Shiitake Mushroom Workshop A Success!

The Garrett County Forestry Board hosted a highly successful Grow Your Own Shiitake Mushroom workshop on April 2, 2022 at the Deep Creek Lake Discovery Center. The sold out event was able to raise over $800 for our scholarship fund!

It was a chilly, but beautiful spring morning! Participants began by selecting their logs and drilling holes to prepare for inoculation. Holes were drilled to a set depth in rows along the length of the log in preparation for applying the mushroom spawn. White oak logs between 4-8 inches diameter (pre-cut about 4 weeks prior) were used. Everyone then re-grouped in the classroom to learn about the mushroom cultivation process from Board member Bill Aiken.

For this event, we followed the plug spawn inoculation process. Spawn refers to the material that carries the mycelium that will develop into mushrooms. Approximately 1 inch pieces of dowel (the plugs) were inserted into each hole and sealed with a small dab of wax. Each participant labeled their log with the type of mushroom and date, which can be helpful for anyone deciding to further their mushroom growing experience on their own, should they end up with multiple logs from different years. Each participant went home with their log and an instruction sheet including detailed information on cultivation and proper placement and treatment of logs. Participants may see their first flush of mushrooms next spring.

We do plan to host additional workshops on various topics in the future. Please keep an eye on our website and Facebook page for details. If you haven't already done so, you may also subscribe to our quarterly newsletter for Forestry Board updates. Visit us on Facebook Subscribe