Shiitake Farming in Oregon
Shiitake mushrooms are the most popular mushrooms in Japan today. Their popularity also has spread to the United States, where shiitake production is second only to that of the white button mushroom (as of 2010). And yet the International Trade Manager for the Oregon Department of Agriculture believes the market potential for U.S.-grown shiitake has hardly been touched. One can enter the shiitake-growing market in Oregon by following a few simple rules of thumb. Does this Spark an idea?
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Growing Environment: Logs
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Shiitake mushrooms are grown on logs usually about 3 feet in length and 2 to 6 inches in diameter. The logs can either be natural or artificial. For natural logs, oak is the preferred material, although beech and chestnut can also be used. Therefore, growing shiitake in Oregon is ideal because many other oak species suitable for growing the mushrooms are native to the Oregon and California regions. Artificial logs are made of a special combination of oak sawdust, bran, millet and other additives.
Inoculation
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Once you have selected a log, the next step is to inoculate it with a good quality culture. The culture or spawn is nothing more than a mix of fungal mycelium and sawdust or grain, from which the actual mushroom fungus will grow. Drill holes in the log, insert the spawn, and seal it back up with wax to keep out other organisms.
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Development Period
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Let the inoculated log sit for four to nine months in order to allow the mycelia to firmly take hold and spread throughout the log. Consider using a shade cloth for outdoor growing in order to prevent the log from getting too dried out from direct sunlight. Or stack the logs, if growing mushrooms on multiple ones, to keep in shade and moisture. Oregon's damp climate is perfect for outdoor mushroom growing.
Yield
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After the development period, soak the logs and move them to a moist yard to allow mushrooms to flower, then to be harvested. A single log averaging 3 feet in length can usually bear five crops of mushrooms. So take this estimate into consideration when planning how many mushrooms you'd like to eventually harvest. If you'd like a bigger yield, inoculate more logs. Note that some logs may yield no mushrooms, which may indicate conditions were not ideal.
Economics
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Shiitake mushroom growing is an ideal venture for a small-scale farmer. If your goal is selling mushrooms commercially rather than growing them for individual use, consider growing them indoors. Even though the Pacific Northwest climate is favorable, mushrooms are strongly affected by temperature and light sources, and outdoor production also generally provides lower yields and requires longer production times.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit shiitake on log image by Zlatko Ivancok from Fotolia.com
