Mushrooms are a delicious and nutritious addition to any meal. But did you know you can grow your own? If you’re looking for an easy and fun way to grow mushrooms, growing them in coffee grounds is a simple and exciting way to get in your vitamin B!
Not only is it an accessible method, but the results can be quite impressive. This helpful guide will tell you everything you need to know about growing mushrooms in coffee grounds, as well as the benefits that come with it.
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need
Here’s what you’ll need to grow your own mushrooms in coffee grounds. That is, as long as you don’t mind saving your used up coffee grounds.
- Coffee grounds
- Mushroom spawn
- Sterilized sawdust or straw
Step-by-Step Guide on How to Grow Mushrooms in Coffee Grounds
Although mushrooms are a wonderful addition to homecooked meals they can be expensive to buy at the store. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to grow mushrooms in the comfort of your home with coffee grounds.
Step One – Collect Those Java Grounds
You can ask local cafes to see if they offer any leftover grounds that you can use. Most are more than happy to donate them since they’ll be thrown out anyways. If you’re friendly with the employees ask if you can leave the café a bin and pick it up the next day filled with coffee goodness.
Note that it’s best to use espresso grounds as they perform best when it comes to growing mushrooms. Filtered coffee will almost certainly be too wet.
For optimal results, use the coffee grounds within 24 hours of brewing, while they are still fresh.
Step Two – Weigh Your Coffee Grounds
Once you have gathered all the necessary materials, it’s time to weigh your coffee grounds and grab the mushroom spawn. Weighing is key for making sure you get the perfect mix of ingredients for growing mushrooms. Aim for 10 percent mushroom spawn and 20 percent sterilized sawdust or straw in relation to your total weight of coffee grounds. Now, mix all the ingredients together.
Step Three – Incubate
Once you’ve prepared your bags of coffee grounds, the next step is to incubate them. Leave your growing bags in a warm and dark place. Ideally, they should be at a temperature between 68 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. After two to three weeks, your bags should be full of white mycelium, the bodies of fungi. Check on the bags every few days to ensure they are developing properly.
Step Four – Caring for Your Mushrooms
Once the mushrooms start to appear, cut a 1-to-1.5-inch hole in the bag. You’ll also need to provide them with plenty of moisture and indirect sunlight. Mist your mushroom bags every day with a spray bottle filled with water and keep them in a shaded spot that receives some light during the day. The misting helps the mushrooms develop properly. Oyster mushrooms, in particular, need light to grow optimally.
You may be tempted to leave your newly formed mushroom patches alone, but as they form, it’s important for you to continue misting them regularly over a period of five to seven days. They’ll double in size every 24 hours so patience in key!
Step Five- Harvesting
Harvesting your mushrooms is the final step in growing them in coffee grounds.
When you see that the tops of the caps have started to flatten out, it’s a sign that they’re ready to be harvested. You can either twist them off or use a knife to cut their stems.
After harvesting, leave your bag submerged in a bucket of water overnight so that the coffee ground and mycelium can rehydrate. Then give it one final spray with water each day until new mushrooms are produced. Eventually it’ll seem like you have an endless supply!
The Benefits of Growing Mushrooms in Coffee Grounds
Did you know that when you make coffee, you’re only using 0.2 percent of the nutrition found in coffee beans? That means 99.8 percent of the nutrition ends up dumped in the bin! Reusing coffee grounds to make mushrooms is a great way to lower your carbon footprint. Besides, it’s also a fun way to get the kids involved!
In addition, growing mushrooms in coffee grounds is an easy and efficient way to reap some tasty rewards! Not only does this method require less space than traditional methods of growing mushrooms, but it also cuts down on costs. Plus, you’ll be reusing coffee grounds, which is great for the environment. Finally, the end result – delicious mushrooms that are definitely worth the effort!
Make Sh-room For Mushrooms!
If you’re feeling adventurous, want to save some money on groceries, or just like the idea of growing your own food, then mushrooms are a great place to start. With this guide, you should be able to get started and enjoy some delicious fungi in no time!
And don’t forget to tell your family and friends all about it! Do you have any tips or tricks for growing mushrooms in coffee ground? Leave a comment below.
Now what are you waiting for? Get growing!
