Other mushroom species that produce reliably outdoors in the forest include oyster, lions mane,stropharia, and nameko. However, each of these mushrooms produces at only specific times of the year, when conditions (temperature and moisture) are just right. Therefore, the timing of fruiting is not controllable nor reliable. A grower with established markets can certainly sell these mushrooms, but he/she won’t be able to build a viable business off them alone. Outdoor production offers the advantages of very low infrastructure and energy costs, since only the forest canopy is needed to provide the proper conditions to fruit. Logs and wood are relatively inexpensive to acquire, and woodland production supports good forest management practices. On the downsides, the species you can grow profitably are limited, and the growing season is also limited to approximately 6 months of the year.In indoor or controlled environment production, more species can be grown profitably, with the most common being oyster, shiitake, and lions mane. Oyster is the most versatile and adaptable, being successfully grown on straw as well as sawdust. Shiitake, Lions Mane, and others do best on sawdust. The substrate materials for all types of cultivation must first be treated to “clean” them from contaminants, and during all phases of growing temperature, humidity, light, and air must be carefully controlled. This leads to the pros and cons of this form of production; while a grower can reliably produce a wider range of species, potentially year-round, there is an initial investment of infrastructure and the need to purchase and maintain the equipment to keep environmental conditions optimal.

Learn more about each production system at www.CornellMushrooms.org.