Mushroom farming (no not the magic sort

[Kris]

Was just wondering today really how do people grow mushrooms on a large scale comercially is there much equipment involved or is it all hand work

[Lord Ferguson]

Well... Mushrooms are grown commercially in temperature and humidity controlled tunnels... the spores are blended with a growing medium... consisiting of deep litter turkey straw usually... they are gown in 6ft square boxes that are about 3 ft deep.

As mushrooms grow at varying rates it's a hand job to pick them.... did you know that the only difference between a button. cup and flat muchroom is the time it is picked... 

I'll get you some pics sometime from my grower I use at work... I may have their poster somewhere  \

As for equipment... a few flatbed trailers the odd tractor and a forklift is probably about it really  \

[Lord Ferguson]

This is my current Mushroom Supplier... all Organic as well 

[Kris]

thanks for that marky have been wondering about it for a while

[Lord Ferguson]

thanks for that marky have been wondering about it for a while

No problem buddy... if you lived a bit nearer I would take you around the farm... it's quite some process as well... 

[Kris]

sounds good  shame i live soo far away all the farming round here is osr wheat barley sometimes peas and thats it

[Lord Ferguson]

sounds good  shame i live soo far away all the farming round here is osr wheat barley sometimes peas and thats it

It's surprising what you find "tucked away" though... I bet you would be surprised at just what is grown in your local area... I bet you have plenty of acres of glass around your way... salad stuff is big in your area.. cues and capsicums (peppers to you and me) 

[Gav836]

We used to have a big mushroom farm locally here, I can remember looking round it when I was in the YFC over 10 years ago, found it very interesting. Sadly they ceased trading a couple of years back as far as i know \

[pj witch]

saw on the tv the other night that the poles can import mushrooms at 30 - 35 per cent cheaper

[Lord Ferguson]

I would guess that 90% of UK Market Mush is Polish... Poland really are a force to be recokned with in veg these days... they have brand new high-tech infastructure.. and a great groupage logistics system direct to mainland Europe and over here too 

Mark my words... in 10 years time all our cheap veg will be Polish  :'( :'( :'(

One problem they can't seem to get over is disease right now... when you see the white mushrooms with brown spots on them they will be Polish... it's not harmful... but not cosmetic  \

I have a mate who is an Agent/broker for Polish veg... he has ammased a small fortune in the last two years 

[pj witch]

yep it,s sad how this country is going down hill FAST :'( :'( :'( :'( :'(

[Lord Ferguson]

yep it,s sad how this country is going down hill FAST :'( :'( :'( :'( :'(

Don't get me started on that one  :D

I buy these Mush locally... but I COULD buy Mushrooms for nearly half the price if I bought imported all the time.... The bloody government does NOTHING to help UK Fruit & Veg farmers 

I am on a quest this year to buy locally and sustainably... I now pay Waaaaaay over the odds for Tomatoes, Peppers, Cucumbers, Mushrooms, Potatoes (yes I can buy Majorican cheaper - work that out) 

[pj witch]

mrs pjw always buy english fruit and veg

[farmernick06]

Don't get me started on that one  :D

I buy these Mush locally... but I COULD buy Mushrooms for nearly half the price if I bought imported all the time.... The bloody government does NOTHING to help UK Fruit & Veg farmers 

I am on a quest this year to buy locally and sustainably... I now pay Waaaaaay over the odds for Tomatoes, Peppers, Cucumbers, Mushrooms, Potatoes (yes I can buy Majorican cheaper - work that out) 

Here, here we need more people like you Marky, keep it local is the best way to go. We need more farm shops and closer communities brought together by fresh produce and local agriculture like i discovered in France. Marky you are leading the way for where we should be going to have great locally grown food, never give in mate 

[powerrabbit]

I know a chap that used to take all the spent compost from a mushroom farm for nowt and spread it on his fields, when the humidity was right he found he got a crop of mushrooms in the fields as the compost had to be replenished at regular intervals for commercial efficiency, thus the compost is never completely 'spent out',

He put some in an old chicken shed, only a small one that would hold about 30 birds, blacked out the windows and he had enough mushrooms to feed an army.

As regards local veg, I grow my own, surprising what you can produce from 3 small greenhouses and 1/8th acre of garden. Usually till 9 rows of spuds, last year never bought a spud and still got half a bag left. I only grow the basics really, spuds, carrots, beetroot, a few marrows and cougettes, runner and broad beans, peas, parsnips, shallotts, onion setts, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, sweetcorn and a few raspberry canes. In the greenhouses (one to grow stuff from seed) tomato and cucumbers. Oh, and must'nt forget the rhubarb!

[An Interested Spectator]

Masseysrule,

I used to work on a mushroom farm, and would love to lett you how it is done but this ****** fourm will not accept my posts.

[An Interested Spectator]

Now it decides to ***** well work !!!!!!!!!!!!!

I will now try for the fourth time to post my reply !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Lord Ferguson]

I know a chap that used to take all the spent compost from a mushroom farm for nowt and spread it on his fields, when the humidity was right he found he got a crop of mushrooms in the fields as the compost had to be replenished at regular intervals for commercial efficiency, thus the compost is never completely 'spent out',

He put some in an old chicken shed, only a small one that would hold about 30 birds, blacked out the windows and he had enough mushrooms to feed an army.

Very true... You could go on forever just about harvesting from the "spent" growing medium   - They hammer it and then throw it away when it becomes not so commercially viable to keep it going... I think you can re-heat it and re-wet it.. and away it goes again  \

Thanks for the comments Nick   - I'll keep it up mate no worries... If we all turn our backs on the UK farming... what will be left of this once great country  :'( :'( We have no bloody manufacturing industry thanks to China and Eastern Europe   - Oh no... someones turned the big key on my back   :D

[Kris]

It's surprising what you find "tucked away" though... I bet you would be surprised at just what is grown in your local area... I bet you have plenty of acres of glass around your way... salad stuff is big in your area.. cues and capsicums (peppers to you and me) 

now saying that there is hedon salads place and some other massive greenhouses once tried gettin a job ther before guess what all the jobs were taken by ................................................................ POLISH people

[pj witch]

in braintree there is so many poles they have open,d their own shop selling polish food

[An Interested Spectator]

Masseysrule,

For the fifth time of asking.

I used to work on a mushroom farm in the '70's. It used to be done lke this.....

Manure and straw would be composted in windrows, much like local authorities do with green waste now.

The compost would then be placed in beds, like potato boxes with the sides cut down. These would then be sown with the mushrooms spores. The beds would then be placed in rows four or five high in growing houses. These are like warehouses and there were streets of them across the farm. Much like rows of terraced houses.

These would be kept hot, dark and wet. (watered every day).

After a couple of days the mushrooms would grow sufficently to be cut. Gangs of cutters would then go into the growing houses and cut the mushrooms by hand. Different grades of mushrooms being placed in different baskets. These would either go to supermarkets or for canning.

A new crop could be cut every other day for a couple of weeks. The number of mushrooms per bed would then drop off. Once a house was no longer worth cutting it would be sprayed off to kill the spores. The beds would be removed and throroughly clean as would the growing house. The procedure would then start again

[Kris]

thanks for that apassmore just had a look on hedon salads website and i never reailsed they grew as much vegetables as they do type in hedon salads in google and its the first link for those who want a look

[Lord Ferguson]

The Polish debate is a difficult one for me... they do do the jobs us lot don't want to do anymore... I have about 12 Lithuanians working for me at any one time... and they do fill a gap that I can't fill otherwise... much as I don't like it... we do seem to have a need for Eastern European labout in the UK at the present time.. especially in farming.. my Strawberry grower employs over 200 of them in the Kings Lynn area during his cropping season  \

[An Interested Spectator]

The mushroom farm i used to work on is located in Somerset and is the largest in Europe.

When i worked there the cutters were mainly women from the poorer areas of Bristol, now they are all eastern european.

They were one of the first to have mechanical windowrowers and some very early skip trailers.

The making of the compost used to create a lot of smell. It was somthing that everyone who lived locally just accepted. But a load of urban types have arrived and complained about the smell. The local authority threatened to close the farm, so now they have to lorry in all the compost from Holland !!!!!!!!!!

and guess what the same people are now complaining about the number of lorry movements in and out of the farm !!!!!

[Kris]

The Polish debate is a difficult one for me... they do do the jobs us lot don't want to do anymore... I have about 12 Lithuanians working for me at any one time... and they do fill a gap that I can't fill otherwise... much as I don't like it... we do seem to have a need for Eastern European labout in the UK at the present time.. especially in farming.. my Strawberry grower employs over 200 of them in the Kings Lynn area during his cropping season  \

its difficult for me to really they do fill in a needed gap but can be soo damn annoying aswell