Mushroom cultivation
Learn about mushroom growing on this two day hands-on course. You will be able to take home a shiitake inoculated log and oyster mushroom inoculated straw.
Saturday 7 – Sunday 8 May 2011, 9.30am - 5.30pm
You will learn how to grow shiitake, oyster mushrooms and other tasty fungi.
Venue
Stanmer Park (near University of Sussex), Brighton. Click here for directions to our meeting point at Stanmer Park.
Click here for details of local accommodation and to find out about Brighton Permaculture Trust supporters who can provide accommodation in their homes.
Course tutor
Bill Knight used to be a civil engineer until he discovered designing for sustainability and got into Permaculture. Since 1997 he has been living and working at Keveral Farm in Cornwall where he is a member of the workers' co-operative which manages the farmland helping work on the veggie box scheme, running Permaculture courses, farming organic fruit and veg on 10 acres and growing gourmet mushrooms to sell to box customers, restaurants and shops. Bill is also a sustainability consultant working with local authorities and social enterprises. In his spare time he likes to forage in the woods.
What will the course cover?
The course introduces the wonderful world of fungi. Learn what a significant role fungi play in the cycles of life and how they enhance the environment. Hands-on practical activities will give participants skills in several ways of cultivating mushrooms suitable for small spaces. We will look at how to integrate fungi into Permaculture systems in gardens, small holdings & farms.
The course will cover the following:
• Introduction to fungi and cultivated species.
• The essentials of cultivating any mushroom species.
• The specifics of growing shiitake mushrooms on logs (practical):
- Selection of logs
- Inoculation
- Waxing
- Spawn run
- The harvesting cycle, shocking, fruiting and resting
- Pests and diseases
• The specifics of growing oyster mushrooms on substrate bags (practical):
- Selection of substrate
- Inoculation
- Spawn run
- The harvesting cycle
- Pests and diseases
• Inoculating mulch beds
• Domestic and small scale production of gourmet mushrooms.
• Contacts and references.
Please note that it may be difficult to take home both a mushroom log and oyster mushroom bag if you are travelling by public transport.
Who is the course for?
The course is open to anyone over the age of 16 and no prior knowledge is necessary.
The practical element of the course involves very basic woodwork, carried out in pairs and is not strenuous.
Brighton Permaculture Trust aims to meet the needs of participants with physical disabilities and leaning difficulties. If you have any issues which you feel may affect your ability to attend or participate in this course, please contact us to discuss them prior to booking.
What you will need to bring
• A mains electric drill and extension lead if you have one and can carry it (cordless drills are not powerful enough)
• Plenty of warm weatherproof outdoor clothing
• Sturdy outdoor footwear
• Pens and a notebook
• A packed lunch
Learning methods and outcomes
A discussion about what participants want from the course will be followed by talks and slide presentations. However, half the course will be devoted to practical hands-on experience with guidance from the tutor. By the end of the course participants will have the information and skills necessary to cultivate a few types of mushrooms in several ways.
What does this course lead on to?
This short specialist course is not accredited and does not lead on directly to any other courses.
Recommended reading
No reading is required prior to the course; texts listed here are recommendations only:
• Mycelium Running by Paul Stamets
Fees
Fees include tuition, refreshments, handouts and information sheets.
£185 - Sponsored/organisation rate
£185 - Individual income more than 25k/yr
£150 - Individual income 18-25k/yr
£115 - Individual waged less than 18k/yr
£80 - Individual, concessionary rate
Concessionary rates are available to people in receipt of means-tested benefits (including housing benefit, council tax benefit and working tax credit), also full-time students and OAP s.
We endeavour to make our courses/events affordable to all. Unfortunately we do not receive any external funding for most of our courses/events and rely on large amounts of voluntary input.
See the cancellations and refunds policy.
Booking
Booking is essential as most of our courses/events are fully booked weeks in advance. However if places are still available then reservations can be made until midday the day before the course/event.
You can pay now using a credit/debit card or paypal. This is our preferred option as it saves us administration time. It is usually also possible to pay by cheque/postal order, however this option will not be available on the form in the 2 weeks leading up to the course/event, or if it is nearly fully booked. A place is not secured until we have received the requested payment and reservations will only be valid for 3 working days.
Please read the information on this page then
register here for Mushroom cultivation, 7- 8 May 2011
If places are available you will automatically be taken to the booking form.
You will receive email confirmation of your registration and further emails from us; please check your spam or junk email folder (especially Hotmail account holders).
Contact us
For further information or if you have problems with your registration please contact us.
