Growing mushrooms – sponsored by The Dark Horse Roastery

Collecting the coffee gains, husks and plastic bags

I collected the coffee husks and plastic bags from the Horsebox Coffee Co., which is just outside the Natural History Museum in Oxford City. I brought with me the wheels of a shopping trolley. Enthusiastically, I loaded the trolley up and tied it with string. Sadly, I only got a short way before a hole began to appear in the coffee bag, and I had to turn back. Emily, who is the owner of the Dark Horse Roastery, kindly lent me their trolley, which was great. I live about 1 mile away, so I had no problem using the trolley. The next day, I loaded up my wheelbarrow to transport the items the short distance to my allotment.

Weighing out substrate and coffee and filling bags

I weighed out the substrate using dampened coffee husks, dampened straw, and coffee grounds. (I used boiling water to dampen the straw. I did this in my bath at home. )

I mixed them up in a large, clean fish tank. I tried three different mixes:

For the first mix, I used 200 grams of grey oyster grain spawn, 1400 grams of coffee husks, and 1400 grams of coffee grounds.
In the second mix, I used 200 grams of grey oyster grain spawn, 400 grams of straw, and 1400 grams of coffee grounds.
The third mix consisted of 400 grams of grain spawn, 200 grams of coffee husks and straw, and 1400 grams of coffee grounds.

I sewed the bags to put the mixture in on my sewing machine. I cut up a large plastic bag which the coffee sacks came into 5 long strips. Then sewed the sides making tall bags which can be tied off and hanged on a hook.

I put the mixture in a dark shed on my allotment where the temperature varies between 50 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit, which is perfect for growing grey oyster mushrooms. They will stay in this part for about three weeks until the inside of the bags is covered with white mycelium. I hang the bags on hooks in the shed.

It seems like you’ve made some progress in your mushroom cultivation process. Based on the information you provided, I can help you outline the next stages of your mushroom growing journey:

I will try to maintain cleanliness throughout the process, as mushrooms are susceptible to contamination.