Mushroom Growing Kits

Yes! Oak and Spore Mushroom Kits are an easy way to experience how to grow mushrooms at home. Our kits come ready to start straight out of the box. The oyster mushroom verities inside our kits are beginner-friendly, and most people get a very good crop of mushrooms.

We expect our mushroom kits to start growing in around 5-10 days.

In the kitchen works! Or the bathroom, or the laundry. We generally tell people to grow them inside, in a place that's visible so they remember to spray them with a little water each day.

We advise against placing the kits inside a dark cupboard, as these types of mushrooms do not like dark conditions.

Mushrooms need 4 things to grow optimally. They need indirect light, humidity, a low CO2 level, and some warmth.

Light - Light is achieved by simply growing the mushrooms on the kitchen counter near a window. Ensure that light cannot hit the mushroom box directly, or you risk overheating the mushrooms and drying them out very quickly.

Humidity - Humidity is achieved by spraying the kit with a little water a few times per day. Our kits come with full instructions, so you won't be left guessing!

CO2 - Mushrooms breathe, just like a human does, and they generate some CO2 like a human does as well! The thing is, mushrooms also don't like a room with a lot of CO2. Humans will feel a room gets stuffy when the CO2 gets too high, and mushrooms feel the same. If you have a large kitchen this doesn't matter as much, but in a smaller kitchen, it helps to crack a window near the mushrooms for a few hours each day. This will ensure lots of fresh air is nearby, which your mushrooms will love!

Temperature - Mushrooms do like a little warmth. Pink oysters like it warmer than Italian oysters. It helps if you can get the daytime temperatures above 16-17 degrees. Lower than this and your mushrooms will take a little longer to start growing.

At the Oak and Spore mushroom farm, we can grow a full crop from our commercial blocks in as little as 9 days. But the conditions on our farm are perfect for mushroom growing. We do expect this to take a little longer for most customers. 14 days is usually long enough to get your first crop. although It's not too uncommon for customer mushroom kits to take an extra week to start growing. Be patient, and the magic will start.

We generally say, aim for two crops off our boxed mushroom kits, and aim for three off our commercial mushroom kits. It generally takes around 1 month to get the first two crops and another couple of weeks for a third. After 2 crops, the mushroom kit has been part of the family, receiving daily love and attention, and we find people are always happy with the outcome. Just look at the reviews!

We think so! Growing mushrooms at home in NZ can be a challenging task. Without proper sterility techniques and equipment, most people end up growing unwanted molds or bacteria. An Oak and Spore mushroom kit is the best way to start your growing adventures, and the chance of success is extremely high.