BF 151: Outdoor Mushroom Cultivation
Growing Mushrooms on Logs, Stumps, and Woodchips
Enroll in Course
Learn how to cultivate with the seasons in farms, fields, and gardens
Mushrooms are an emerging niche crop with many benefits, including improving farmer stewardship of forested lands and the ability to offer a unique and highly desired product. With a bit of practice, mushrooms can be easily grown outdoors on many materials and in alignment with the seasonal and cyclical nature of outdoor growing.
This course trains new and experienced farmers in the background, techniques, and economics of outdoor mushroom production. Students will learn the basic biology of mushrooms, cultivation techniques for shiitake, oyster, lions mane, and other easy to grow mushrooms, proper conditions for fruiting outdoors, managing pests and other issues, and harvesting and marketing strategies.
Target Audience
All levels - This course is for new farmers, or experienced farmers seeking to diversify their operations. It’s also relevant to woodlot owners and backyard gardeners, and forest stewards interested in this topic. Growing as a viable economic enterprise will be discussed, though techniques can also be applied at any scale. Mushroom growing is an easy topic for beginners with some experience farming and managing crop systems.
Course Objectives
At the completion of this course, you will:
- Be able to describe the basics of outdoor mushroom production, harvesting, and marketing
- Connect mushroom cultivation to the management of healthy forests and soils
- Understand the logistics of management, sales, and legal issues related to mushroom farming
Webinars
The bulk of the course happens on your own time, with discussions, readings, and assignments in Teachable, our virtual classroom. To add to the experience, webinars will be woven into the online interface of the course to allow you to meet on a weekly basis to learn from outside presenters and ask questions to address your farm issues in real time. If you miss one, they are always recorded and posted for later viewing.
Webinar Schedule
Live instruction for 2022 has concluded. While we encourage live attendance so you have the opportunity to
engage with the presenters and ask questions, all webinars are recorded and
posted in your online classroom for students to watch anytime. Once you
have enrolled in this course, you will retain access to all
materials indefinitely, and can return to participate in the live
webinars in future offerings of the course if you wish.
Our next live session will be offered in Fall 2023. Please join us!
Your Instructor
Our Community Mushroom Educators (CMEs) come from a range of backgrounds, communities, and experiences with fungi and together co- facilitate each mushroom course offered through the Cornell Small Farms Program. The teaching team for each course includes a Cornell-affiliated co-facilitator (Steve Gabriel) and one to three CME co-facilitators that offer content and facilitate demos, activities, guest speakers, and more to provide a rich learning environment. All CMEs complete an initial training and are then supported to develop their facilitation skills in virtual and in-person events centered around mushroom education.
Course Curriculum
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PreviewMeet the Community Mushroom Educators for BF 151
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StartInstructor Contact Information
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PreviewWebinar Schedule and Participant Guide
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StartWeekly Webinar Link
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StartOrder Your Mushroom Kit!
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StartPre-Course Survey
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PreviewKiva US - 0% Interest Loans up to $15,000
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StartNavigating in Teachable; Getting a Course Completion Certificate; and More
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StartWeek 1: MYCOLOGY 101 (71:20)
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StartWeek 2: HABITAT AND NICHE FOR MUSHROOMS
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StartWeek 3: Seven Stages of Cultivation / Inoculation (96:23)
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StartWeek 4: Post Harvest (88:05)
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StartWeek 5: Economics and Markets (81:50)
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StartFORUM: Introduce Yourself
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StartFORUM: ASK QUESTIONS HERE!
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StartSelf Assessment: Mushroom Cultivation Knowledge
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StartWeek 6: Wrap Up, Guest Panel on Fungi Learning and Conservation (91:26)