Liz Weber

Liked and commented on youtube. I love how many options you have giving us to be included on this ride. Thanks for all the awesomeness that is this community!

I just purchased my mom some Lion's Mane extract from Mushroommountain.com.  I was told that brain damaged mice who were fed Lion's Mane for 6 months had no evidence (during a brain scan) of the brain damage. It is a mushroom with neural regenerative properties.  My mom had a mini stroke a couple years ago and sometimes has trouble "finding" a word. I figured it couldn't hurt to try. She has been taking it for a week so I dont have a lot of time to say how much she has improved. But I do feel like during this past week she has not had as much trouble finding her words.
I will echo the earlier post that said fish oil. My sister told me a while back that there is a fish oil protocol  (pretty sure she used it when her son got a concussion). And I agree with the post about avoiding re-injury. A second concussion is usually WAAAAAAAAY worse than the first. So try especially hard to avoid that.
Best of luck to everyone dealing with head-injuries.

Our power company is clearing the right of ways to the power lines. They must be trimming the while 20 ft or however big the right of way is. I have told at least 3 different crews to please bring me chips. At least 2 of them have. We have gotten at least 8 loads. I feel like I have won the lottery. It was super hot when one crew came to deliver. I offered them ice cream sandwiches.  I've since upgraded to giving them Ben and Jerry'a ice cream.  I am working on soil fertility and getting more growing areas at my house.
We have gotten a load or maybe two a year in past years. But we used up our last chips a couple months ago. I think these new chips will last quite a while. I put in a bed of blewit mushrooms as an experiment to help break down the chips faster. And wood chips just make me so happy!
I would take maybe 25 more loads if they bring them. I have some space to let them sit.
When I realized that they were actually going to bring me several loads I started looking at where to use them.
I put some at my gates in the pasture. I oit a bunch down for my chickens, all around the coop, and just near them for entertainment so they can turn it and look for bugs, etc. I filled in some low spots in my yard and nearish my driveway. I made one mushroom bed. I intend to build more raised beds for vegetable gardening in the next week or two and completely fill it with woodchips so by next spring I can plant into them. I have spread them as mulch on existed plants/beds. I have been busy and had a lot of fun with these.

Eric,
This has been a great project! I had written a long reply earlier but didnt submit it and now I dont know where it went, so I will write another one...
1. I water it everyday, usually twice a day. I'm out there super early and am glad my neighbor isnt up and out yet. Some might think it a little strange to see me watering/growing soil. We got maybe a 1/4" rain today but more is forecast this weekend.
2.  I'm attaching a picture I took around 2pm. The bed gets a good amount of shade throughout the day. The trees around/in it are large persimmons maybe 30'+ tall. And the shade moves around so I dont think any part of the bed gets full sun all day.
3. Ah, patience, it's a tricky thing, isn't it. I'm glad I put the blewits here, because I really do just want to grow soil in this location, so if it takes 3 years, then so be it. I will continue to make sure it has plenty of water and I will wait.
My husband and I picked up some of the cinderblocks today. We still need more but I think we can probably start on the winecap/veggie garden sometime in the next week or two. The oyster bed will require clearing out some prickly bushes and other yard trimmings. But maybe by mid Soetember I can have that ground prepped.
It was fun doing this bed, even with limited prior experience I still felt like this project was within my pay-grade.  It definitely helped having you and Jay to bounce ideas off of and get encouragement from. I hope my pictures (and having this forum active) will help others take the plunge on growing mushrooms in woodchips.

Ok, so it is "done". I have to go back out and take a final photo and I think I may add more straw in the morning. I am really hoping we get some rain as it is so hot.
So, in looking back change number 1 i think i would make going if i had the choice, dont build, innoculate, or start a mushroom bed when it is mid 90's out. I watered, and watered, and watered that thing. But the chips were already hot (and steaming) when they were in the pile and that heat dried out any watering attempts. We will see how the blewits survive. The things is, this is when I was blessed with chips, so this is when we put in the bed. There was already a ton of fungi spread happening especially where there were any leaves matted together.  I'm glad I didnt wait any longer. But, it is hot (I know this is relative, as areas on the West Coast have had record highs this summer) . Rain was forecast for today but hasnt materialized. Maybe by Friday. The whole bed would benefit tremendously from a good slow soaking.
Change number 2, I will probably put logs around this bed. I wont care if these rot out, as this is mostly a soil growing bed, but if I am really ambitious I may collect rocks from around the yard and line it with rocks, I just like the look of big logs holding it all in nicely.
And 3rd change would be to do this all on rainy days or when rain is scheduled for many days in a row.
I dug holes and trenches, put spawn in watered, added straw and woodchips. I only did one layer in the holes and trenches. I did spawn the entire bed after layer one of woodchips and layer one of straw. Roughly 4ish lbs of spawn between the two "coats" Then added trenches after layer 2 of woodchips. I probably put just under 1 lbs of spawn in the holes and trenches.Then I spawned the entire top of layer 2 of woodchips. 5 lbs worth. Then I spread 8 bales of straw on the entire bed.  I only put 2 bales in layer 1 of straw. So it is definitely thicker on top. Thanks for your support and encouragement. Fingers crossed that i can start on the veggie garden beds next week. When i do, you know I will be back with pics.
Liz

Eric and Jay,
Thank you for the info on biochar. I think I will make that my winter study subject. These woodchips kinda fell in my lap and are forcing my hand, but I am so very grateful to have them. I feel very blessed and want them to do good around my property, I know they will. I should dig up some of our lawn dirt to show you guys what our "native" soil looks like. We are in zone 6b/7 and usually have plenty of rainfall.
I can often be found in the late fall driving around collecting leaf bags before the city gets them. Totally embarrasses my kids, but that's our job as parents, right? I know no chemicals have been used here for the past 5 years and would guess not even the 20 before that.
Here is after inoculating the first layer and them covering with straw. I hope to finish the bed tomorrow.  This has been fun sharing our mushroom bed with the permies community and I will keep you posted on the other mushroom/woodchip beds.
I will probably come pick your brains in the winter regarding biochar. Like I said we heat with wood and have both a woodstove and a fireplace that we use regularly in the winter. I may just try making some on a small scale then.  I do have the ability to burn outside as well, but I feel building a kiln is beyond my capacity/ability right now. Burn barrel, maybe doable.

Jay,
I have been lightly reading up on biochar. Is that something I could add at a later time? We heat with wood and have added ashes to our compost pile as well as sprinkling outside. I will check out the thread and read up some more. I know that ashes are not biochar, but ashes are a byproduct of our life and I am looking for ways to "recycle" them in a way that benefits us . I feel fortunate that we live with woods around us and we planted a dozen or more fruit trees this spring. I wish I had this many woods chips last year (or 5 years ago).  But I am all for improving my soil for everything growing here. I have a couple areas that we put in this year that I am going for a food forest/ permaculture guilds vibe. Fruit trees, fruit shrubs, berries, beneficial plants (insects, nitrogen, etc). We put compost down and topped with woodchips in these areas but did not "plant" fungi.   Knowledge is power, going forward fungi is the way for us. And hopefully we will have the ability to produce all we need (in time).
I plan of finishing the bed today and will likely post pics tomorrow. I saw some of the tree guys' trucks parked nearby, so I am hoping they still have more to give me this week.
Thanks for your replies, encouragement, and suggestions.
Liz

Layer one is down and wet. We are on a well, so no chlorinated water here. I will take pics as the project progresses.
I think we are going to use 4x8x16 blocks to build raised beds in the grassy/fence area.  I think I will aim for two high, I'm not sure how well they will stack though, so we may only do 1 layer, or use regular cinderblocks.  We have researched a little bit on the blocks and will likely source them in the next few days.  That area will be for a vegetable garden next summer.  I think I can add almost 300 sq ft of growing space (well that's using the outside dimensions of the beds).
Honestly, everywhere I look I think "I could put woodchips there". On the north side of my house as mostly a mushroom bed but possibly grow greens there next summer.
On the west side of my house is where I want to put a perennial flower/herb garden, maybe 3 smaller beds worth. I may put the oysters here and on the north side. I want to use the stropharia for the veggie beds.

Eric,
I just tractor dumped/spread the small pile, it will probably be 6" on the first layer when I rake it out to more evenly spread it.  I will wet it down significantly before innoculating the chips and adding straw. I will then add up to an additional 6" of chips, innoculate, wet, put in some fertile holes and trenches, top the whole thing off with straw, hose down the whole pile, and then put a few rocks on top to hold down the straw.
I am very excited to get this one done. The stump under the plastic tote/bin is colonized with turkey tail, I hope that doesnt give me any grief, but really mushrooms are everywhere, I just happen to see these ones.
Liz

So I think this will be my first area to mulch.  The small pile is close by, and I think I could put the Blewits here because currently this is a spot that we will not be cultivating any further any time soon, so I can have plenty of time to wait and see what happens to them. It should get plenty of shade thanks to those persimmon trees.
I aim to get this "bed" done tomorrow.
I read your description, thank you for all the detail. I only have 2 bales of straw maybe another 2/3 of one kicking around the farm.
Since I plan on doing 8" I am going to skip the cardboard step that I did on my earlier bed. I may live to regret that decision but others said over 6" (or maybe 8") seemed to smother the weeds.
So, I plan on 4" of chips, spread some spawn, 4" of chips with little trenches and fertile holes connected, topped by 2" of straw. Should I put any spawn directly on or in the straw or simply use it as the covering? I could put some down at the spawn level in between the two 4" wood chip layers.
I have to say, I love that I am saying 4". In reality I will eyeball it and hope to get around 4". Then maybe in the spring once the chips have "settled" (decomposed) I will add 4" more to the top.
Wish me luck, i will add photos as we go along.
Liz