Wired Guide Details Five Methods for Growing Mushrooms at Home
8 reported2 unconfirmed
A Wired article published July 20, 2026, reports on five methods the author attempted to grow mushrooms at home over the past year. The author, a busy full-time-working parent who is not a mycology expert, tried shiitakes on an inoculated log, oysters on a cardboard-enclosed fruiting block, wine caps in spawn buried in bark chips, oysters from grain spawn in a bucket, and oysters and lion’s manes in a monotub setup. Only two of the five methods succeeded. The article notes that mushrooms need spores, a food source, and a humid environment, but are sensitive to light, heat, and contamination. The author recommends a monotub fruiting chamber as the best setup, having successfully grown four rounds of oyster mushrooms and three rounds of lion’s mane. The article also describes challenges with a shiitake log, a spray-and-grow box, sawdust spawn in the garden, and a bucket technique, including issues with mold, fungus gnats, and squirrels.
What’s reported
The author attempted five mushroom-growing methods over the past year: shiitake log, oyster fruiting block, wine cap spawn in bark chips, oyster bucket, and oyster/lion’s mane monotub.
Only two of the five methods succeeded.
Mushrooms require spores, a food source, and a humid environment.
The monotub fruiting chamber (Boomr Bin from North Spore) was the most successful, producing four rounds of oyster mushrooms and three rounds of lion’s mane.
The shiitake log from Williams Sonoma was soaked in mid-May and early July but had not fruited as of the article’s publication; green mold appeared on top.
The spray-and-grow box kits from Back to the Roots and North Spore ($30) were tried; North Spore’s fresh block attracted fungus gnats.
Wine cap and morel spawn were crumbled into wood chips but squirrels dug up and ate the spawn before it could fruit.
The bucket technique (MushBucket from North Spore) with chopped straw and grain spawn resulted only in mold colonization.
Open questions
Whether the shiitake log will eventually fruit as guaranteed by Williams Sonoma.
Whether the author’s future attempts with pasteurized straw and outdoor bucket technique would succeed.
Key figures
Matt McInnis, cofounder of North Spore (mentioned as recommending bucket technique).
Author is not named in the article.
Sources: Wired
