Here is a project that will keep the gardener busy during this time of year.Have you ever given consideration to growing mushrooms? Just think your very own mushrooms whenever you needed them for cooking and salads. You can easily grow mushrooms outdoors but I think you are better off growing mushrooms indoors. You completely avoid the insects and diseases that are prevalent outdoors. I am not entertaining growing wild mushrooms but growing mushrooms that you know are safe to consume like shiitake,oyster or portabella.

It would be wise to try your hand at growing mushrooms inside in the beginning and maybe later you can graduate to the outdoors. You can learn to be a mycologist by researching and studying the different species so that you have the ability to identify the poisonous wild mushrooms that find their way into your patch of cultivated fungi. Incidentally a mycologist is one who makes a study of fungi.

I think it best to cover just growing mushrooms indoors. The first method of growing mushrooms would be to buy spawn,germinated mushroom spores,and using a growing medium such as sawdust,compost or newspaper to begin your growing mushrooms. Spawn can be procured from numerous websites selling mushrooms and should be accompanied by very detailed instructions. Always check to make sure that complete instructions,helpful information or supplies are included. You should never purchase from any vendor if you are not going to receive the complete package.

Now my approach in growing mushrooms,at least in the beginning,is to purchase a mushroom kit which is designed to immediately allow starting with the growing phase. A kit will include all the required components to grow several crops of mushrooms. There are many types of mushroom kits available but the most popular are the shiitake,oyster and portabella. These kits will allow you to grow several crops over an eight to twelve week period.

The benefits of growing mushrooms is not only from the satisfaction of a successful crop but can be good for the health.Mushrooms are very nutritious and are low in calories, with a very small amount of fat and cholesterol. A basic serving of five small mushrooms contains 2 grams of protein, just about as much potassium as a banana and three B vitamins. Mushrooms also are a valuable source of selenium, a nutrient found in meats that may be in short supply in vegetarian diets.

The other benefits in growing mushrooms comes from the delicious and innovative ways you can prepare them for consumption. They are outstanding in salads or how about cooking up some portabella on the stove with some port wine and worcestershire sauce and then fill them with a mixture of onions,garlic,peppers,more mushrooms,and spinach all chopped and bake in the oven for about 10 minutes. It is truly almost like eating a small steak. If you purchase the same mushrooms in your local store,they are already 5-6 days old. Growing mushrooms can be a great hobby which could also become a small business. There is a great deal of information concerning the growing of mushrooms at http://www.gardenersgardening.com/growingmushrooms.html

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We visited with the Oregon mycological society to see how they grow different types of delicious mushrooms for the home garden.

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I have been a gardener for over 20 years. I have decided to publish what i have learned for both beginners and experienced gardeners. My web site is at http://www.gardenersgardening.com

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Mushrooms have been used for centuries by traditional people and shamans or medicine men to go into altered states of consciousness and visit other dimensions. Magic mushrooms or hallucinogenic fungi such as the fly agaric or Amanita muscaria must be used carefully as they can be toxic, especially when identified incorrectly. Many species or varieties of mushrooms that may appear very similar can have vastly different properties.

Mushroom identification out in the woods or forests is a skill our ancestors acquired eons ago, but in our modern age that puts more value on science and material wealth than appreciation of nature and spirituality, being expert at identifying specific plants and knowing their applications are talents and abilities that have fallen by the wayside. Unless you are a mycologist, a mushroom scientist, or a serious student of the different kinds of mushrooms that grow in nature, you are likely to be ill equipped to correctly know the difference between, for example, an Amanita muscaria and one of its look-alike cousins in the mushroom family.

When it comes to finding any kind of mushroom out in the wild, your search will be most productive if you know not only when but also where to do your looking. Wild mushrooms are not like vegetables in a garden that are planted and harvested on a convenient time schedule. To the uninitiated observer it may seem that they have minds of their own, appearing and disappearing with very little rhyme or reason. But, like our ancestors of old who were in tune with the natural rhythms of the earth, those who closely study wild fungi know there are likely areas and seasons when one’s quest for these marvelous morsels will be most productive.

In the Northern Hemisphere, Amanita muscaria grow as natives all through the temperate and boreal regions. In addition, they have accidentally been transported to a large number of Southern Hemisphere countries. Searches will be most productive in woodlands where birch, pine, cedar fir and spruce trees are abundant. Although they are most often found in the fall, the seasonal variations are dependant on various climate zones. Whereas in the greatest areas of North America they appear during the summer and autumn, in Pacific coastal regions they come out later, in the late fall and early winter.

In some parts of Australia, particularly in the southeast, Amanita grows like a weed, and there are concerns, especially in rainforest areas around Victoria and Tasmania that it could be pushing out some native species.

For someone desiring to plant their own garden of Amanita mushrooms, they are advised to do so in the autumn or spring. Most of the growth happens underground during spring and summer, and depends on how much rainfall there is, or, if you are watering the garden yourself, according to how much moisture the soil contains.

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fragment of a discovery channel video about the rainforest. I like the mushroom part and actually it is not that difficult to make a similar video

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Advice on the easiest way to find Amanita muscaria mushrooms is available online at the Amanita muscaria report website, http://amanitamuscariareport.com.

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One of the easiest plants to grow and from which you can reap fast rewards is the ever popular tomato.

With just a little planning and not much hard work, you’ll find growing tomatoes will satisfy your sense of achievement. They can be grown almost anywhere, in containers, greenhouses, balconies or the garden bed.

You can start them from seed easily; the varieties and choices you have to suit your tastebuds are endless, and you can expect abundant harvests, with few guidelines to follow. Home-grown tomatoes taste a lot better than commercially grown ones because you can pick and eat them fresh from the plant. You can get a better quality, tasting tomato from the seed catalogues and they give you a much wider range of tomatoes than any supermarket could possibly offer. The descriptions will help you find tomatoes that are exceptional and suited to your taste and environment.

You can start from seed or seedlings, why not experiment with both if you’re a novice. If you are starting from seed then sow them indoors several weeks before you expect the last frost in your area and they will be ready to transplant outdoors when the soil warms up. Aim to give them a minimum six hours of sunshine. Prepare the soil, ensuring that it is well drained. To give a flying start to your season adding mushroom compost to the soil which works wonders for the seedlings.

When transplanting seedlings, bury all the seedling stem below the ground, leaving only the top leaves exposed. This encourages roots to grow the full length of the stem, which is below soil level, giving you a large root system. This in turn gives you larger healthier fruit and is a little trick my grandfather taught me; works fantastic too.

If your particular plant requires staking, put the stake in the hole first to save damage to the rooting system. Be sure to water your plants as soon as you have transplanted them, you can use a seaweed fertilizer at this point.

When growing tomatoes make sure the conditions remain constant throughout the growing season, that means maintain a moist soil and do not let them dry out as you risk them being exposed to the disease blossom end rot, or you may find that the fruit will crack. Check the soil regularly; cheap gauges are readily available for this purpose. On the other hand don’t over water as waterlogged soil causes fungal diseases.

When growing tomatoes keep a sharp eye out for the first flowers to appear, you can then use a liquid fertilizer every couple of weeks and a little potash can be added at this stage. Do not make the mistake of thinking the more fertilizer the better; this will only result in excess foliage growth and reduced fruit production.

When the weather warms up use organic mulch around your plants to save precious water; to encourage more root growth and a stronger plant you can build the level of the mulch right up to the level of the bottom leaves.

If you have no garden or limited space then all is not lost; you can grow tomatoes in pots or containers; there are many miniature and cherry varieties to choose from. A 16 – 20 inch pot is about right, just use a potting mixture instead of soil. Remember to check your pots regularly for water as they will dry out quickly, especially in summer. A self watering container makes the job easier and if you can install a tap on the balcony, it would save carrying water through your apartment. Don’t limit yourself to tomatoes, with a little thought you can grow lots of other things like herbs, lettuce, egg plants, etc. just by using containers.

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Some mushrooms growing over a period of about 4 days. The video was cut short because a shroom started growing in front of the camera and knocked it over. This is the MYG casing kit in action available at www.mushbox.com

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Colin Price has been very successful in all types of gardening over many years. Find out how you can take advantage of his knowledge and success and create your own beautiful and productive garden at => http://www.EquipYourGarden.com

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Hunting for morel mushrooms typically runs from early April and runs through June depending on your geographical location.  The Great Lakes region in the United States is the most popular hunting grounds for morel mushrooms but they have also been found in almost all of the lower 48 states. 

Morel Mushrooms

Most hunters will agree that the weather has the most effect on the availability and quality of these elusive mushrooms.  Typically the day time temperature around 60 to 70 degrees, night time temperatures not less than 40 degrees and the soil temperatures of about 50 to 60 degrees with good ground moisture levels are ideal for moral growing.

Moral mushrooms are found in small patches under dead or dying elms, ash, apple and even pine trees.  The seem to like to hide under or near thickets or other plant small plants growing in the area but since the ground cover varies a lot each patch of mushrooms you come upon may be growing in totally different conditions.  Once you find a good spot you will need to check it year after year.

Young Morel Mushrooms

After a forest fire the moral mushroom seems to grow abundantly for the next two or three years and a lot of commercial pickers will follow the forest fire reports and first hunt in these recently burned areas.

Morel mushrooms can last for about two weeks before it starts to decay if the weather is good.  Morels have been known to grow as much as one half of an inch in 24 hours.  Since the shrooms do not have a use-by-date on them it is necessary that you examine each one collected for any decay.  Look under the caps for any signs of decay.  Many collectors will use the 50 percent rule when dealing with these mushrooms; if 50 percent is still good then bag it.  It is also recommended that you do not keep them for more than three or four days before eating.

To harvest simply pinch or twist of the mushroom at ground level.  It is recommended that your collection bag be a large open weave design.  Some hunters believe that the open bag will facilitate the spoors falling to the ground, during your travels, allowing for a crop next year.   Others think this is an old wives tell but at the very least the open weave design will allow tiny nasty forest critters to fall off the mushroom.

After harvesting, take them to a sink and rinse them in cold water to remove any foreign particles which include bugs.  Then cut then lengthwise and rinse them again.  Sore the clean mushrooms in a bowl with a cloth draped over them.

If this is your first time hunting, you should always go with someone who has several years shroom hunting experience.  They can show you how and where to hunt successfully and in addition they can show you what a good moral looks like.  Never eat a mushroom before you check to see if it is poisonous or not.  Many good web sites exist that have very good pictures and description of the edible and poisonous verities of mushrooms.
Attending a Moral Mushroom Festival are excellent sources of information for the newbie and seasoned hunter alike.  Muscoda, Wisconsin is the self-styled Morel Mushroom Capital of Wisconsin and this may be a good place to start. 

Some of the other festivals are:

Mansfield, Indiana
April 28-29, 2007

Irvine, Kentucky
April 28-29, 2007

May 4, 5, 6, 2007
Richmond, Missouri

 May 4-5, 2007
Magnolia, Illinois

Mesick, Michigan
May 11 thru May 13, 2007

Lewiston, Michigan
May 12th, 2007

Boyne City, Michigan
May 17 – 20 2007

Happy Treasure Hunting.

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An instructional video on some basic casing techniques for growing mushrooms

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David Cowley has created numerous articles on Treasure Hunting. He has also created a Web Site dedicated to Treasure Hunting. Visit Treasure Hunting

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If you’re not the type of person that wants to spend their time managing an elaborate fruit or vegetable garden, you might consider planting and maintaining an herb garden. While the product might not seem as significant, you’ll still enjoy the constant availability of fresh, delicious herbs to flavor your meals with.

First you’ll want to choose the herbs that you’ll plant. You might have a hard time doing this because of the huge scope of herbs available. But the best way to choose is to do what I did; just look at what you have in your kitchen. By planting your own collection of these herbs, you can save money on buying them from the grocery store while having the added benefit of freshness. Some of the herbs you might start with include rosemary, sage, basil, dill, mint, chives, and parsley among others.

When choosing an area to put your herb garden, you should remember that the soil should have extremely good drainage. If the dirt gets watered and stays completely saturated, you have no chance of ever growing a healthy plant. One of the best ways to fix the drainage problem is to dig a foot deep in the soil, and put a layer of crushed rocks down before replacing all the soil. This will allow all that water to escape, thus saving your plants.

When you are ready to begin planting herbs, you might be tempted to buy the more expensive plants from the store. However, with herbs it is much easier to grow them from seed than it is with other plants. Therefore you can save a bundle of money by sticking with seed packets. Some herbs grow at a dangerously fast rate. For example, if you plant a mint plant in an open space then it will take over your entire garden in a matter of days. The best way to prevent this problem is to plant the more aggressive plants in pots (with holes in the bottom to allow drainage, of course). When it comes time to harvest the herbs you have labored so hard over, it can be fatal to your plant to take off too much. If your plant isn’t well established, it isn’t healthy to take any leaves at all, even if it looks like its not using them. You should wait until your plant has been well established for at least several months before taking off any leaves. This wait will definitely be worth it, because by growing unabated your plant will produce healthily for years to come.

Once you’ve harvested your delicious home grown herbs, you’ll want to use them in cooking. Why else would you have grown them? Well first the process begins with drying them out. This is easily achieved by placing them on a cookie sheet and baking them 170 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 to 4 hours. After they’re sufficiently dried to be used in cooking, you can consult the nearest cookbook for instructions on using them to effectively flavor a dish.

If you want to store your herbs for later usage, you should keep them in a plastic or glass container. Paper or cardboard will not work, because it will absorb the taste of the herbs. During the first few days of storage, you should regularly check the container and see if any moisture has accumulated. If it has, you must remove all the herbs and re-dry them. If moisture is left from the first drying process, it will encourage mildew while you store your herbs. Nobody likes mildew.

So if you enjoy herbs or gardening, or both, then you should probably consider setting up an herb garden. It might require a little bit of work at first to set it up for optimal drainage, and pick what herbs you want to grow. But after the initial hassle, it’s just a matter of harvesting and drying all your favorite herbs.

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www.fungifun.org My longest time lapse so far. 1661 images were photographed over a time period of 5 days, 18 hours and 25 minutes. A Canon PowerShot G3 digital camera connected to a computer was programmed to take one shot every 5 minutes. Processing was done with Photoshop and VirtualDub. The substrate was rye, the casing consisted of peat moss, vermiculite and crushed limestone.

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Read about how to grow tomatoes and how to grow grass at the How to Grow Things website.

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