Wine Cap Mushroom Grow Guide

Wine Caps are a delicious mushrooms that can be grown seasonally outdoors. They are best started in the spring for an autumn harvest, but can be inoculated anytime of the year with proper watering and care. A late start on inoculation may mean it will be the following fall before they fruit. If you continue to feed them fresh organic material, you can expect to see several seasons of flushes. Grab one of our Wine Cap kits and read about how to prepare a bed and grow your own below!

1. SCOUT A SITE

Select a spot that will receive indirect sunlight. Each 3lb spawn kit can inoculate an area up to 20 square feet.

2. FIND SUBSTRATE

You will need enough hardwood chips, mulch, and/or wood shavings to fill your selected site to a depth of 6-12”.

3. PREPARE THE BED

Clear the ground and lay out 2” of substrate. Sprinkle a fine layer of inoculant evenly across the bed.

Repeat until all of the inoculant is used, and top off with 2” of organic compost.

4. WATER

For the first four days, water with a garden sprinkler. Subsequently, make sure the patch receives a good watering every few days.

5. CULTIVATE

During colonization, cover the patch with a biodegradable film mulch, cardboard or straw to maintain proper moisture level.

6. HARVEST

By late summer or early fall, the mushrooms are ready to fruit, remove the covering and expose to indirect sunlight. Mushrooms will begin to appear 2-4 weeks after uncovering.