What should I inoculate with????

[CP Dan]

So my in-laws bought a new house that is on 45 acres of wooded land. I haven't had a chance to go out and walk it yet, I've just driven past. I looks promising. They close on the house today and I think we will probably be going out there this weekend. So I will be sure to take my treated clothes with me so I can go for a walk.

I talked with my FIL briefly this past weekend about starting some mushrooms out there and he seemed to be on board. A guy I work with gave me a catalog for mushroom plugs. He is currently growing them and says it works great. Here is the website for the company www.fieldforest.net

My plan is to go out into my FIL land drill holes in downed trees, inoculate with mushroom plugs, sit back and enjoy the harvest.

What should I put out there!?!?! There is lots of space, so I am sure that I will eventually have lots of different ones. I just need an idea of where to start.

[rob]

Hens,oysters,shitake,there are a number of them mostly stuff we already find but nothing like having a sure thing.I have similar book from funi.com I think there are a couple others you could try but cant remember the names right now.

[mikeologist]

Wine cap mushrooms are pretty sweet, and they grow in a wood chip pile. All you have to do is spread the sawdust spawn out, and then make sure that you replenish the wood chips in the spring and fall. I had my first crop last year and they went nuts!

[CP Dan]

I was thinking about those. What kind of wood chip did you use? I might even put some of those in my yard.

[mikeologist]

I just used some from the local recycling center. I bought some for my dad, and planted them using wood chips from wood he had split; he hasnt seemed to have any luck getting mushrooms. On the other hand, I have them popping all the time. Maybe its a good variety of chips? On a different note, they flush both in the spring and in the fall.

[CP Dan]

When out this weekend and walked about half of the land. There are some promising areas out there. Downed trees that I can inoculate, dead elms that should produce, a swamp in the low area. Should also be great for hunting, wildlife tracks every where. Looks like trespassers are definitely an issue.

[blitzfish]

Sounds like fun, another good investment may be lions mane too if you like it. If you are to inoculate logs, may I suggest using fresher logs rather than dead ones. This reduces competition in the log because other fungi may already be present. Read up on it and you should be fine.