====== Mushroom production at Kuckucksmuehle ====== ===== Aim ===== Produce enough mushrooms to meet local demand for mushrooms, eliminating the need to buy mushrooms. This should be as low-maintenance as possible and as automated as practical. If this proves successful, supplying fresh mushrooms to nearby shops and restaurants should be considered, increasing the production accordingly. After some consideration it was decided to try growing Oyster Mushrooms initially. This is because they are easy to grow, as they grow well in a wide range of environmental conditions. There are several varieties of various oyster mushrooms: * Oyster mushrooms * King oyster mushrooms * Golden oyster mushrooms * Blue oyster mushrooms ==== Projected output volume and savings estimate ==== The proposed setup uses 24x5l buckets, spread out in 6 batches of 4 buckets. Each 5ltr bucket is projected to produce an average of 0.2kg of edible mushrooms every 3 weeks, which is about 1.6kg of mushrooms / week. Mushrooms cost €9/kg, so each week will save €14.40 in mushrooms. Over 1 year it is expected to save €750, producing 83kg of edible mushrooms. ^ Week ^ Batch 1 ^ Batch 2 ^ Batch 3 ^ Batch 4 ^ Batch 5 ^ Batch 6 ^ | 1 | Harvest 2 | Wait | Wait | Harvest 1 | Wait | Wait | | 2 | Wait | Harvest 2 | Wait | Wait | Harvest 1 | Wait | | 3 | Wait | Wait | Harvest 2 | Wait | Wait | Harvest 1 | | 4 | Harvest 1 | Wait | Wait | Harvest 2 | Wait | Wait | | 5 | Wait | Harvest 1 | Wait | Wait | Harvest 2 | Wait | | 6 | Wait | Wait | Harvest 1 | Wait | Wait | Harvest 2 | ==== Projected running costs ==== ^ Item ^ Cost ^ Cost in € ^ Comments ^ | Labour | 312 hours / year | 441 / year | Assumes 2 volunteers for 3 hours each per week at €1.26/hour | | Straw | 1040kg / year | 195 / year | Assumes we need 5kg of straw/bucket, and bales are small | | Water | ??? | 0 (local) | | | Electricity | ??? | 0 (local) | | | Air filters | 2 / year | 20 / year | Assumes new filters every 6 months | | Respirator filters | 4 / year | 40 / year | Assumes new filters for both respirators every 6 months | | Gloves | | 0 (sourced) | | | Replacement buckets | 96 / year | 144 / year | Assumes buckets last for 6 months, cost €1.50 each | | Total | | 840 / year | | ===== Proposed setup ===== ==== Location ==== Mushrooms require a stable temperature. Therefore the cellar is an obvious location for the mushroom growing space. ==== Enclosure ==== Inside the cellar we want to create a stable environment where temperature, CO2, and moisture levels can be controlled. This environment should not be contaminated by the outside environment, i.e. prevent spores and microorganisms from outside from entering inside. It should also avoid contaminating the cellar itself, i.e. prevent large amounts of spores and moisture escaping from the enclosed space and degrading the structure of the house. === Physical structure for enclosure === * Hydroponic grow tent === Carbon dioxide control inside tent === * 120mm PC fan blowing air into the grow tent from the cellar * Can be linked up to CO2 censor to only turn on when needed === Prevent contamination from the outside === * Particulate filter on the fan vent === Prevent contamination from the tent to the cellar === * Output fan ducted to the outside through the window * Metal grill to prevent rodent ingress from the outside === Moisture control inside the tent === * Mister linked to a humidity sensor === Temperature control inside the tent === * Heater linked to a temperature sensor === Light === * Mushrooms do not need much light, but some should be there. === Cleaning / maintenance === * Cloths and steriliser to wipe down the inside of the tent and shelving unit * Brush to clean out the air supply vents === Problems === * Rodent ingress through the tent structure * Maintaining positive internal pressure in a system with an outlet fan * No response to overheating * Not currently any system for alerting to abnormal conditions ==== Inside the enclosure ==== * Shelving system to accommodate the growing mushrooms. It should be spore and corrosion resistant, and should be easy to clean. ==== On the shelves ==== * Buckets with holes drilled into them containing the growth medium ==== Growth medium ==== * Straw - it is suitable for the mushrooms we want to grow (oyster mushrooms), and we have an ample supply. Wood chips would also be suitable. ==== Sterilising the growth medium and buckets ==== * A large pressure boiler or pot with a heater to heat up the straw in buckets to above 80 degrees. Needs to be large enough to contain a full bucket. ==== Harvesting ==== * A table * A knife * Container for freshly harvested mushrooms ==== Personnel Protection Equipment ==== Spore exposure can initially lead to flu-like symptoms, and then develop into a permanent mushroom allergy. To avoid that, spore contamination of people should be avoided as much as possible. At the same time, when working with mushrooms, the intended growth sites should not be contaminated by things that we do not want to grow. Hence, what is needed is: * Particle filter masks to avoid breathing spores * Gloves to avoid contaminating the growth sites * Clean clothing / coats to avoid contaminating inside * Hair netting / shower cap to avoid cross contamination * Keep the growth area shoe free ===== Procedure ===== ==== Initial setup ==== === Purchase parts === TODO: BOM === Assemble the setup === == Erect growing tent == TODO: Instructions == Add lights == TODO: Instructions == Add shelving system == TODO: Instructions == Add air intake == TODO: Instructions == Add air outtake == TODO: Instructions == Add mister == TODO: Instructions == Add heater == TODO: Instructions == Add shelving unit == TODO: Instructions == Add workbench == TODO: Instructions == Add steriliser == TODO: Instructions == Add location to store PPE == TODO: Instructions == Prepare buckets == TODO: Instructions ==== Continuous running ==== Once the above is set up, the procedure for growing the mushrooms is: ^ Task ^ Time estimate in minutes per week ^ | Clean the buckets | 20 | | Place straw into buckets | 20 | | Sterilise the buckets | 120 | | Introduce mushroom culture into the buckets | 30 | | Place buckets onto the shelf in the enclosure | 5 | | Wait for mushrooms to grow (about 3 weeks) | 0 | | Harvest mushrooms | 60 | | Wait for mushrooms to grow again (about 3 weeks) | 0 | | Harvest mushrooms again | 60 | | Place straw into compost | 10 | | Perform maintenance tasks | 30 | | Go back to the beginning | 0 | | Total time | 5h55m | === Cleaning the bucket === TODO: Instructions === Placing straw into bucket === TODO: Instructions === Sterilising the bucket with straw inside === TODO: Instructions === Introducing mushroom culture to the straw === TODO: Instructions === Waiting for the mushrooms to grow === TODO: Instructions === Harvesting === TODO: Instructions === Maintenance === TODO: Instructions === Composting === The straw leftover form the mushroom production can be added to the garden compost when in large quantities or the vegetable compost in smaller quantities eg. 1 bucket a week is ok for the vegetable compost but anything over this would have to go in the garden waste compost as it would need to be mixed with additional organic matter to compost effectively.