Experience shows that you can grow oyster mushrooms even in a laundry basket or a perforated bucket—the mushrooms don’t care what they grow through, as long as they have moisture, shade, a nutrient substrate, and a temperature range of 10°-28°. If you’re growing them for the first time, doing so in a laundry basket can be an interesting experiment.
Oyster mushrooms in a bucket
There are “ideal” growing conditions for oyster mushrooms to strive for:
- Mycelium Growth: 23°C, 85-95% humidity, 2-3 weeks without light.
- Primordia Formation: 10-15°C, 95-100% humidity for 3-5 days, fresh air, and partial shade.
- Fruiting: 15-20°C, 85-95% humidity, one week for each fruiting body, fresh air, and partial shade.
How to Grow Oyster Mushrooms in a Laundry Basket
You will need:
- Oyster mushroom spawn (preferably grain or straw-based).
- A laundry basket, a plastic bucket with drilled holes.
- Plastic wrap or a large garbage bag (to fit the basket).
- Prepared straw .
Layer the prepared straw with mycelium as shown in the photo below ( grown at home on cardboard ), or mix with grain spawn—carefully and evenly.
Filling the basket with straw and mycelium. On the plate, homemade mycelium grown on cardboard.
1 kg of spawn can inoculate 10 kg or more of straw. Make sure to line the edges of the basket with straw without mycelium, so there is a 7-10 cm layer of straw from the holes to the mycelium—creating a protective incubation layer.
Fill the basket, leaving a 4-5 cm rim at the top.
If straw sticks out from the holes in the basket, gently tuck it back in. Place the basket in a garbage bag. It’s best if the bag is black, so you don’t have to worry about a dark room, but make sure it’s not exposed to direct sunlight.
Basket with mycelium under the bag.
Check the basket after a week. During this time, the mycelium should start emerging from the basket’s holes.
The basket before removing the bag. The mycelium has absorbed the straw and is ready for fruiting.
When you see the mycelium reaching the edges of the holes, remove the bag and place the basket in a well-ventilated and shaded area, ensuring high humidity. You can place the basket on a raised platform in a container filled with water. The moisture will evaporate as needed, depending on the air temperature. Mist the basket through the holes and from the top.
Moistening through evaporation in a tray.
Within a week, primordia will appear as tiny “fingers.”
Mushroom primordia.
Once mushrooms appear, you can slightly reduce humidity, raise the temperature, and provide more light. Cover the top of the basket with plastic wrap. Continue daily misting. Adjust the moisture as needed based on the mushrooms’ appearance.
A laundry basket provides the same successful yield as a straw bag—more than 3 times.
Mushrooms grown at home in laundry baskets
After harvesting, you can make your own mycelium from the stems.
