Resources
Mushroom Growing Tools & Supplies
Start with the method you want to try, then buy the supplies that support it. A first grow can be simple, and you may already own much of what you need.
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01
Choose your spawn first
Spawn is living mushroom mycelium carried on a material such as sawdust. Before buying any equipment, match the species, strain, substrate, and season to the method you plan to use. The right spawn for a shiitake log is not the right spawn for an oyster bucket, and a warm-weather strain will not perform the same as a cool-weather one.
We’re familiar with Field & Forest and use them as a starting point for spawn and species-specific instructions.
Sawdust spawn is commonly used for logs and some outdoor methods. For buckets, choose the spawn format recommended by your supplier and bucket method rather than simply any spawn — grain spawn, sawdust spawn, and plug spawn each suit different approaches. See how the spawn formats compare.
02
For mushroom logs
The essentials for a drill-and-fill sawdust-spawn log are compact:
- Compatible fresh hardwood, cut from living trees at the right time of year
- Suitable spawn matched to the species and log
- A drill and a bit matched to your inoculation tool
- A sawdust inoculation tool for drill-and-fill sawdust methods
- Sealing wax and a dauber where the method calls for them
- Labels so you can track species, strain, and date
Plug spawn is usually tapped into matched holes with a hammer or mallet. Totems are short log rounds stacked with spawn between their cut faces, so the tool list differs from drill-and-fill inoculation. Follow your supplier’s instructions for the method you choose. Read about choosing and cutting trees and how to inoculate logs with sawdust spawn.
- Compare log inoculation tools
- View a sawdust-spawn drill bit
A 12 mm bit with a stop collar offered for compatible sawdust-spawn tools. Match the bit and tool before ordering; plug-spawn holes use different sizing.
- Browse sawdust spawn starter kits
Check the included contents before buying duplicates of tools you may already have.
Useful as the workload grows
On the farm we use gas and electric chainsaws, loppers, pruning shears, pickaroons, and ratchet straps for moving and handling wood. A pickaroon is a hooked tool that helps grip and move logs. These depend on workload — prepared logs can avoid needing any cutting equipment for a first grow. When you do cut, choose saw-appropriate protective equipment including leg, eye, and hearing protection and suitable boots, and follow the equipment manufacturer’s instructions.
03
For buckets and outdoor beds
Bucket basics are simple: a clean food-grade bucket and lid, a drill, compatible oyster spawn, a suitable substrate such as chopped straw, and whatever container, heat source, or other equipment your chosen preparation method requires. Food-grade buckets from a known food-use source are worth checking for locally; avoid any container that held chemicals. There’s no need to buy a mushroom-branded bucket — reuse a suitable one you already have. See the bucket method.
Outdoor wine-cap beds need suitable hardwood chips, wine-cap spawn, and reliable water access; a rake and a hose may be all the tools required. You do not need a pressure cooker just because you’re starting one of these methods. See the wine-cap bed method.
What can wait
Tents, automated humidity systems, and specialty cutting machinery can wait until the grow and your workload actually justify them.
04
For indoor jars
PF Tek is, simply put, small jars of brown rice flour and vermiculite that colonize into solid cakes. The supplies depend on the recipe: appropriate jars and lids, brown rice flour, vermiculite, and your chosen heat-treatment equipment. A fruiting tub with perlite may be used for appropriate cake methods.
We’ve used a Presto pressure cooker for small batches of brown-rice-flour jars. When choosing one, compare usable jar capacity, stove compatibility, and the manufacturer’s instructions. Use preparation guidance suited to your jars, substrate, and equipment. Pressure equipment isn’t needed for every growing method. Read the PF Tek beginner guide and clean, pasteurized, or sterile?
05
For harvesting
The Opinel No.08 mushroom knife has a curved blade and an integrated brush. We’ve used Opinel mushroom knives; the No.08 is one option if you prefer a dedicated harvesting knife. A clean, suitable knife you already own can also do the job — a special knife is not required.
A clean harvest container and breathable, refrigerated storage matter as much as the knife. See how to store fresh mushrooms after harvest.
Simple tools for keeping track
Labels and a simple notebook, plus a basic thermometer, often help more than buying elaborate equipment before you’ve observed your growing space. Watch the grow first, then upgrade where it matters.
Choose one method, get its essentials, and start there.
Add equipment when it solves a problem you’ve actually encountered.