The Best Places to Set Up Your Mushroom Grow Kit at Home

TL;DR: Mushroom grow kits are a fun and rewarding way to grow your own fungi, but choosing the right spot in your home is essential for success. Here’s a quick guide:

• Indoor Placement: Keep your kit indoors for stable conditions and easier control. Outdoor environments can lead to temperature swings and pest issues.
• Light Exposure: Place the kit in indirect sunlight—like a windowsill or shelf with filtered light. Avoid direct sunlight, which can dry out and overheat the kit.
• Temperature: Maintain a steady range of 64°F to 75°F (18°C to 23°C). Avoid placing the kit near heaters, air conditioners, or drafty areas to prevent fluctuations.
• Humidity: Mushrooms need a cool, moist environment. Kitchens and bathrooms are great due to their naturally higher humidity. Mist regularly to keep the kit from drying out.
• Airflow: Ensure good airflow to prevent mold, but avoid placing the kit in a drafty or stagnant area. A well-ventilated shelf or counter works best.

Ideal Locations

• Kitchen counters away from heat sources.
• Shelves near windows with filtered light.
• Bathrooms with moderate airflow.
• Stable, quiet corners in living rooms.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Placing the kit in direct sunlight.
• Putting it near temperature extremes like heaters or vents.
• Ignoring humidity needs in air-conditioned rooms.

By selecting a location that balances light, temperature, humidity, and airflow, you can set the stage for a thriving mushroom harvest. Happy growing!

Indoor Placement

Most mycologists agree that keeping your grow kit indoors is the way to go. Why? Indoor environments allow for easier monitoring and control of the conditions that mushrooms need. While you might be tempted to place the kit on a shaded patio or in a garden shed, the outdoor environment can fluctuate too dramatically in terms of temperature, humidity, and even exposure to pests. Indoors, you have consistent ambient conditions and can adjust the environment as necessary, making it much easier to maintain the balance that mushrooms crave.

Light Exposure

• Indirect Sunlight: Contrary to popular belief, mushrooms don’t thrive in complete darkness. They use subtle cues from light to trigger certain growth stages. Indirect sunlight—think the soft, diffused light coming from a window—is perfect. This gentle brightness helps your fungi understand their “rest and renew” cycle, signaling when to form healthy caps and stems. Ideal spots might be a windowsill that doesn’t receive direct midday sun or a shelf that sits opposite a window, receiving a soft, filtered glow.
• Avoid Direct Sunlight: Direct sunlight can quickly dry out your grow kit’s substrate, making it harder for mushrooms to retain the moisture they need. It can also cause the internal temperature of your kit to spike, slowing down growth or even killing the delicate mycelium. If you notice an intense beam of sunlight landing on your kit at any time of day, consider relocating it or adjusting curtains to diffuse that light.

Temperature Requirements

• Optimal Temperature Range: Aim to keep your mushroom grow kit at a steady 64°F to 75°F (18°C to 23°C). This moderate range allows the mycelium to thrive and encourages hearty fruiting.
• Avoiding Extremes: Placing your grow kit near a heater or under an air conditioner can cause sudden temperature swings. Drafty areas near poorly insulated windows can also create unwanted fluctuations. High temperatures—above 75°F—tend to inhibit growth, leading to stunted mushrooms or delayed pinning. Keep your kit in a part of your home where temperatures remain consistently mild.

Humidity and Moisture

• Importance of Humidity: Mushrooms require a cool, moist environment. Proper humidity ensures healthy fruiting and reduces the risk of the substrate drying out.
• Suitable Locations: Some of the most naturally humid spaces in the home are kitchens and bathrooms. The simple act of cooking can raise the humidity in a kitchen, while showers generate moisture in a bathroom. These conditions perfectly mimic the damp forest floors from which mushrooms originate.
• Avoid Drying Out: Strong air currents from a fan, vent, or air purifier can quickly strip moisture from the air and your grow kit’s surface. Positioning your kit away from vents and fans is crucial. To further assist with moisture retention, regularly mist your grow kit according to the instructions, ensuring the substrate stays slightly damp but not waterlogged. All our Ready to Grow Kits come with a spray bottle to avoid any drying of the fruiting body.

Airflow Considerations

While mushrooms thrive in a humid environment, you don’t want your kit trapped in a stagnant corner. Good airflow helps prevent mold or bacterial growth in overly stagnant conditions. Avoid overly drafty conditions, but ensure your kit isn’t sealed in a container or closet that doesn’t allow fresh air circulation. A well-ventilated area—like a kitchen counter or an open shelf—is usually just right.

Examples of Ideal Locations

• Kitchen Counters: A kitchen counter not too close to the stove or heating appliances can offer mild temperatures, moderate humidity from cooking, and indirect sunlight if near a window.
• Shelves Near Windows (But Not in Direct Sunlight): A bookshelf or floating shelf opposite a window, where the light is filtered and less intense, can be ideal. Just ensure it’s not in a direct draft from an open window.
• Bathrooms with Moderate Airflow: The humidity from daily showers creates a moist environment that your mushrooms will love. Avoid placing the kit in direct contact with overly hot or cold drafts.
• Quiet Corners in Living Rooms with Stable Temperatures: A living room often has stable temperatures due to less frequent hot or cold activities. A corner shelf or small side table near, but not in front of, a window could work well.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Placing the kit in direct sunlight.
• Positioning near heaters, air conditioners, or drafty windows.
• Ignoring humidity needs in air-conditioned rooms.

Growing mushrooms at home can be a rewarding and delicious adventure, but it all starts with providing the right environment. By choosing a spot with gentle, indirect light, maintaining moderate temperatures, ensuring proper humidity, and allowing for balanced airflow, you’ll set the stage for a successful harvest.

Ready to begin? Start by scanning your home for the perfect spot and check out our Ready to Grow Kits. Get fully colonized mushroom mycelium delivered to your doorstep and begin your growing journey today!