ANR-1076, January 1998. By Cathy Sabota, Extension Horticulture Specialist, Professor of Horticulture, Alabama A&M University.

Shiitake Mushroom Gardening

Introduction

Home production of shiitake (she-TAH-kee) mushrooms can be a rewarding and delectable hobby. They can be grown year-around indoors and out; on hardwood logs or blocks of sawdust; with a concerted all-out effort or just casually. You will never get mushrooms this fresh from the supermarket produce section.

Shiitake mushrooms are good to eat, an excellent source of protein, trace minerals, B and D vitamins, and low in both fat and calories. Shiitake mushrooms also have been proven to reduce cholesterol.

Shiitake mushrooms do not bruise easily and can be stored for up to a month if harvested at the right time and refrigerated in "vegetable bags." They can also be dried and stored in sealed plastic bags for up to 2 years.

Growing shiitake mushrooms does require patience. You can establish a shiitake garden by purchasing or cutting your own logs in the dormant season, and inoculating them yourself. It will take 6 to 12 months for these logs to produce mushrooms. For those with less patience, you can buy sawdust blocks or preinoculated logs. You should be able to fruit them right away.

SECTIONS

Preparing For Innocumation	Equipment And Supplies	Inoculating The Logs	Log Moisture	Mycelia Run
Fruiting The Logs	Preinoculated Logs & Sawdust Blocks	Harvest, Storage & Rehydration	Supply And Material Sources	Glossary

For more information, call your county Extension office. Look in your telephone directory under your county's name to find the number.

NOTE: Trade names are used only to give specific information. The Alabama Cooperative Extension System does not endorse or guarantee any product or producer and does not recommend one product or producer instead of another that might be similar.