I've been growing mushrooms for a few years now and it's opened my eyes to so much. Studying, growing, and harvesting fungus has really been a huge motivator and teacher to me. Here's a few things I've learned from growing mushrooms, both in small and large scale.
Patience is key: Growing mushrooms takes time and requires a lot of patience. Sometimes you have to just trust that nature will find it's way and accept you don't have control over everything, even if you tried your hardest.
You're never as clean as you think you are: Sterilizing the growing environment and equipment is crucial to prevent contamination. If you're going to grow mushrooms on any scale, you have to be a fan of cleanliness and cleaning. I'm not going to say I was a slob, prior to being a mushroom farmer, but I definitely didn't have the love of cleanliness that I do now.
Get some fresh air: Mushrooms need fresh air to grow properly. People do too. Sometimes if you (or your shrooms) want to grow, you have to slow down and breathe some fresh air.
Timing is everything: Harvesting mushrooms at the right time is essential to ensure the best quality and flavor. Mushrooms don't have holidays or take vacations. You really have to commit to what nature wants and learn how to work with nature and it's clock.
Troubleshooting is a skill: Things can go wrong when growing mushrooms, so it's important to be able to troubleshoot and solve problems.
Learning from experience: Growing mushrooms is a learning process, and each grow provides valuable experience. It's not okay to accept that things went wrong and leave it at that. You need to know and people who crave understanding do best in this field.
The mushroom community is supportive: There is a large and supportive community of mushroom growers who are willing to share their knowledge and experience. If you know anyone that's into mushrooms, they're likely happy to share their experience and knowledge. I am too. Let's talk more.
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