thirty dollars. Some types of mushrooms are also available in a jumbo variety yielding fruits that may be as big as a saucer.

Easy Use

Growing organic mushrooms indoors at home using a kit is a rather easy task that takes only a minimum amount of tending once assembled. Individuals should follow the directions that are included for assembly, care, and harvesting. Helpful tips to producing the greatest amount of yield possible are some of the following:

• Never use any type of fertilizer on mushrooms. This will kill the spores and cause the garden to fail. The soil contained in the kits has all the nutrients necessary.

• Use only rain, well, or spring water. This type of water is non-chlorinated.

• Maintain moisture in the beds. They should be damp and never wet.

• Use a spray bottle to water the beds. The bottle will allow for the water to be delivered in a mist and not poured on the beds.

• Always place the mushroom growing beds in a dark, cool, and damp area of the home such as a basement or even a cellar. When there is no other location, a large closet, cabinet, or cupboard can also be used.

• The area where the beds will be placed should be at a temperature of 55 to 65 degrees F. Never allow the temperature to go above 70 degrees F as this will destroy any chance of a yield.

• Watch closely for fully matured mushrooms. Always harvest them as soon as possible after full maturation.

Many mushroom lovers become die hard mushroom gardeners after their first success. Once they succeed indoors many move on to outdoor growing or even do both. It is, after all, rewarding to be able to enjoy the fruits of labor in a favorite dish at the end of harvesting.

By: Jackson Forrest

About the Author: