Wine Cap (Stropharia rugoso-annulata), also called the "Garden Giant," is one of the best mushrooms for a home garden. It has a mild, earthy flavor, it is beginner friendly, and one bed can keep producing for several years.
What you need
- Wine Cap sawdust spawn
- Fresh hardwood chips or straw
- A shady or part-shade spot
- Water
Wine Cap spawn has to be mixed with a substrate like wood chips or straw to fruit. It does not grow on logs and is meant for outdoor beds only.
1. Care for the spawn when it arrives
Take the bag out of the box right away. Unfold the top to give it air, and make sure the filter patch is not covered.
2. Make the bed
Clear a spot and wet it down. Lay a few inches of soaked wood chips or straw.
3. Add the spawn in layers
Break up the spawn and sprinkle it over the layer. Add another few inches of wet chips or straw, then more spawn. Finish with a layer of chips or straw on top.
4. Keep it moist
Water the bed whenever it starts to dry. A layer of cardboard or burlap on top can help hold moisture.
5. Harvest
Wine Cap can fruit in as little as two months. Pick the mushrooms young, before the caps flatten out. Add fresh chips or straw each year to keep the bed going. You can also dig out some of the white, colonized material to start a new bed.
What we carry from North Spore
- Wine Cap Garden Bed Kit – $49.99
- MycoStraw (pre-shredded straw) – $24.99
Pasteurizing MycoStraw before you add spawn is recommended. It cuts down on competing molds.
See all our North Spore mushroom supplies on our Mushroom Growing page. We ship to all US states.
Shop mushroom growing supplies: https://4kbowen.com/s/mushroom-growing
More mushroom growing guides:
- How to Start Growing Shiitake on Logs
- Mushroom Growing for Small Farms and Homesteads
- How to Plant an Oyster Mushroom Starter Block
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