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Posted: 5/17/2016 10:47:02 AM EDT
We had a thread here last year about growing your own shiitake mushrooms, but it ended up getting archived.

No matter.  New faces here by now, and maybe others have jumped in and plugged a few logs.  Anybody?

For me, my stand of 20 or so logs is doing pretty well; no big flushes yet this spring, but enough are popping out here and there to keep me supplied as well as sell quite a few.  I'm getting $18/lb for fresh, and have no problem selling as many as I can round up.  I've got another 25 logs cut, sitting out in the yard now, and a new bag of plugs in the fridge just waiting for the weather to clear back up so I can get outside and drill and plug them.

I plan to keep adding around 25 logs/year, which I'm hoping will eventually level off at maybe 75-100 "working" logs, with the earliest being retired as the mushrooms use 'em up and replaced by the ones I add that year, FIFO-style.

Of all the critters and veggies and whatnot I've raised over the years (a lot), the shiitake logs are among my favorites.  It's a pretty high-dollar crop, with very little hands-on after the initial preparation of the logs. Then it's just sit back and watch it happen.  They're good (and good for you) too... we now use shiitakes instead of white button or portabellas is all recipes calling for such things.  All in all there are few downsides... unless, of course, you hate mushrooms.  

---

ETA: archived thread here
Link Posted: 5/17/2016 1:32:05 PM EDT
[#1]
I need to harvest the ones on my 10 logs... probably a Walmart bags worth.
$18 per lb.... I need to get a few pointers for marketing... there is a farmers market in the area that I could probably set up a stand to sell.
I would be very happy to run 100 logs as long as there's a market.
Link Posted: 5/17/2016 1:53:43 PM EDT
[#2]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
I need to harvest the ones on my 10 logs... probably a Walmart bags worth.
$18 per lb.... I need to get a few pointers for marketing... there is a farmers market in the area that I could probably set up a stand to sell.
I would be very happy to run 100 logs as long as there's a market.
View Quote

Just as long as your market isn't the same as my market!

I have sold quite a few veggies at farmers markets and whatnot, but the mushrooms have all been word-of-mouth, mostly to a bunch of regular customers who buy eggs, veggies and honey from me at work.  I'm afraid if I try to branch out any further I won't be able to meet the demand.  I came up with the $18/lb price because that's basically what they were going for at the grocery store, though in smaller (I think they were 3 oz.) packages.  Quality-wise, there's no comparison between my fresh shiitakes and the shriveled up, shrinkwrapped supermarket versions, so people have been more than happy to pay that.

I also toyed with the idea of selling short (2' or so) pre-inoculated logs to people as kind of a useful novelty item... good way to turn a 50-cent oak chunk and a few pennies worth of plugs into a forty-dollar bill.  Figured I'd have too many people who'd let the logs dry out or stick 'em on the pool deck in the sun or something, though, and I didn't really want the hassle of dealing with customers who figured it was somehow my fault that they never got any mushrooms.
Link Posted: 5/17/2016 2:59:55 PM EDT
[#3]
I need to call a supplier to get some advice.  I have soft maple and ash logs available, but have gotten differing advice on culture using them.
Link Posted: 5/17/2016 3:32:54 PM EDT
[#4]
There is a pic of my logs just after plugging them in the archived file you linked.

Here is a pic from today. The logs HAVE mushrooms on them but they are old (last fall) and THEY ARE NOT SHIITAKES. Most seem to be turkey tail, which seems to be pretty common around my property.




Is it likely that I can get a flush of Shiitakes in spite of this?
Link Posted: 5/17/2016 4:06:12 PM EDT
[#5]
The people that sold the plugs to me told me not to let the logs touch the ground.... that they could get contaminated with undesirable fungi. I stacked mine on concrete blocks in log cabin fashion.
Did you use freshly cut logs or some that had been cut for many months? If you used logs that had been laying around for a while then they could have already been contaminated. I was advised to cut my logs and wait 6-8 weeks before I plugged them.
Link Posted: 5/17/2016 4:12:19 PM EDT
[#6]
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Quoted:
The people that sold the plugs to me told me not to let the logs touch the ground.... that they could get contaminated with undesirable fungi. I stacked mine on concrete blocks in log cabin fashion.
Did you use freshly cut logs or some that had been cut for many months? If you used logs that had been laying around for a while then they could have already been contaminated. I was advised to cut my logs and wait 6-8 weeks before I plugged them.
View Quote

Yeah, I'm by no means an experience shiitake wrangler, but I don't think I'd expect much out of those logs.  But I dunno... at least shiitakes are pretty recognizable, so if they do sprout any it should be easy enough to tell the good ones from any undesirable species.
Link Posted: 5/17/2016 5:38:27 PM EDT
[#7]
Probable Problem #1) I dropped the log and let it lay on the ground about 2 months. I'll try it again but will get them off the ground next time.

Probable Problem #2) I used a Sweet Gum log. Shiitakes prefer Oaks but I've heard they can grow on other hardwoods.

Probable Problem #3) I used sawdust spawn that was purchased several years ago. I didn't ever open it and forgot about it. When I opened the box, the spawn had eventually produced mushrooms inside the bag but they were now "melted". The stuff was kind of gross. I boiled some hardwood dowels and threw them in there anyway, and they seemed to have a mycelium run on them but they didn't look as good by the time I plugged the logs.

Possible Problem #4) I was pretty liberal with the wax when sealing the plugs. Many of the wax spots were 3 inches in diameter. I don't know if that allows the plugs to "take" or not.
Link Posted: 5/17/2016 5:50:44 PM EDT
[#8]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Probable Problem #1) I dropped the log and let it lay on the ground about 2 months. I'll try it again but will get them off the ground next time.

Probable Problem #2) I used a Sweet Gum log. Shiitakes prefer Oaks but I've heard they can grow on other hardwoods.

Probable Problem #3) I used sawdust spawn that was purchased several years ago. I didn't ever open it and forgot about it. When I opened the box, the spawn had eventually produced mushrooms inside the bag but they were now "melted". The stuff was kind of gross. I boiled some hardwood dowels and threw them in there anyway, and they seemed to have a mycelium run on them but they didn't look as good by the time I plugged the logs.

Possible Problem #4) I was pretty liberal with the wax when sealing the plugs. Many of the wax spots were 3 inches in diameter. I don't know if that allows the plugs to "take" or not.
View Quote

You are certainly a man who enjoys a challenge!  

Out of all those, I'd suspect the age/condition of the spawn to be the real problem.  Pretty much everything I've read says to get the spawn in the logs as soon as possible after you receive it.

Arkansas... you've got oaks, right?  Why not try again?
Link Posted: 5/17/2016 10:25:14 PM EDT
[#9]
I don't know about the sweetgum logs, I used white oak.
I used the pot that I wax my traps in with the trap wax to seal the plugs and I used a 3" paint brush, it did fine.
Most likely your spawn was bad. It's pretty cheap... mine was like $40 or so shipped for 100 plugs so I would order about a month before I planned to plug.
Link Posted: 5/20/2016 11:23:40 PM EDT
[#10]
Around the end of March I set 200 shiitake and 100 blue oyster plugs in logs. Got lots of good suggestions from baogongmeo. I'm not expecting any results until next spring but looking forward to it nonetheless.  If this works out, I'll definitely add more. Got the place, the logs and the time so I'm patiently waiting and will continue to check your posts.
Link Posted: 5/21/2016 4:16:35 PM EDT
[#11]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:

Just as long as your market isn't the same as my market!

I have sold quite a few veggies at farmers markets and whatnot, but the mushrooms have all been word-of-mouth, mostly to a bunch of regular customers who buy eggs, veggies and honey from me at work.  I'm afraid if I try to branch out any further I won't be able to meet the demand.  I came up with the $18/lb price because that's basically what they were going for at the grocery store, though in smaller (I think they were 3 oz.) packages.  Quality-wise, there's no comparison between my fresh shiitakes and the shriveled up, shrinkwrapped supermarket versions, so people have been more than happy to pay that.

I also toyed with the idea of selling short (2' or so) pre-inoculated logs to people as kind of a useful novelty item... good way to turn a 50-cent oak chunk and a few pennies worth of plugs into a forty-dollar bill.  Figured I'd have too many people who'd let the logs dry out or stick 'em on the pool deck in the sun or something, though, and I didn't really want the hassle of dealing with customers who figured it was somehow my fault that they never got any mushrooms.
View Quote View All Quotes
View All Quotes
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Quoted:
I need to harvest the ones on my 10 logs... probably a Walmart bags worth.
$18 per lb.... I need to get a few pointers for marketing... there is a farmers market in the area that I could probably set up a stand to sell.
I would be very happy to run 100 logs as long as there's a market.

Just as long as your market isn't the same as my market!

I have sold quite a few veggies at farmers markets and whatnot, but the mushrooms have all been word-of-mouth, mostly to a bunch of regular customers who buy eggs, veggies and honey from me at work.  I'm afraid if I try to branch out any further I won't be able to meet the demand.  I came up with the $18/lb price because that's basically what they were going for at the grocery store, though in smaller (I think they were 3 oz.) packages.  Quality-wise, there's no comparison between my fresh shiitakes and the shriveled up, shrinkwrapped supermarket versions, so people have been more than happy to pay that.

I also toyed with the idea of selling short (2' or so) pre-inoculated logs to people as kind of a useful novelty item... good way to turn a 50-cent oak chunk and a few pennies worth of plugs into a forty-dollar bill.  Figured I'd have too many people who'd let the logs dry out or stick 'em on the pool deck in the sun or something, though, and I didn't really want the hassle of dealing with customers who figured it was somehow my fault that they never got any mushrooms.



If you want to keep your market share, I wouldn't sell the secret! That $40 might lose you lots more of the $18's.
Link Posted: 5/22/2016 5:25:40 AM EDT
[#12]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:



If you want to keep your market share, I wouldn't sell the secret! That $40 might lose you lots more of the $18's.
View Quote View All Quotes
View All Quotes
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
I need to harvest the ones on my 10 logs... probably a Walmart bags worth.
$18 per lb.... I need to get a few pointers for marketing... there is a farmers market in the area that I could probably set up a stand to sell.
I would be very happy to run 100 logs as long as there's a market.

Just as long as your market isn't the same as my market!

I have sold quite a few veggies at farmers markets and whatnot, but the mushrooms have all been word-of-mouth, mostly to a bunch of regular customers who buy eggs, veggies and honey from me at work.  I'm afraid if I try to branch out any further I won't be able to meet the demand.  I came up with the $18/lb price because that's basically what they were going for at the grocery store, though in smaller (I think they were 3 oz.) packages.  Quality-wise, there's no comparison between my fresh shiitakes and the shriveled up, shrinkwrapped supermarket versions, so people have been more than happy to pay that.

I also toyed with the idea of selling short (2' or so) pre-inoculated logs to people as kind of a useful novelty item... good way to turn a 50-cent oak chunk and a few pennies worth of plugs into a forty-dollar bill.  Figured I'd have too many people who'd let the logs dry out or stick 'em on the pool deck in the sun or something, though, and I didn't really want the hassle of dealing with customers who figured it was somehow my fault that they never got any mushrooms.



If you want to keep your market share, I wouldn't sell the secret! That $40 might lose you lots more of the $18's.

That thought may or may not have crossed my mind...  

It's really two different customer bases, though.  Kinda like the difference between those who raise a garden to produce their own veggies (these are the "log" people), and those who buy everything they eat at the grocery store (the by-the-pound folks).  There'd probably be some overlap, but even so, the "log people" would still probably be repeat customers, just on a longer scale.  The logs only produce for so long, and the ones I was looking at producing were smaller than a typical shiitake log - only about 1' long instead of the 4' or so most people go with.  So they'd be depleted even sooner.

Here's kinda where I was headed with it:



The fancified, Pampered Chef version (base made with a CNC router, engraving is Chinese for "shiitake mushroom".  Wood is walnut from my back yard):



Link Posted: 5/22/2016 10:02:28 PM EDT
[#13]
IIRC someone was advertising a 1 ft log (plugged) for $25. Seems to me this was on Craigslist in the Springfield or Joplin area.
Link Posted: 5/23/2016 12:51:33 PM EDT
[#14]
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Quoted:
IIRC someone was advertising a 1 ft log (plugged) for $25. Seems to me this was on Craigslist in the Springfield or Joplin area.
View Quote


If I saw a listing on CL for "i ft log, plugged", I would NOT assume it had anything to do with mushrooms.
Link Posted: 5/23/2016 1:53:07 PM EDT
[#15]
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Quoted:


If I saw a listing on CL for "i ft log, plugged", I would NOT assume it had anything to do with mushrooms.
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Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Quoted:
IIRC someone was advertising a 1 ft log (plugged) for $25. Seems to me this was on Craigslist in the Springfield or Joplin area.


If I saw a listing on CL for "i ft log, plugged", I would NOT assume it had anything to do with mushrooms.


Well... it is a kind of an ozarky thing. lol
Link Posted: 5/23/2016 2:13:10 PM EDT
[#16]
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Quoted:


If I saw a listing on CL for "i ft log, plugged", I would NOT assume it had anything to do with mushrooms.
View Quote View All Quotes
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Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Quoted:
IIRC someone was advertising a 1 ft log (plugged) for $25. Seems to me this was on Craigslist in the Springfield or Joplin area.


If I saw a listing on CL for "i ft log, plugged", I would NOT assume it had anything to do with mushrooms.

Link Posted: 5/24/2016 2:53:19 PM EDT
[#17]
Might be interesting to run an ad with that description just to see the responses.  Ha!
Link Posted: 5/24/2016 3:46:25 PM EDT
[#18]
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Quoted:
Might be interesting to run an ad with that description just to see the responses.  Ha!
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You might meet a new circle of "friends".
Link Posted: 5/26/2016 10:38:35 AM EDT
[#19]
I am doing some research on mushroom growing. I am going against the wood grain here and will try
Chinese tallow for my logs. I can get as much as I want in Chinese tallow. If I do this I will keep you posted.
Link Posted: 5/26/2016 10:50:37 AM EDT
[#20]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
I am doing some research on mushroom growing. I am going against the wood grain here and will try
Chinese tallow for my logs. I can get as much as I want in Chinese tallow. If I do this I will keep you posted.
View Quote


Is that a good idea? A quick Google search mentions some things about noxious compounds in the wood, which keep critters from eating it.
Link Posted: 5/27/2016 9:10:42 PM EDT
[#21]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:


Is that a good idea? A quick Google search mentions some things about noxious compounds in the wood, which keep critters from eating it.
View Quote View All Quotes
View All Quotes
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Quoted:
I am doing some research on mushroom growing. I am going against the wood grain here and will try
Chinese tallow for my logs. I can get as much as I want in Chinese tallow. If I do this I will keep you posted.


Is that a good idea? A quick Google search mentions some things about noxious compounds in the wood, which keep critters from eating it.


On the little research I done there was a study done I think in Georgia which tried out Chinese tallow against white oak.From what I gather it was just as good as white oak.
I need to go talk to my county agent about it. Not much info on it but if it can be done be a great way of using a nuisance tree.
Link Posted: 5/27/2016 9:18:31 PM EDT
[#22]
http://mysare.sare.org/sare_project/os14-086/?page=narrative&view=print

It was done in Florida. The tree was introduced in Georgia.(Thanks Georgia) No mention of it being toxic for mushroom growing.
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