The Urban Farming Guys

This is a really cool video about urban farming in Kansas City, Missouri.

A Video About Growing Shiitake Mushrooms

 This is a very informative video from the Urban Farming Guys about growing shiitake mushrooms on logs.

Patience....

Gardening has taught me patience. Or so I thought. I have learned that if I plant a seed and keep it watered, it will grow. If I tend to my garden, it will eventually yield flowers and vegetables. So why am I checking the mushroom log multiple times per day?

I was sprinkling the log with water on a daily basis, but impatience won out. I decided to soak the log to accelerate the process. The baby pool seemed to be about the right size, so I filled it and soaked the log for about 8 or 9 hours, then returned it to its shady spot.

My teenagers reminded me that I watched pot never boils. So what did I do this morning while they were still sleeping?  Yes, I checked on the log.

A Mushroom Log - Who Knew?

I've been gardening for over 20 years and I've tried growing many different plants. Some have been amazingly successful, others partially successful, and some have failed miserably. Growing mushrooms had never occurred to me. (My teenage son just pointed out that mushrooms are not plants, they are fungi.)

One day, about 2 weeks ago, our wonderful neighbors gifted us with a beautiful shiitake mushroom log. My reaction:  Mushroom log? What is a mushroom log?  Well, guess what?  A mushroom log is a log that is inoculated with mushroom spores and if all goes well, will produce gourmet mushrooms for several years.

I placed the log in a shady spot between our shed and the neighbor's fence. I've been watering it every day to keep it moist since we haven't had rain for about 5 or 6 days. Hopefully, we'll be enjoying some shiitake mushrooms in the near future!