How to Make Extra Money Farming | Grow Shiitake Mushrooms | Organic Permaculture and No-Till Farm Ag

North Spore interviews and visits Max Boudreau at his farm in Falmouth, ME called Winslow Farm. Winslow Farm is a diversified vegetable operation that incorporates no till, organic, and permaculture farming practices. We talk with Max about his commercial shiitake log production, the costs of production, and the market for his mushrooms.

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Max uses his shiitake mushrooms to fill out his CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) boxes and sells them at the farm's roadside farm stand and considers them an important offering for his farm.

Shiitakes are one of the easiest mushrooms to grow outdoors. The process is easy: drill holes in freshly cut hardwood logs, fill the holes with mushroom sawdust spawn, and seal the holes and ends of the logs with melted wax.

Shiitake logs take 1-2 years to colonize (the process of mushroom mycelium growing throughout the log) and will fruit (grow mushrooms) for many years- sometimes for over a decade.

Log grown shiitakes are a valuable and healthy crop that can fetch anywhere from $10 to $20 per lb at market making them a great addition to your diversified farm plan.

Shiitake logs can be produced in many parts of the US and Canada. All you need is a shady location, access to freshly cut hardwood logs, and a climate that has intermittent rainfall (or another means of keeping the logs hydrated!)

00:00:01 Introduction to Winslow Farm
00:01:12 Farm practices (no-till farming)
00:01:45 What is the cost of producing shiitake mushrooms?
00:02:44 What are the space considerations for growing shiitake on logs?
00:03:40 Soaking your logs
00:04:15 Growing Wine Caps on the farm

[thomaslevesque]

I've been doing permaculture here for 30+ years, but just starting to learn and do mushrooms. My specialty is hybrid chestnut production and am currently producing trees that are 3/4 American Chestnuts 1/4 Chinese Chestnuts, but have buartnuts, hybrid sweet oak, king nut hickory and much more. Thanks for the video and am currently trying cultivating both winecap and shitake, so appreciate your focus!

[peshy]

Your reality is my dream! I love your videos.

[Innocu]

Thank you so much for this channel. I’ve always wanted to have a farm off my own and this is something I want to learn

[Katiestribe]

Great video! Thank you my fellow Mainers!

[blackheartgaming]

I think it would be kool to see a huge pond with creatures in it as well as using it for auqaponics

[jongillies]

This looks like such a fulfilling way of life! One can only dream 🤣🤞🏻

[emilyacevedo]

I live in central FL in old oak woods and when the summer rains come out place is just full of hundreds of wild mushrooms. We are doing a trial with shiitake and thinking about trying winecaps too. If it things go well we’ll have a small scale mushroom farm here.

[rvre]

Damn this is inspiring af.
I think I found what I want to do now.

[rf]

2:27 is the only hand i trust picking mushrooms off a log

[carrolinenewtonisaac]

I have just moved to the Caribbean island and I would love to learn how to grow it here.

[justinkinney]

I'm a forager from Belgrade lakes area would like to come check you guys out itching to get out and find some morals soon I hope

[learningallthetimes]

Great Video! If you use different wood to inoculate- oak, maple, etc are there different time frames to allow for when cutting then innoculating- how long do you wait to inoculate or do you do it when you cut the tree down? Are there cold weather consideration- like do it when temp are above freezing etc? Thanks

[angelamacdougall]

Great video. Your farm looks amazing! I have thinking about wine caps, you have secured my decision 👍. We are in southern New Brunswick, maybe we can check out your farm/farmstand someday.

[brassbaliabideak]

Amazing! Some questions: I have inoculated oak logs .What other tree species can I use? Chestnut tree?
Can I inoculate some logs in winter?
Thank a lot!

[derrickhuntoon]

Curiosity question, just wondering how much difference in yield between comparable sized oak and silver maple logs? I have both and will be experimenting with soft maple next spring. Thanks!

[richardduvall]

I agree with you on the maple logs but oak takes considerably more time to grow then maple dose

[blackheartgaming]

Which mushrooms can we grow from just pure dirt

[Inrussian]

What other mushrooms do you recommend to grow on logs besides shiitake

[brassbaliabideak]

Amazing video! Can I grow some species of mushrooms using chestnut tree logs? Thank you.

[Innocu]

Would you be able to give a breakdown on how you started your farm??? I wanna know what I have to do to start my own to be self reliant for my family