Mushroom cultivation is a fulfilling, science-meets-art process that invites you into the fascinating world of fungi. Unlike traditional gardening, growing mushrooms relies on creating the ideal environment for mycelium—the vegetative root system of fungi—to colonize a substrate and eventually fruit. This guide offers a step-by-step breakdown for beginners interested in small-batch, indoor cultivation using basic tools and supplies. Grow Mushrooms at Home

This guide shows you, step-by-step, how to grow Cordyceps militaris using a coconut-water nutrient broth, rice, and common supplements—sterilized in an Instant Pot or a Presto pressure cooker. You’ll get exact ingredient amounts, three container setups, how much liquid culture (LC) to use, sterile workflow, and what to look for at each stage.

If you’re new to mushroom growing and don’t have a pressure cooker, don’t worry. You can still grow successfully using boiling water and basic supplies. Here’s how.

Liquid culture (LC) is a powerful tool for expanding mycelium quickly and cleanly. It’s ideal for grain spawn inoculation and faster than agar-to-grain. Here’s how to make your own LC at home.

Grain spawn is the foundation of mushroom cultivation. It serves as a clean, nutrient-rich medium to expand mycelium before transferring to bulk substrate. In this tek, we’ll walk you through how to make grain spawn using whole oats, which is ideal for Lion’s Mane, Oyster, and many other species.

Master’s Mix is a 50/50 blend of hardwood sawdust and soy hulls that provides a rich, high-nitrogen substrate ideal for fast fruiting. Here’s how to make it.

CVG stands for Coco Coir, Vermiculite, and Gypsum — a simple, forgiving bulk substrate blend that’s popular with beginners and experienced cultivators alike. Most can make this with supplies they already have at home, just buy the basic ingridients and have at it!  It’s ideal for dung-loving mushroom species such as Psilocybe cubensis and Panaeolus cyanescens when used with fully colonized grain spawn. Here's how to make it.

Agar plates are essential for isolating clean mushroom cultures, cloning, and expanding genetics. This tek covers everything from mixing to pouring sterile plates.

This guide walks you through building a 20×20-inch cold dehydrator using a standard box fan, 1×2 lumber, and stainless steel mesh. The design allows for multiple stackable racks, each with dowel legs for stability and a flush fit. The bottom rack includes taller legs to create a gap for airflow. This setup works for drying fruits, herbs, and vegetables while preserving nutrients — and doubles as a high-capacity grain dryer for mushroom spawn preparation.