Growing Mushrooms in a Bag: Step-by-Step-Instructions

Growing mushrooms in a bag is one of the easiest ways to cultivate homegrown mushrooms. If you’ve ever tried one of the boxed, mushroom-fruiting kits available online or in specialty stores, then you may already have some experience with growing mushrooms in a bag. That’s because the kits frequently include clear polypropylene bags filled with growing mediums that have been inoculated with mushroom spawn. As a result, by the time a mushroom growing kit makes it to you, that bagged substrate is almost fully colonized by bright white mycelium—the fungal organism which ‘fruits’ by putting out loads of tasty mushrooms. Still, relying on a pre-packaged grow kit isn’t the only way to grow mushrooms at home. With a few supplies and close attention to detail, you can cultivate many different kinds of mushrooms—and a lot more of them—economically in bags. Keep reading to learn more.

High in fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals, edible mushrooms are good for you—and they’re just plain good! When you grow your own, you have regular access to a plentiful supply of fresh fungi for cooking or freezing or dehydrating for later. You can also grow a lot of mushrooms in a small amount of space. Plus, you can grow them indoors, year-round. Growing mushrooms in a bag is a great alternative to wild foraging, especially if you aren’t a confident wild mushroom hunter.

Commercial farmers who produce mushrooms on a large scale frequently grow their mushrooms in bags which have been designed to help optimize conditions for fungal growth. Many of these bags maintain their integrity after being sterilized in hot water and include other features which have