How to Grow Mushrooms in Greenhouse: A Step-By-Step Guide for Seed to Harvest

Like many plants, the mushroom is a fungus that can be grown in greenhouses as a food plant. Unlike most plants, mushrooms do not need sunlight to grow. As a matter of fact, mushrooms thrive in dark, cool environments. Having a space like this in your greenhouse, or making a few modifications to create one, may allow you to grow mushrooms. The trend of growing gourmet mushrooms in a greenhouse has become increasingly popular, with many people worldwide turning to this alternative to cultivate delicious gourmet mushrooms at home.

How to Grow Mushrooms in Greenhouse

Equipment You Need To Grow Mushrooms in Your Greenhouse

A four-tier Greenhouse: It is an excellent way to provide the mushrooms with a controlled environment. Furthermore, it saves a lot of space and can be used indoors. In addition, it can accommodate several trays or blocks.
Humidifiers: It is possible to control the humidity level inside your greenhouse by installing a humidifier. If your humidifier has no fan, loosen the cover several times daily to let fresh air in. Your humidifier would be better if it had a fan, which forces moist and fresh air into the chamber.
Hygrometer: Using humidifiers can sometimes lead to too much moisture, which is why a hygrometer is vital. The hygrometer lets you track the humidity level inside your greenhouse.
Filter Patch Bags: Mushrooms require some serious disinfection to grow. You can prevent impurities from entering the sterilized substrate by using filter patch bags. Using these patch bags, you can manage nutrient-rich medium and adjust exotic mushroom output.
Grow Lights: Grow lights provide the specific light condition your mushrooms require. Just make sure that it does not generate too much heat.
Mushroom Logs/Trays: Trays and logs are two of the most common methods of mushroom growth. Typically, mushroom trays are two feet long and around 10 to 12 inches deep. It is possible to construct these trays from scrap wood or prefabricated trays. Add mushroom spawn to the trays after filling them with a growing medium. Use a log instead if you want to grow a few mushrooms. Most logs are 4 to 6 inches in diameter, around 40 inches long, and are made from oak trees. You can grow mushrooms on the log by drilling several holes and filling them with mushroom spawn.

Types of Mushrooms You Can Grow in a Greenhouse

Cordyceps mushrooms	Shiitake
Champignon mushrooms	Portobello
Morel	Wine cap mushroom
Culinary mushrooms	Reishi mushrooms
Oyster mushrooms	Chaga mushrooms
Lion’s mane

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The Condition of the Greenhouse

Mushrooms grow best in the dark, but a small amount of light won’t harm them. Therefore, if your greenhouse has no dark/dim area, you can modify it to block light from a certain area. Additionally, you can maintain a temperature range between 12 and 19 degrees Celsius in that area. Temperature can be monitored using a thermometer. It is important to prevent strong drafts inside the greenhouse, as they can be fatal to mushrooms.

Since mushrooms don’t get their nutrients and strength from the sun, they don’t require light to grow. It is important that the area where mushrooms are grown is as dark as possible and sheltered from sunlight as much as possible. When they begin to form heads, they’ll need dim light. Therefore, a fluorescent lamp will suffice if you can’t get indirect sunlight in that area.

Mushroom Spawn

You will need a specific type of mushroom spawn based on how you plan to grow the mushrooms. Mushroom spawn comes in many different forms. Typically, mushroom spawn comes in the form of flakes or bricks.
If you’d like to use bricks, break them into golf ball-sized pieces, plant them 1 to 2 inches deep into your chosen growing medium, and leave a space of 6 inches between each brick.
If you use flakes spawn, mix it into the growing medium at 1 quart/15 feet. Mushrooms receive nutrients from the medium through the mycelium, which begins to appear after a few weeks.

Planting Mushrooms in Your Greenhouse, Step by Step

The first step is to set up trays inside your greenhouse. These trays are recommended to measure between 6 and 8 inches in length and 8 inches in depth.
Add peat moss, compost, and mushroom spores to 6 out of 8 inches.
Cover the trays with newspaper to keep them moist and prevent light from reaching them. Until whitish mycelium appears on the compost surface, keep the newspaper on.
After the whitish mycelium appears, fill the remaining 2 inches with damp peat moss and cover again with newspaper.
After two weeks, the newspaper should be removed once you see whiteheads appearing from the compost.

Watering for Mushrooms

Watering your mushroom trays every two days is important since mushrooms need a lot of water to grow. However, ensure the substrate is not too wet and not a dump. You will also need a good kind of water for your mushrooms. As chlorine water is unsuitable for mushrooms, it should not be used.

When mushrooms are cropping, it is best to water them regularly. Through transpiration and evaporation, most of the water is wasted. Once the casing sheet is watered, mushrooms replenish the water in their cells. A mushroom’s weight heavily depends on how much water it absorbs from its casing and how much fertilizer it consumes.

Caring for Mushrooms

After several weeks of planting mushroom spawn, the growing area will be covered by white mycelium. During this phase, adjust the greenhouse temperature to 12-18°C to increase growth. In this phase, it is very important to keep the spawn moist. It is recommended that you water them twice a day for optimum results. Cover the logs/trays with very thin layers of the damp newspaper once the mycelium has fully formed and the temperature has been set to 18 degrees Celsius. After a few weeks, you will notice tiny mushroom heads.

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Harvesting Mushrooms

You can either harvest mushrooms when they are small (button stage) or wait until they grow to maturity. You will need a sharp knife for the harvesting process. Simply cut the stem of the mushroom at the base.

Conclusion

Despite the fact that mushrooms can be perfectly planted in greenhouses, certain measures must be taken. Due to its physiological characteristics and agronomic requirements, this crop requires special attention to ensure its quality and suitability for human consumption.

How to Grow Mushrooms in Greenhouse: A Step-By-Step Guide for Seed to Harvest