5 Mushroom Grower Kits for DIY Edible Fungi

Have you been dreaming of pan-seared portabella burgers or sautéed shiitakes? Do you love gardening and want to foray into something more exotic? If so, consider buying one of these seven mushroom growers to cultivate and harvest your own fungi. The kits are simple to use, make great gifts, and can teach you a fun new skill. Your taste buds will thank you. 

1. North Spore Kits

One of the biggest providers of mushroom growers, North Spore offers everything from chicken of the woods to reishi mushroom kits and more. Their products have outstanding reviews and are great for beginners and experts alike. 

Many North Spore kits require you to simply cut a slit in the cardboard packaging and mist the growth medium several times a day. You also need to keep the box in a humid area of your home. Before long, the fruiting bodies then explode out of the box like a lush, succulent bouquet, ready for you to harvest and add to a salad or pasta. 

2. Back to the Roots

Another highly reputable gardening company that sells mushroom growers is Back to the Roots. Similar to North Spore’s product design, the mushroom growing kit — which lets you grow pearl oysters — consists of a box with an opening in the front. The package contains soil infused with mushroom spawn. All you have to do is open it and spray it every day with the provided spray mister. 

In 10 days, you should have a delicious bunch of mushrooms that serves three to four people. The mushrooms are organic and non-GMO. Each box can grow up to two crops, a total of up to eight servings of mushrooms. 

3. Morel Habitat Kit

Want to start your own mushroom garden? Uniquely, this mushroom growing kit is designed for outdoor use, and the morels can keep popping up for years to come. You can start your morel garden in any type of soil. The kit should work in all U.S. areas that have a definite spring season. 

Morels have a meaty texture and earthy, nutty taste. They go great in buttery sauces and complement sautéed vegetables, making them one of the most sought-after mushrooms for haute cuisine. 

It’s important to note that if you grow mushrooms outdoors, other mushroom species might become established in your garden. You need to be confident in your ability to identify morels so you don’t eat anything poisonous by mistake. Early false morel, deadly false morel, bell morel, and Carolina false morels all look similar to edible morels. 

4. Pacific Substrates Mushroom Grow Kit

If you already have your own spores or liquid culture, use one of these highly-rated kits to grow whichever mushrooms you like best! The bag contains coco coir, millet, compost, pelletized gypsum, and vermiculite, all of which are organic. It’s perfect for dung-loving mushroom species. 

Each kit can grow over 2.5 pounds of mushrooms and has a hospital-grade bio-indicator, which indicates if the bag is contaminated. It also has a self-healing injection port. This feature lets you inject the mushroom spores into the bag without fear of contamination. 

You don’t need any experience to use this kit, as it includes step-by-step instructions and video guides. It even comes with a text support feature so you can contact an experienced mycologist for help. When you’re ready to harvest your mushrooms, cut open the bag to get them out. 

5. Oyster Mushroom Log Kit

For a mushroom grower that doubles as decor, look no further than the oyster mushroom log kit from Mr. Stumpy Log. This pre-inoculated kit makes a great gift for chefs and mad scientists alike. A metal plaque on the underside of the log states the date of inoculation so you can have a better idea of how long it will take to grow. Soak the log and harvest the fruits of your labor for over two years!

Oyster mushrooms go great in soups, salads, stuffings, and stir-fry dishes. This company also creates mushroom growers for shiitakes so you can get your fix of meaty, smoky flavor. Keep in mind that it can take several months for mushrooms to start growing on the log, but once they do, you’ll have fresh fungi for years to come. 

Mushroom Growers Make Cultivation Easy

Whether you’re a whiz in the kitchen, love gardening, or need to present a science fair project, mushroom growers are a fascinating and easy way to cultivate your own fungi. Kits vary in cost depending on which types of mushrooms you’re growing and whether they come in a decorative container, but they’re generally affordable and lots of fun for DIY project lovers. You’ll be enjoying homemade tom kha soup in no time.