Ready to upgrade from tomatoes and lettuce? Mushroom growing is the ideal way to use those shady spaces where the sun-lovers won’t produce. New conservation organization Sustainability Matters partners with the Virginia Dept. of Forestry and the US Forest Service for an introduction to mushroom growing, suitable both for home gardeners and potential forest farmers.
Kim Herbstritt of Shady Knoll Mushroom Farm will provide an overview of mushroom growing and demonstrate multiple techniques. Each participant will prep either a log with oyster mushroom spawn or a ”totem” with lion’s mane spawn, to take home, tend and harvest.
Special feature: our mushroom logs are ailanthus, the worst invasive tree in our area! Pretty much the only thing it’s good for is growing mushrooms. We’ll be including information on how to tell ailanthus apart from similar-looking natives, and how to kill it successfully.
Space is extremely limited, and registration is required. Cost is $25 for 2019 Sustainability Matters members. Registration price includes logs, mushroom spawn to inoculate logs, and other supplies. Click here to register. Note that the event is almost full; we may add additional spots to attend the talk only.
