Today I visit Mycoterra Farm in Western Massachusetts to give a glimpse at how these mushrooms farmers are growing. How do mushrooms grow inside? Let’s take a look
How do mushrooms grow inside? There are a variety of ways to grow mushrooms, both indoors and out.
I visited an indoors mushroom farm in Western Massachusetts called Mycoterra Farm. Their setup is different than mine, so I wanted to share a brief rundown on another way of growing mushrooms indoors.
To start, this mushroom farm has two greenhouses that are positioned on concrete flooring in an old equine barn. The environmental parameters are being controlled in the greenhouses.
In the video below you can see my trip through the mushroom farm. There are large piles of sawdust kept inside here so it does not freeze during the winter. Then there is a four yard mixer.
I’m greeted by racks of mushroom blocks once I enter one of the greenhouses. I get to thinking about mushroom production and the four parameters needed for growing mushrooms: CO2, humidity, temperature, and lighting. I go into each of these in more detail in this other article I wrote for indoor mushroom cultivation.
As you can see in the video, there is a CO2 intake for oxygen in the grow room. There is a humidifier that is set up right in front of a blower. This allows for a good distribution of mist. There is also a heater aimed right at the water. Once the water is heated it spreads throughout the grow room.
The floors in this farm are also designed for radiant heat. Two ot three times a day the floors are sprayed and the water evaporates off the ground.
This method for growing mushrooms indoors is utilizing supplemented sawdust, which is a base of sawdust with different supplements added to increase yields. The lighting is diffuse throughout the entire farm. There is no natural sunlight for this mushroom grow, which is completely fine. Mushrooms don’t need sunlight, they just need enough light to grow properly from morphological reasons.
How do mushrooms grow well inside: Two really nice attributes for growing mushrooms indoors at this farm
One thing I really like about this farm are the floor drains. Cleaning becomes much easier when there are floor drains at a farm.
Furthermore, all of the shelving is on wheels, which makes it easier to move around for working with the mushrooms as well as cleaning the area.
During my trip to Mycoterra Farms in Deerfield, MA I was able to catch a few different mushrooms while they were fruiting or pinning, including blue oyster mushroom, lion’s mane mushroom, chestnut mushroom, and nameko mushroom. The video above briefly showcases their farm and shows how they are growing mushrooms indoors.
Are you growing mushrooms indoors? What methods have you been using? What have been your results?
If you are interested in more information on growing mushrooms, check out the wealth of information on our website, including:
- Growing wine cap mushrooms in your garden
- Growing oyster mushrooms at home with the ultimate consumer good
- Growing shiitake mushrooms outside on logs
- How to develop your own mushroom garden