▷ 9 Best Mushroom Growing Kits (Must Read Reviews) (2024)

Best Mushroom Growing Kit Review – Top Rated Models with Buying Guide

In this article, we will tell you how to pick the best mushroom growing kit so you can cultivate healthy and tasty mushrooms. We know that time is precious and finding the right mushroom growing kit can take time, so we have studied the features and the quality of the most popular kits on the market and we have concluded that the one you should buy right now is the Michigan Mushroom Company Lion’s Mane Mushroom Growing Kit. It is very easy to set up, it takes almost no effort on your part for the mushrooms to grow, and it gives you up to 4 pounds of mushrooms. The Lion’s Mane mushrooms are considered a delicacy in many restaurants, so you can now have the organic ones in your own kitchen. However, if there is a problem and you can not find this kit, a good choice is also the Gallboys Mushroom Man LLC Reishi Mushroom Kit.

Comparison table

9 Best Mushroom Growing Kits (Updated Reviews) in 2024

Because we know that time is precious and some of you may be very busy, we have selected some of the most popular mushroom growing kits on the market for all you mushroom enthusiasts out there and reviewed them. In this article, you will read 9 mushroom growing kit reviews and be able to choose what the best for your needs is.

1. Michigan Mushroom Company Lion’s Mane Mushroom Growing Kit

This mushroom growing kit from the Michigan Mushroom Company is marvelous for any mushroom growers out there. Even if you want to buy it for a school project, we would recommend that you eventually eat the Lion’s Mane mushrooms as they are considered a delicacy in many restaurants across the US.

The kit is made of 5 pounds of colonized substrate kept inside a plastic bag to permit proper gas exchange. It offers approximately 3 flushes during a period of two months and it can produce up to 4 pounds of mushrooms if you take care of it properly.

It is recommended to set it up within 7 to 10 days after you buy it and it is also recommended to keep it between 60 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit so that you get the best out of it. It is an organic and live product. Therefore it is perishable. You should place it near sunlight and spray it with water twice a day for optimal growth.

Pros

First of all, the fact that this mushroom growing kit is organic and is a big plus, especially for people who want to introduce healthy food into their diet.

It produces a fair amount of mushrooms which will allow you to have plenty of this delicacy in your own home.

It doesn’t need much taking-care-of, as you have to spray water on it only twice a day. Let’s be fair, that is practically no effort on your part.

This type of mushroom can also be used as a medicinal mushroom – you can find out all about it online.

Cons

Because it is a perishable product, you have to set it up between 7 to 10 days after you have purchased it, so if you don’t have the time we would advise you to buy it when you think you can do it. Other than that, we couldn’t find any minus for this mushroom growing kit.

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2. Gallboys Mushroom Man LLC Reishi Mushroom Kit

This mushroom growing kit helps you grow Ganoderma lucidum, a mushroom also known as the Reishi mushroom. This type of mushroom has been used for centuries as a remedy for different conditions and it is considered a medicinal mushroom.

After harvest, these mushrooms are dried and made into a powder that is eventually used as a medicinal ingredient in tea. The ideal environment for them to thrive is between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. You should see them starting to grow in less than one week from your first water spraying.

The mushroom growing kit is very easy to use and it looks great when the mushrooms are fully grown. You almost want to leave them there for everyone else to admire. However, these mushrooms also have great taste and make a delicious addition to your diet. You will find a list of instructions that come with this wonderful mushroom growing kit inside.

Pros

This mushroom growing kit is very easy to use, everything has been done for you before you have bought it and all you need to do is spray it every day for the mushrooms to grow and keep a proper environment as it would be in the wild.

It is a great way to learn how to grow mushrooms inside your home.

If you want to benefit from all the properties these mushrooms have, it is an awesome way to make sure that you can produce your own tea ingredient because you know that the powder is not contaminated and has no unknown ingredients.

They are also considered gourmet mushrooms so they will make a delicious meal besides being full of nutrients.

Cons

The only con is that if you want to serve them to more than two people you should buy at least two kits so you will have enough mushrooms for everybody.

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3. Back to the Roots Organic Mushroom Farm Grow Kit

Back to the Roots is selling this beautiful mushroom growing kit for all mushroom enthusiasts out there. It is actually a mini kit. It is quite small but it is really cute when the mushrooms grow on it. You don’t even have to take it out of the box because it offers great support.

With this mini kit, you will be able to grow organic oyster mushrooms right on your kitchen table. You can harvest the oyster mushrooms in 10 days and you do not have to do much to take care of them. You just have to spray water on them twice a day with the spray bottle that you will find inside the kit.

Before you start, you have to open the box, take out the bag and let it soak in water during the night. The next morning you can take it out and start growing your delicious mushrooms.

Pros

The product is 100 percent organic, so it is very healthy and it’s a great choice for people who don’t want to eat chemicals.

The manufacturer guarantees that if you are not fully satisfied with the product you can get 100 percent of your money back.

The kit comes with a spray bottle and instructions on how to properly take care of the mushrooms.

You don’t have to do much for your oyster mushrooms to grow. You only have to mist the kit twice a day, as everything else is taken care of.

It makes a great present as well as a great way to teach children about mushrooms and gardening. They can even use it for a school project.

Cons

It is a mini kit, so it won’t produce too many mushrooms but it is a perfect way to start growing your own mushrooms at home without much work on your part.

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4. Root Mushroom Farm Golden Oyster Mushroom Growing Kit

The Golden Oyster Mushroom growing kit from the Root Mushroom Farm is an affordable mushroom growing kit that looks great when the mushrooms have started to grow. You can even use it for home decor, that is how beautiful it is. However, golden oyster mushrooms are delicious and you can get many of them from this mushroom growing kit.

The substrate is a log and the kit comes with a tent that helps you keep the humidity high. Also, it comes with instructions and a spray bottle, so there is nothing else you need to grow these beautiful mushrooms.

You do not need to soak it prior to using it because you just have to spray it and, after your first spray, it will take about 7 days for the mushrooms to grow. It makes a great gift and school project and it is also perfect if you want to learn how to grow your own mushrooms.

Pros

The great thing about this mushroom growing kit is that you don’t have to put much work into it, you only need to spray it. You don’t even have to presoak it before you start using it.

It comes with a spray bottle, meaning that you won’t need to buy one separately, which saves you time and money.

The mushrooms grow very fast and, if you do not want to use it, you can leave it unopened for months in a row.

It has multiple flushes, so you will be able to enjoy the delicious taste many times in a row.

It also looks like a piece of home decor, except it is all-natural; however, you have to be careful where you put it so that it can thrive.

Cons

It produces only one to two pounds of mushrooms so, if you are a mushroom enthusiast, you might want to buy several kits to harvest more.

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5. Virgenu 12 Jars Mushroom Automated Growing Kit Automated

We don’t know what your opinion about mushroom growing kits is so far, but this one takes it to another level. It is not a cheap mushroom growing kit but it contains 12 jars of substrate that was previously mixed and sterilized, so you do not have to worry about the safety of your mushrooms.

It comes with a growing chamber as well as a thermometer that helps you keep the optimum number of degrees so that your mushrooms reach their full growth potential. It also has a heater and an air pump, so pretty much everything you need to create the perfect natural environment for the mushrooms to grow healthy.

It even has a HEPA filter so that the air inside the growing chamber is pure enough for perfectly healthy mushrooms. It comes with instructions for every step you need to take to grow mushrooms on your own and you can harvest a great number of mushroom fruits.

Pros

This kit is just perfect for people who want to take it a step further when it comes to growing mushrooms and is very complex, it has everything you need to do so and you will not need to invest in anything else, not even gloves because they are included.

The tent is great for keeping humidity at its optimum levels.

Twelve jars of sterilized substrate allow you to grow a lot of mushrooms.

It has a step by step guide that teaches you everything you need to know about growing mushrooms with this kit.

The HEPA filter is very useful to keep a healthy environment for your new mushrooms.

Cons

For beginners, this mushroom growing kit might be a little too much because you have to pay attention to a lot of things and it will take more of your time. However, for mushroom growing enthusiasts it is perfect.

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6. Willow Mountain Mushrooms Crimini Portobella Mushroom Growing Kit

This mushroom growing kit from Willow Mountain Mushrooms is an indoor mushroom growing kit that is great for families because you can harvest up to 4 pounds of mushrooms per growing cycle. A growing cycle lasts between 4 and 6 weeks and we assure you that you will be able to enjoy a lot of wonderful and tasty flavors.

The kit comes with instructions on how to use it and is the perfect solution for your children’s science project. You can also use it to teach your children all about mushroom growth. The product weighs 12 pounds and it takes up a space of 12 inches x 12 inches x 12 inches.

One of the best qualities that this product has is that it is 100 percent organic, made in cultures that have been grown organically since 2004 in the Missouri Ozarks. This means that the mushroom cultures haven’t been contaminated with any pesticides for over 15 years.

Pros

The biggest pro that this mushroom growing kit has is that it is grown 100 percent organically since 2004. This means that the soil that these mushroom cultures have met over the years has been 100 percent pesticide-free for almost two decades. If you want to eat more organic products, you should know that this is a big plus.

The kit produces 4 pounds of mushrooms, more than enough to serve more than 1 person.

It is easy to use and everything has been done for you before you buy it, and, as you know, all you have to do is water-spray it and keep the environment at the right temperature.

Cons

There is not much to say about cons. Maybe the fact that it takes between 4 to 6 weeks for the mushrooms to fully grow can be a little too much for people who are keen on eating their own harvest.

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7. Root Mushroom Farm Oyster Mushroom Growing Kit

Root Mushroom Farm has come up with this mushroom growing kit that allows you to grow oyster mushrooms inside your own home. It comes with a blue oyster mushrooms log and a tent to help you keep the moisture at its optimum levels. It also has a spray bottle that you need to spray the mushrooms with.

You do not need any other tools other than what you find inside the kit – that is the great part about this mushroom growing kit. After you have first water-sprayed the mushrooms, it will take about a week until they start to grow. However, if you do not want to open it right away, it will last for months inside the box.

It comes with very specific instructions that will help you grow your mushrooms even if you have never done it before. That’s why it makes a great gift for friends and ever for children who want to engage in a fun project.

Pros

This mushroom growing kit is very easy to use, that is its best feature. It has everything you need and the effort you have to put in is minimum.

Oyster mushrooms are delicious and almost everybody likes them, so you won’t have to worry that you invest time in their growth and maybe you won’t like them after harvesting them.

Because they are very easy to use, they can make a great school project or use it as a way for your child to learn a bit more about how to grow their own food and about how beautiful it is to see mushrooms in all of the stages of their life.

Cons

This mushroom growing kit does not provide a lot of mushrooms after harvest. It might be perfect for single people, but people who have a big family might want to buy at least two kits for all of them to enjoy the great flavors.

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8. Willow Mountain Mushrooms White Button Mushroom Growing Kit

Willow Mountain Mushroom has done it again. This time, with the White Button mushrooms. These mushrooms have a great taste, not as rich as wood mushrooms, but they are great for omelets, mushroom soup, mushroom risotto and all sorts of delicious meals.

The kit has instructions on how to use it and gives you about 4 pounds of mushrooms during a cycle of 4 to 8 weeks. It contains a 100 percent organic culture coming from a region that has been growing organic mushrooms since 2004. This is great for your health.

You have to follow the instructions in the package as you want your mushrooms to thrive and grow at their full potential. It makes a great science project and it is very beautiful to see how your mushrooms grow from being tiny to becoming rich thick mushrooms.

The manufacturer is a pro when it comes to mushroom growing kits, as it has been producing these kits for over a decade.

Pros

The mushroom culture is 100 percent organic and has been raised organically for almost two decades.

White Button mushrooms are very tasty and are thick mushrooms that add a lot of great textures to your meal. You can put them in a sandwich, in omelets and they taste great in the form of soups.

The mushroom growing kit produces a lot of mushrooms – 4 pounds is more than enough to enjoy their perfect taste.

It is very easy to use the instructions it comes with as they are very clear and easy for everyone to understand.

Cons

Some people might find the time that the mushrooms need to reach maturity a little bit longer, but taking into account that they are 100 percent organic and come from very high-quality cultures, this is not such a great minus.

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9. Ancient Path Naturals Morel Mushroom Spore Growing Kit

Don’t think that we have left this mushroom growing kit intentionally for last. In fact, this mushroom growing kit has one of the most interesting looking mushrooms that we have talked about so far: Morel mushrooms. These fungi are very similar to a honey cone and some people say that they look like a miniature tree when they reach adulthood.

This is a great kit that is useful for beginners as well as experienced mushroom growers. It comes with instructions that tell you, step by step, everything that you have to do to have a good harvest. All you need to do is to spray the mushroom culture and wait for the mushrooms to reach maturity to be able to harvest them.

Morel mushrooms are delicious and you will enjoy them in any type of meal; you can even eat them alone without anything on because they have a very rich aroma.

Pros

First of all, the taste of these mushrooms is incredible, very rich and full of flavor – that is why it is used in many different restaurants and it is liked by many great chefs.

The kit is very easy to use and the instructions it comes with are clear and detailed, making it a good starter for beginners who have never experienced how it is to grow their own mushrooms at home.

The manufacturer offers a 100 percent money-back warranty. This means that if you dislike something about this product or it doesn’t rise up to your needs you can have a full money return without giving any reason for it.

Cons

If you do not follow the instructions carefully, your mushrooms might not grow properly; that’s why the manufacturer provides you with such a clear instruction manual. However, it is not hard, you just have to pay attention to what you have to do and everything will be just perfect.

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Our Comprehensive Buying Guide

If you want to grow mushrooms at home, there are two ways to do it. Either you do everything from the beginning, or you buy a mushroom growing kit. A mushroom growing kit is a substrate as we call it, a material that has mushroom mycelium growing on it. Using a kit is easier than doing it yourself because most of the hard work is already done for you.

A bit about mushrooms and kits

Mushroom kits come with different types of mushrooms like oyster mushrooms, portobello mushrooms or shiitake mushrooms. You can buy these kits for a school project, as a gift or just to have the experience of growing your own food and enjoying the process of taking care of the mushrooms until they grow big enough to be good enough to eat.

Every mushroom type requires different growth conditions that you should replicate to have proper mushroom fruits. So reading the instructions is essential. Some of them require dark environments, others might like a little bit of light. Too high temperatures make mushrooms uncomfortable and might kill them or not make them grow.

Before buying a mushroom growing kit, you should take into account the following considerations: how easy it is for you to help them grow, whether the kit has multiple flushes or not, how long it takes for the mushrooms to grow and what types of mushrooms you want. Reading a mushroom growing kit review or two before buying might also be of help.

The reason why mushroom kits are a great choice

Usually, a mushroom kit requires minimal effort from your part because the difficult work has already been done for you. You don’t have to pasteurize anything or find logs or dig holes to make it suitable for mushroom growth, you just have to find the perfect spot for it in your home, provide the mushrooms with water and let them grow.

The costs of the mushrooms the best mushroom growing kit for beginners will produce will be much higher in the long run than the money you actually pay for the kit. Also, the mushrooms that you grow are safer than the ones you pick in nature, because, even if it seems really easy, it is hard to identify if a mushroom has been contaminated from another neighbor mushroom.

The importance of the ease of growth

Growing mushrooms with a mushroom growing kit can take almost none of your time or can keep you busy for a while. It is important to look for the manufacturer’s instructions before you purchase one because you have everything you need to know. Like if you only need to spray it a few times a day or if you have to apply nutrients to the soil.

If stressing about taking care of the humidity levels of your mushroom kit is a bit much for you, make sure that you buy a mushroom kit that is easy to maintain. You can read about that in the product reviews in this article.

Substrate types

Substrates can be of different types. They can be a small piece of wood or a medium-sized log, depending on the mushroom kit you buy. It can be pasteurized straw inside a bag, or, as it is in most cases, it can be a block made of sterilized wood chips combined with sterilized sawdust.

For the mushroom kits that have a substrate made of a block of wood chips and sawdust, it is important to first submerge it in cold water and keep it in the fridge for a whole day and night. After that, it is important to mist it with water and cover it with a plastic bag or foil so that you can offer your growing mushrooms enough moisture to grow healthy.

If you prefer a substrate made of loose sawdust you have to know that you will have to mix it with another type of substrate so that you can begin to grow mushrooms. These kits require a little bit more work than the others do. However, they are very versatile and let you play with the way you want your mushroom substrate to look like.

How many flushes do you prefer?

Another important thing that makes mushroom kits differ from one another is how many flushes they have. There are mushrooms that flush every two weeks and you can choose mushroom kits can you can use for years in a row. A piece of good advice is that, before buying a kit, you read the user’s reviews to better understand what you are buying.

However, in the lines below, we have gathered all the information you need so that you can choose what is best for you depending on how much time you want to spend on growing mushrooms.

How long it takes for the mushrooms to grow

There are mushrooms that grow in a week and others that take longer to become adults and good for eating. Some of the kits produce mushrooms within days from the time you have purchased them. Others, however, produce only one set of fruit once a year. It depends on the flavor you want to put into your plate.

Oysters, for example, take less time then shiitake mushrooms to grow because shiitake mushrooms are finicky when it comes to their substrate. In about three months, however, you will be able to have your first fully colonized shiitake mushrooms kit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do I use a mushroom growing kit?

Using a mushroom kit can be quite an adventure, but do not worry about it too much, we’ll tell you all you need to know. After you have finished setting up your kit according to the instructions that come with the product, you have to pay attention to where you want to place it. A room with temperatures between 60 and 75 degrees will be perfect.

Even if you do not have to keep it in complete darkness, be careful not to put it under direct light. Direct sunlight will slowly but surely kill your mushrooms. Watering your kit is also essential. You will usually have to spray water on it once a day, depending on the ambient temperature and humidity.

You should know that it is not the size of the mushrooms that shows you that they are ready to be harvested, but the veil covering them. When it is broken it means that they are mature enough and you can harvest your crop.

Q: How long does it take to grow my own mushrooms?

If you are using a mushroom kit, the process is relatively quicker than it would be if you were to grow the mycelium yourself. Depending on the type of mushrooms you decide to grow, it will take the crop between 7 and 30 days to get to be mature enough so that you can harvest your mushrooms.

If you choose a kit that has thicker mushrooms, you should know it will take longer until they will be ready to harvest. If you want to grow Pleurotus, for example, you should know they will take longer to grow because they are fleshier than others.

However, the conditions that you provide are very important. Mushroom growth is influenced by the temperature in the room, by the moisture, and therefore, how often you water them is very important as well. If you follow the instructions that the producer provides, you will see your mushrooms thriving graciously.

Q: Based on what criteria should I choose a mushroom growing kit?

As we have said before, the time you want to invest in growing your mushrooms is very important. Some kits make you fertilize the substrate. Others make you spray water on the crops more often or for some of them, your time investment can be close to zero.

Another important thing is what kind of mushrooms you want to eat. There are various species that you can grow in your own home and your culinary tastes are subjective and unique for every individual.

Furthermore, it is essential to know how soon you want your mushrooms to be ready. As previously mentioned, if you want them to be ready in a week you should choose mushroom kits that grow mushrooms that are not so fleshy, that have thinner bodies. In our product reviews, you can read all about the time it takes for every one of them to grow.

Bibliography:

1) How to Grow Your Own Mushroom Kit

2) Mushroom culture has never been easier

3) Why grow mushrooms?

4) Reasons More Farms Should Grow Mushrooms