Indoor Mushroom Growing Guides

Getting Started with Indoor Mushroom Cultivation

Growing mushrooms indoors is a fun, rewarding way to produce fresh gourmet mushrooms year-round. Whether you're using a grow kit or building your own setup, understanding the fundamentals of how mushrooms grow is key to a successful harvest.

What You Need to Know

Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of fungi, and they grow from a living root-like structure called mycelium. Unlike plants, mushrooms don’t need sunlight—they thrive in humid, low-light environments with consistent airflow and temperature. By replicating their natural habitat indoors, you can grow them on your kitchen counter, in a closet, or even on a shelf.

How to Grow Mushrooms Indoors

• Inoculation: Mix mushroom spawn with a substrate like chopped straw or sawdust inside a container (bucket, bag, or grow chamber).
• Colonization: Store in a warm, dark space (65–75°F) for 10–14 days while mycelium spreads and colonizes the substrate.
• Fruiting: Move to a humid space with indirect light and good airflow. Cut openings to allow mushrooms to fruit and mist daily.
• Harvesting: When the caps flatten or curl slightly, twist or cut mushrooms off at the base.

North Spore provides step-by-step guides and kits to help you through this process.

What You’ll Need

• Substrate: Pre-shredded straw or hardwood sawdust
• Spawn: Live mycelium on grain (e.g., Blue, Pink, or Italian Oyster)
• Container: A pre-drilled bucket, grow bag, or monotub
• Humidity Control: A spray bottle or small humidifier

Why Grow Indoors?

Indoor cultivation offers control, cleanliness, and year-round harvests. With just a small amount of space and daily attention, you can enjoy homegrown mushrooms that are fresher and more flavorful than anything you’ll find in a store.

Happy growing!