Join this webinar to be introduced to a wide variety of different gourmet edible mushroom species and a range of cultivation techniques that can be easily integrated into your existing operational framework and landscape. A brief introduction to fungal anatomy, behaviour and ecological niches will also be covered to set the stage for a thorough understanding of the needs and requirements of fungi to perform at their best.

A few examples of these techniques and methods include the following:

– Inoculated blocks of mushrooms including oyster (Pleurotus spp.) and lion’s mane (Hericium erinaceus) can be grown inside of greenhouses and hoop tunnels in direct association with vegetable crops, allowing you to grow numerous crops in the same amount of space.

– Alternatively, shiitake (Lentinula edodes) and many other species including chestnut (Pholiota adiposa) can be cultivated on hardwood logs and allowed to mature and produce anywhere that adequate shade exists on site. Logs can take 8-12 months to mature before they start producing, but can yield mushrooms for 5+ years.

– Mushrooms can also be grown in buckets, tubs, beds of sawdust and wood chips, straw mulch and many other cellulose and lignin rich materials that have the potential to be generated onsite. These can be stored and grown out in locations on site that are otherwise not used or unproductive.

In general, mushrooms are a high value crop that are popular among chefs, cooking enthusiasts as well as vegetarian and vegan communities. The waste substrate material, rich in enzymes and metabolites as well as the mycelium of the fungi themselves, make a top tier soil amendment and can even be sold and marketed as ‘mushroom compost’ for an additional revenue stream.

Tom Nagy is a restoration ecologist with a passion for botany, sustainable agriculture, and mycology. Tom has experience working as a field botanist, environmental consultant and as a field and operations manager for a certified organic farm. In 2018, Tom began River City Mushrooms; a small-scale mycological interest project based in Winnipeg that focuses on cultivating an appreciation for edible and medicinal fungi as well as supplying the knowledge and tools necessary for a new generation of mushroom growing enthusiasts to flourish. Tom continues to advocate for a greater understanding of how we perceive, understand and develop relationships with the natural world by writing informative articles and conducting engaging public programs discussing native plant communities, organic agriculture, mushroom cultivation and wild foraging.