How to Grow Morel Mushrooms

There are many types of mushrooms growing in the wild. One type of mushroom, the morel mushroom, has become more popular in the world of culinary arts and cooking. The earthy taste they add to many dishes has made the morel mushroom a sought after ingredient both for home cooks and restaurant chefs.

You can raise morel mushrooms on your own in your own backyard. Use your mushrooms in your own dishes, give them to cooking fanatic friends, or sell them to local eateries.

How to grow morel mushrooms:

Go online or to a speciality gardening store and purchase a morel mushrooms growing kit. Make sure the spores are orange or brown and not green. Look around your yard for an ideal site to grow morel mushrooms. Look for an area of soil that drains well after watering, ideally under a tree.

Tear out all the grass, weeds, debris, and leaves in the determined growing area. Use a tiller to till the soil well. Get out some wood or thick sticks and burn them on top of the growing area. Be careful not to ignite the tree itself! These ashes will add nutrients to the soil that morel mushrooms need to grow.

Take some potting soil, gypsum board, peat moss, and sand and mix it well. Use a tiller to spread this mixture over the growing area mixing it in well with the ashes and soil. Aim for about an inch worth of this mixture evenly covering the entire growing surface.

Sprinkle the morel mushroom kit spores across the growing area. Lightly cover the spores with a small amount of soil mixture. If available lightly burn some elm tree branches or stumps and place them on top of the growing area.

Apply a good amount of water to the morel mushroom growing area and keep it damp often to encourage growth.

You'll need to be patient with your morel mushrooms. In some cases it can take up to three seasons or a few years for mushrooms to appear in your yard.