[shokkyy]

In case anyone's interested and didn't know, if you want to try using chopped straw and are not sure how to get it clean and chopped up into 1 or 2 inch pieces, you can buy big bags of chopped straw from suppliers of horse/agri products. It's used as a specialised type of bedding for some horses.

The thing I was wondering about the petshop sawdust is what type it is. In some of the info on mushroom growing it makes a clear distinction between hardwood and softwood sawdust. I would have thought that the petshop stuff is most likely softwood but hard to be sure.

[Auntiemogs]

In case anyone's interested and didn't know, if you want to try using chopped straw and are not sure how to get it clean and chopped up into 1 or 2 inch pieces, you can buy big bags of chopped straw from suppliers of horse/agri products. It's used as a specialised type of bedding for some horses.

The thing I was wondering about the petshop sawdust is what type it is. In some of the info on mushroom growing it makes a clear distinction between hardwood and softwood sawdust. I would have thought that the petshop stuff is most likely softwood but hard to be sure.

I would suspect it is softwood too shokkyy but going to give it a go. Was going to go to my local timber merchants for some sawdust but they saw treated timber too and I wasn't sure what I would be getting....
In the kit I got it said to pour boiling water over the straw then let it cool to provide a more sterile environment for the spore to grow in. Was easy enough to do but is very difficult when trying to use ordinary un-chopped straw as it doesn't soak very well and is almost impossible to get into a bag. 

[shokkyy]

In the kit I got it said to pour boiling water over the straw then let it cool to provide a more sterile environment for the spore to grow in. Was easy enough to do but is very difficult when trying to use ordinary un-chopped straw as it doesn't soak very well and is almost impossible to get into a bag. 

Actually, one of the main reasons that chopped straw is used for horse bedding is because it's much more absorbent than unchopped straw. Awful lot easier to handle too.

[shokkyy]

Just an update, but it's now 9 days since I took my box out of the airing cupboard, and I can't believe how many mushrooms are springing up. There are dozens of them. Have to get my skates on and buy that dehydrator I keep promising myself, so they don't get wasted.

Very impressed so far with this supplier. There's just no comparison with the mushroom boxes I've tried before. I definitely will be trying to get an outdoor bed going with his spawn, and I'll be trying a few more varieties indoors too. If I only need to pay for the spawn and I always get a crop like this, it's a very cost effective crop to grow.

[drypulse]

hello, i got a field mushroom box from B and Q last year, wasn't expecting much but I think i got about 20 massive mushrooms out of it, really nice flavour too, but even indoors they were quite demanding, needing to be misted daily and kept dark.

I went caving once in cavern purpose made for growing mushrooms. I guess if they grew so well on the surface wouldn;t have gone to so much effort? But worth a try! Love to know how you get on Joe

[Judd]

I'm really interesed in this thread as I have always fancied growing my own mushrooms.
I've had a look at the site that was linked and I like the look of the outdoor kit for the wine caps.
I'm going to send off for one so hopefully it'll be' mushroom city' on my allotment.
I'll let you know how I go on.