California Mushrooms

I would love to grow mushroom out side.  I live in Northern California zone 9b.  I have searched the internet and feel more confused then I did before I started.  Most things I can type What kind of mushrooms can I grow in zone 9b? and get the answer I need. With mushrooms I get lots of general info, but nothing about our hot dry climate. I always think of mushrooms as needing a dark moist place.  Will wine cap mushrooms grow in a shaded place if I water enough?  If yes I noticed it needs hard wood to grow.  Will walnut work, or would that kill it?

I'm also in northern california zone 9.  

I started some shiitake logs last June, and they just began fruiting this summer, got a big flush this week.  I did soak the logs, five times last summer and three times this summer so far, each time for a 24hr period, to keep them moist.  I think if I didn't soak them they'd dry out during the summer.  I also started a bunch of other kinds of mushroom logs but only the shiitakes have fruited so far.  The logs are tanoak.  I keep them in the forest where it's mostly shady.

I haven't yet tried growing wine caps in the garden, but I want to.  Our whole garden is mulched with tanoak chips and I think they'd like that.  I would probably put them in places that we already water.

:) The internet is full of fragmented advice you can spend tons of time on it and find yourself more confused than you were first..Stropharia is easy to grow, just make sure that you keep the substrate moist. Walnut should be fine for this fungus also add a casing layer on top and don't try to sterilize that because this fungus needs soil bacteria to develop. Hope this helps.

I think wine caps would likely grow really well for you.  I'm also Zone 9, and I started some beds in late February.  Two were in total shade, one got 6ish hours of sun in the morning.  The one receiving sun fruited first, in early May.  The two in shade started fruiting a few weeks later, at the end of May.  They seem like a very hardy mushroom, I did water them during the summer but mainly just when I wanted them to fruit.  I'd hit them with the hose for about 30 seconds for a couple days, and they'd usually start fruiting by the third day.  When I had too many mushrooms to deal with I'd cease watering and they'd stop fruiting 2 or 3 days after that.  We don't really get any summer rain to speak of here, but I'd guess the summer temps are lower than yours (a day in the 70's is considered pretty warm)  Nonetheless, the fact that they even handled a fairly sunny spot here makes me think they'd do fine in your shady spots.