Future Farm FAQ's

A QUICK TUTORIAL VIDEO ON HOW TO UNBOX AND SET UP YOUR FUTURE FARM!

WHAT AM I DOING HERE?

While we can’t answer that definitively, we can tell you one certain fact:  You are actively absorbing information about growing delicious and nutritious food somewhere in your home, with virtually no power and very little effort beyond misting your little plot of land. A tiny plot that was lovingly crafted with human hands using sustainable practices, all while recycling coffee from the landfill.

But you already read about that, didn’t you?

WHAT WILL I NEED TO GROW MUSHROOMS?

A love and curiosity for fungi, a spray bottle, non-chlorinated water, sometimes a plastic bag can come in handy. These items are for misting your block and for building the humidity tent.  Instructions for building a humidity tent are at the bottom of this page.

WHERE DO I PUT MY FUTURE FARM?

Our farms are intended to be grown indoors. Find an area that receives foot traffic and is near a source of natural humidity, like a kitchen sink. Be mindful, mushrooms do NOT need or prefer direct sunlight to fruit. Mushrooms are not plants, and direct sunlight should be avoided because this will degrade the quality of your fruits, and no one wants that!  Think of our Future Farms as a sleeping bodega cat, sleepily snuggled on a dimly lit shelf amongst the bread and boxed doughnuts, with outstretched paws.

WHEN WILL I SEE MUSHROOMS?

Your block will start producing mushrooms usually in 7 to 14 days, depending on variety and your particular growing conditions.  

HOW DO I KNOW WHEN TO HARVEST?

This is somewhat different for each species but an exciting part of the process, nonetheless!

Oyster mushrooms are ready when the clusters of mushrooms are large and the edges of the “cups” begin to flatten out.  You don’t want them to fan out or curl up, ideally.  If you miss your window and they are a little overgrown, that’s no problem either, just keep in mind that it’s slightly past it’s prime. Go easy on them if it was on your watch!

For Lion’s Mane, you can harvest once the mushrooms are large enough (up to fist-sized!) and the spines/spikes are distinct and slightly elongated.

 

HOW LONG WILL THE BLOCK PRODUCE MUSHROOMS FOR?

Our blocks will produce for about 4 weeks. Once you are finished you can use your block as mulch/fertilizer for your garden, worm bin, or it can contribute to your compost bin. Some of our kits will produce multiple rounds of mushrooms.

WHICH KIT IS EASIEST?

All of our kits are approachable and we’re here to help, but the Lion’s Mane kit is our most advanced kit. This means it’s a bit less forgiving of an improper habitat, unlike Oysters that can grow almost anywhere! A humidity tent will help in any situation!

WHEN DO I NEED TO START MY KIT?

Your mushroom growing kit is a living thing and is therefore intended to be started right away. If you are not able to start your kit within a week of receiving it, you can safely refrigerate your kit for up to 4 weeks.

WHAT IS THE MUSHROOM BLOCK MADE OF?

The blocks are a colony of mycelium, a white thread-like fungus, growing on sterilized hardwood sawdust, called substrate. Future Farms will have white mycelium, this is not mold! Substrate serves as food for the fungus and provides the necessary nutrients to produce mushrooms, much like they would grow from a log in the forest. We buy our ingredients for the substrate from reputable vendors with verified and non-treated sources.

WHY ISN’T MY KIT PRODUCING MUSHROOMS?

While we do not anticipate this issue - anything is possible. If your farm isn’t fruiting, it’s highly likely that it is for one of following three reasons:

One —  It’s not breathing enough.  These gills need to breathe!

This can be helped along by removing the humidity tent after you see little pin set of mushrooms emerging. Your humidity tent should also be set-up to allow for good air exchange, meaning it can’t cover the entire kit. The blocks have to breathe! We suggest you cut or make slits in the bag so that you create an optimal scenario to replicate the optimal conditions in nature. Damp, indirect/dim light, and cool temps.

Two — You are either over-misting or under-misting your block. Humidity is key, but over-misting can cause the mushrooms and the block to degrade. We suggest you spray 3-5 hearty sprays per day.  While we are the topic of misting, we highly suggest investing in a fine mist sprayer.  Double points if you’re a plant enthusiast and already own one!  You were born for this moment.  Here is one we like, similar styles are found at Amazon, etc.

Three — You’re outside of the ideal temperature range, which is between 55-75 degrees F.

Also note, it can take up to 14 days for your mushrooms to begin to fruit.  Patience is key!

Here is a SUPER SIMPLE guide for creating a humidity tent, using any old shopping bag that needs recycling or already has a hole in it!  

  1. First, get scissors and make a few random cuts like in the image below.  
  2. Next, spray INSIDE of the bag and also the on Future Farm where you've made your cuts in the plastic, and
  3. Simply place the shopping bag loosely over the Future Farm.  Make sure airflow does not totally get cut off.

photo of a golden gills future farm mushroom grow kit with a plastic bag over it to create a humidity tent.