Chestnut Mushrooms Home Grow Kit

How to setup your mushroom growing kit: Firstly open up the box, cutting along the dotted lines and raising the side flaps with the plastic neatly hooked over, this should form a nice square for your topsoil to be placed.Locate your kit anywhere indoors, out of direct sunlight in an area which is between 14-21 degrees C. Add 100mls of water to the topsoil bag and then evenly distribute the casing soil over the compost, Do not compact this down, it is best left loose and fluffy. Place the lid loosely back on for 8 days to allow the mycelium to colonize the topsoil. Begin spraying your topsoil twice daily to provide ideal fruiting conditions. Your mushrooms will be ready to pick in another 8-16 days. Pinning10-18 days after removing the lid, primodia (pins) will begin to form on the topsoil, these will double in size over night as they grow to maturation. Fruiting and Harvesting16-24 days have passed and your kit will now be in crop. It is best to pick the entire crop at the same time by gently twisting and pulling out the entire mushroom, root included. The entire fruit body is edible, aside from the very base, closest to the root. Mushrooms are best picked before they drop spores and just before the edges begin to upturn, to leave them on past this will not make the mushrooms grow any larger, but will stop them keeping as well in the fridge and make them softer than they should be.

How to harvest: To harvest your mushrooms it is important you do not leave any root on the topsoil as this will hinder further crops. To pick your mushrooms correctly and avoid leaving in any root, you should gently twist and pull the entire mushroom out taking the root with you as pictured. Then simply slice and discard the root and enjoy the mushroom you have just grown.

Growing Tips: The growing process will start when you remove the lid and activate with the top soil. They kits can be stored chilled for several weeks before use.