Published 18 November 2011

I had a sneak-peak at growing mushrooms on logs ten years ago during a visit to rural Japan, and have been keen to try it myself ever since.

Well lucky for me, and the local community, Milkwood Permaculture is hosting a two-day mushroom growing workshop with Polish-Aussie Mushroom expert Will Borowski, in January (28-29). Will has been working with fungi and mushrooms throughout Australia for the past 10 years; indeed his surname means “forest mushroom gatherer” in Polish.

With the ever-growing interest in locally grown, organic produce, learning how to grow mushrooms could open up micro-enterprise opportunities for farms, guesthouses or even urban farm businesses. According to Will, once you know how to do it, there is very little ongoing cost.

In the backyard, growing mushrooms is a great way to broaden your family’s home-grown nutrition, with a variety of mushrooms (and the things they grow on) providing important trace minerals. It’s also a fun activity to share with kids. Already grow mushrooms? Let us know – we’d love to hear your story.

Fungi and their mycelium (like roots) are actually one of the most important and fascinating organisms on the planet. Getting in touch with how they grow helps people of all ages understand the crucial role they play in our soils and ecosystems. For more information on the Mushroom Growing Workshop and to register, head to www.milkwoodpermaculture.com.au

The two-day workshop will cover:

• The basics of how mycelium works in nature
• An overview of the fungi of Australia
• Making grain spawn for oyster mushrooms
• How to inoculate a log with spawn in order to grow shiitake mushrooms
• How to make agar for mushroom propagation
• How to grow oyster mushrooms in bags
• How to create a mushroom garden in your backyard

By the way, I watched a documentary recently called “A Farm for the Future” which you can find in five 10-minute episodes on you tube (see below). It suggests that, in order for farms to survive beyond oil, future farms need to diversify and adapt, becoming far more productive on smaller tracts of land, growing different things. What do you think? Please comment below!