Tips For Growing Portobello Mushrooms At Home

Growing any type of mushrooms at home may seem intimidating initially but the process is not as hard as people think. There are two ways of growing portobello mushrooms at home: Using a growing kit or growing with spores.

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What Are Portobello Mushrooms?

Portobello mushrooms are large, flat, dark brown-capped mushrooms with rich flavor and a meaty texture that usually grow 5 inches tall when mature. For easier identification and unique appearance, these mushrooms have dark gills beneath.

They can be harvested before attaining their full maturity and are usually white and referred to as Bella, Baby Bella, or Crimini but as they mature, the cap flattens and broadens, and the gills beneath turn dark brown. These mushrooms can be boiled, sautéed, or grilled to enhance their earthy and smoky taste. 

Tips For Growing Portobello Mushrooms At Home

How to grow Portobello mushrooms will be determined by several factors such as the location, the medium used, and how to get started.

Portobello mushroom growing is somewhat different from growing other vegetables. They are majorly grown indoors and you will have less or no encounter with pests and diseases. Also, they require less sunlight hence a great advantage indoors.

You don’t use typical soil to grow these mushrooms, rather you need manure-based compost with soil and peat moss. If your bed is ten inches deep, fill 8 inches with compost, and the remaining space will be for soil and peat moss that is added later. 

Growing Portobello mushrooms can either be indoors or outdoors but with exceptional considerations. Growing them indoors gives you a chance to produce them all year round. All you need in a cool and dark place of temperatures between 65℉ and 70℉.

Growing Portobello Mushrooms Outdoors

When growing them outdoors, the daytime temperatures should not exceed 70℉ and the nighttime temperatures should not fall below 50℉. If the temperatures exceed or fall below the above requirements, you will need to shift your spores to a different area. You can also achieve these temperatures by locating your garden beds near rivers or under trees. 

Outside, the planting bed should be built of lumber, at least 6 inches long and as deep as you want while indoors you can use a shallow plastic storage tub or a tray. 

You should always sterilize the medium to be used. You can achieve this by placing cardboard on top of the compost and covering the cardboard with one layer of sheeting. Ensure that it is kept tight so that wind does not blow it away. 

Leave the compost covered in a sunny spot for two weeks so that it gets heated up to get rid of bacteria that can harm the mushrooms. You can grow these mushrooms from growing kits that you purchase or by making a growing bed and putting spores in it. 

When growing indoors, sterilizing the media is not necessary but it encourages healthy growth. To sterilize the medium indoors, place it in an oven and bake it for half an hour at 200℉ till it attains 180℉.

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Using A Portobello Mushroom Growing Kit

If the whole process of creating a growing bed makes you a bit nervous, you can opt for growing kits to save you lots of energy. The mushroom kits come with everything needed to grow these mushrooms. 

To grow Portobello mushrooms, all you need to do is to open the box, mist frequently, and ensure you store the box in a cool and dark place till the mushrooms sprout. 

However, it is not practical to buy a Portobello mushroom growing kit because the kits are usually small thus they are a limitation if you are looking to grow many. They are also relatively expensive. 

Using Spores To Grow Portobello Mushrooms

No mushrooms are grown from seeds. Instead, they are grown from spores. Sprinkle an inch of the Portobello mushroom spores onto your garden bed and gently mix them with your compost mix or dirt, approximately one inch deep. After mixing, pat and press the compost down and cover it using peat moss. Add one layer of newspaper on top and mist the newspaper to get it moist but not soggy. 

Can You Grow Hydroponic Mushrooms? 

Growing Portobello mushrooms in hydroponics is an easy DIY process. All you need is a nutrient-rich growing medium, filled in a tub-filled or tank. An air pump containing an air stone is needed for better aeration. 

The temperature range should be between 75 to 80℉ with 80% humidity. Lastly, provide six hours of daytime light and watch your mushrooms grow.

Caring For Portobello Mushrooms 

Temperatures 

The ideal temperatures should range between 65℉ and 70℉. Daytime temperatures should not go beyond 70℉ and nighttime temperatures should not go below 50℉.

Growing Medium

The medium used is a mixture of manure-based compost, peat moss, and soil. You should always sterilize the medium to keep bacteria away. 

Light

Portobello mushrooms do not require a lot of sunlight. If grown outdoors, providing shade can be beneficial. You can opt to grow them under trees. 

Watering 

Using your spray bottle, mist the newspaper once daily to keep it moist. If it dries out again during the day, spray it again. This keeps the growing medium damp and humid, which is a conducive environment for their growth, approximately 65-80%.  

A spray bottle is preferred to prevent flooding the garden bed. Chlorinated water is harmful to mushrooms hence using purified or distilled water is advisable.

Harvesting 

You should harvest when the caps are still a little bit curved down or flattened. However, if you want bigger mushrooms, do not remove the newspapers. Continue misting and wait until they grow to your desired size. 

Health Benefits Of Portobello Mushrooms  

Mushrooms are a rich source of fibers, proteins, minerals, and vitamins B and D. Vitamin B helps in maintaining healthy hair, eyes, and skin and it is ideal for healthy metabolism and nervous system. Vitamin D helps in the growth of strong bones and teeth and ensures the normal functioning of the immune system. Minerals such as potassium, phosphorus, selenium, and copper are important for healthy bones and keep the blood vessels healthy.

They are cholesterol-free and low in calories and fat, hence a great alternative for meat. This makes mushrooms a perfect choice for those who want to lose weight and for vegetarians. You can consume as many Portobello mushrooms as you want without having to worry about exceeding your daily calorie allowance.  

They fight cancer, having anti-cancer properties, due to the presence of phytochemicals that affect immune responses, metabolism, and both the living and dead cells positively. They are meat-free sources of CLA which is an ingredient that prevents cancer cells from multiplying. 

Portobellos are a rich source of ergothioneine that our bodies cannot produce hence consuming these mushrooms supplies this element to our bodies which prevents inflammatory diseases.  

FAQs – Growing Portobello Mushrooms