Growing flowers on the balcony is commonplace, and growing vegetables on the balcony is already outdated. Now this is what's popular to grow on balconies.

The balcony is the favorite place for every flower-growing enthusiast living in an urban apartment building. This small space of just over ten square meters lets us freely express ourselves, growing flowers, vegetables, grass... For plant lovers, the balcony is their own plant kingdom, and this kind of joy can only be experienced by friends who love growing plants.

So actually, besides growing these flowers, plants, fruits and vegetables, you can also grow some other things, such as - mushrooms. Mushrooms belong to the fungi family, have a delicious taste, and are a food ingredient people love. So, what aspects should you pay attention to when growing mushrooms on a balcony? Today, Xiao Jingzhi Life will learn together with everyone.

1. Variety selection

Most edible mushroom varieties are only suitable for growing in spring and autumn. Enoki mushrooms (Flammulina velutipes) are best suited for summer, while oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) grow well all year round, so for beginners it is recommended to choose oyster mushrooms to grow.

2. Mushroom spawn selection

After choosing the variety, next comes the selection of the mushroom spawn. Good spawn lets you grow good mushrooms. For the spawn bag, the first choice is one with good transparency, to make it easier to observe the growth of the mushroom spawn; then it must be sturdy and not easily broken. The main material of the spawn substrate inside the bag is best made of dark brown cottonseed hulls, with a density of around 450g/m3, judged by placing it in water so that about half its volume shows above the water surface. In addition, when buying spawn, choose ones that are heavy and small in volume, because this shows there is not too much added water. Online shopping is very convenient now; when buying online, try to choose shops with good genuine reviews.

3. Environment selection

Mushrooms like a dark and damp growing environment and cannot be exposed to sunlight, but they need plenty of fresh air, so a balcony on the shady side is the best environment for growing mushrooms.

4. Growing method

Next comes the growing. Once the spawn package arrives, find a suitable container, pour a little water into it, tear off the newspaper sealing the opening of the spawn package, and then place the spawn package into the container.

Then use a spray bottle to moisten a sheet of newspaper and cover the container with it, after which moisten the newspaper once in the morning and once in the evening. The standard for spraying water is to keep the newspaper wet without letting water accumulate. Lift the newspaper often to let the spawn breathe. After a few days, small mushroom sprouts will grow; at this point you can increase the spraying, but still do not let water accumulate on the newspaper.

Wait until small mushrooms grow from the spawn package, then uncover the newspaper to let the mushrooms breathe fresh air. At this point you should also increase the amount of water sprayed to maintain humidity. After about three to five days, you can harvest the mushrooms and cook with them.

5. Harvesting method

When picking mushrooms, you can pull off a whole cluster at once, then use a small knife to clean off the remaining mushroom stems and dead mushrooms at the top of the spawn package, then continue the watering operation as above, and wait for the next round of mushrooms to grow.

The little girl picking mushrooms no longer needs to carry a big bamboo basket on her back. How to grow them - hurry and grow mushrooms yourself; the ones you grow yourself will definitely taste even better!

Compiled and published by Xiao Jingzhi Life, hoping it is helpful to you!