7 Mushrooms You Can Grow on Your Countertop

Few things illicit the same mixture of delight and trepidation as mushrooms. An old adage explains that there are old mushroom hunters and bold mushroom hunters, but there are no old, bold mushroom hunters. Despite the cautionary tales from history and folklore, there is renewed interest in these fascinating fungi, which means new methods to grow and enjoy them are sprouting up—all without the risk and apprehension!

There are over 14,000 known species of mushrooms, according to the National Park Service, but it’s likely that there are far more varieties. And in recent years, a “shroom boom” has brought mushrooms into our grocery stores, medicine cabinets, beauty products, and now on your kitchen countertop.

With growing kits, you’ll enjoy the process of cultivating mushrooms without the worries of foraging in the wilderness or blowing the grocery budget on unusual varieties. And growing them on your countertop means growing mushrooms in any season!

Lion’s Mane Mushroom

Our Rating

Organic Lion’s Mane Mushroom Grow Kit Fruiting Block

View at Epic Gardening

Blue Oyster Mushroom

Our Rating

Organic Blue Oyster Mushroom Grow Kit Fruiting Block

View at Epic Gardening

Chestnut Mushroom

Our Rating

Organic Chestnut Mushroom Grow Kit Fruiting Block

View at Epic Gardening

What is a Mushroom Growing Kit?

To start, let’s lay out some foundational information. Below, you’ll learn what a mushroom growing kit is and explain some terminology you’ll encounter as you start growing your own mushrooms.

Here are some basics: a mushroom growing kit is a prepackaged, pre-colonized block of medium that is primed to grow the fruiting bodies once it arrives at your home. This typically means that it comes in a box or plastic bag. The medium is also referred to as a mushroom substrate.

Depending on the mushroom you’re growing, the substrate might be made up of hardwood pellets, sawdust, straw, or even coffee grounds. A quality substrate has the right balance of nutrients and moisture for mushroom mycelium to develop. Mycelium refers to the thread-like body of a fungus from which mushrooms blossom. 

Most growing kits provide straightforward steps to start growing your specific choice of mushrooms. Often, the kit instructs you to slice into the plastic covering, leaving an opening for the substrate. Then it’s a matter of giving it the proper conditions to thrive, including humidity. Spray water onto the substrate two to three times a day for ample moisture and, depending on the type of mushroom, you’ll be ready to harvest a flush after a couple weeks!

So, what’s next? Consider what kind of mushroom you’d like to grow. Read on for the best mushrooms to grow on your countertop.

Chestnut Mushroom

The chestnut mushroom (Pholiota adiposa) grows in short, compact clusters, often growing on fallen trees. On top of their pale stalks are the orange-brown caps that are textured or shaggy. It is precisely this texture of shaggy scales (its scientific name, pholiota, is Latin for scaly) that distinguish chestnut mushrooms from other varieties, including the grocery store staple, the cremini mushroom (Agaricus bisporus).

Also referred to as the cinnamon cap mushroom, this type of fungi has roots in Japanese cuisine. Its earthy and nutty flavor is mild and sweet, making it ideal for soups, stews, and risottos. As with many mushroom varieties, chestnut mushrooms offer immune-boosting benefits and antibacterial properties.

To grow chestnut mushrooms on your countertop, keep in mind that they prefer cooler temperatures, so find a place away from a hot stove or lots of hot lights. Harvest these cinnamon-colored fungi close to the base and wash your hands, because its orange-brown tint can stain.

Enoki

Unlike chestnut mushrooms that prefer cooler temperatures, enoki mushrooms (Flammulina filiformis) like warmer and darker conditions to grow. Cultivated enoki mushrooms are slender, near-white structures that have tiny caps on their tall stems or stipes. This is what you’d find at a specialty market. Wild-grown enoki look different: their broader shapes are often brown or tan. Because the wild variety often grows close to a toxic relative, the funeral bell mushroom (Galerina marginata), most prefer to cultivate them indoors.

This gourmet fungus is a key ingredient to many Chinese, Korean, and Japanese dishes. Its mild taste and crisp texture might be the perfect addition to that ramen recipe you’re perfecting.

Enoki are one of the more challenging mushrooms to grow, so starting with a kit is an excellent way to dip your toes into your fungi growing journey. A kit that uses hardwood sawdust for its substrate is the ideal medium.

A key tip for growing enoki: The substrate should look almost white when it’s ready to start fruiting. If the medium looks mostly brown, it still needs time in its warm, dark location for mycelium to develop further.

Lion’s Mane

You might see lion’s mane growing on a tree trunk as a bulbous, puffy, or even cloud-like structure. Because of its shape and white color, it can resemble cauliflower at times. Other times, its wispy texture looks like hairs on some sea creature. Lion’s mane (Hericium erinaceus) also goes by yamabushitake, bearded tooth fungus, and bearded hedgehog. 

As with the other mushrooms on this list, lion’s mane provides nutritional benefits like anti-inflammatory properties. It has a mildly sweet flavor and is the consistency of shellfish. Research shows that this shroom provides cognitive health, too.  

Humidity is especially important when growing lion’s mane. If you’re consistently spraying your lion’s mane kit and the mushrooms are drying out, consider creating a humidity tent to lock in more moisture. This can be as easy as covering thick plastic over your grow kit.

Maitake

This perennial fungus grows in the same place and is likely found in the northeastern part of the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Maitake is Japanese for “dancing mushroom” but you’ve likely heard it referred to as hen-of-the-woods. 

When you see maitake mushrooms (Grifola frondosa) growing in the wild, you might miss them for how their color and texture blends into the bark of a tree. Its fan shape and rippled texture comes with a nutty or spicy flavor. It has a meaty consistency when prepared in dishes like soups, pizza toppings, or with pasta.

Hen-of-the-woods can be one of the trickier mushrooms to grow because they require a change in their environment from its initial growth period to a period of growing the actual fruiting bodies.

A grow kit can help you navigate the challenges of growing maitake, including instructions that lay out the specific needs of your mushroom in each phase of growth, including whether it prefers cooler or warmer temperatures. Consider whether your countertop is the ideal place for growing this mushroom, or if perhaps another part of your home is better suited.

Oyster

One of the more common types (and one of the easiest to grow), the oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) gets its name from its fan-shaped cap. They grow in clustered shelves with short stems (or no stems at all). With graceful grooves or gills on its underside and a smooth top of the cap, they often come in white, tan, or light brown. The oyster mushroom also comes in yellow, a striking shade of pink, and blue. 

The edible fungus has a subtle, earthy flavor. Some notice a slight anise taste, too. You likely won’t want to eat them raw, but once they’re steamed or sauteed their mild flavor enriches side dishes and main courses alike. 

If your countertop stays cooler, roughly 64-77°F (18-25°C), and out of direct sunlight, the oyster mushroom might be the perfect variety to grow. Like many other mushroom kits, when you set up yours, check how the mycelium has developed. If it’s mostly brown, it needs more time. If it’s mostly white, its plastic wrap is ready to be opened. You can start misting it, too. 

And one final tip for growing oyster mushrooms on your countertop: make sure your kit gets some air circulation. It can be tricky, but once you find the balance between ample humidity and fresh air, your mushrooms will flourish! For a deeper dive in growing oyster fungi, head over here for a comprehensive guide that walks you through each step.

Reishi

Reishi mushrooms (Ganoderma lingzhi) are bracket fungi or polypore fungi. Its round, reddish brown fruiting bodies have a smooth surface and have a shape resembling a fan or, in some cases, even a nautilus shell.

While reishi make excellent additions to dishes like soups, grain bowls, and even in hot chocolate, this fungus is better known for its medicinal properties. It is a core part of Chinese traditional medicine, but even modern western medicine acknowledges its benefits for heart health and treating insomnia and asthma.

Growing reishi means providing the right environment of light, humidity, and temperature, and patience. While many varieties are ready for harvest after a couple weeks, the reishi produces one crop per year. You might see the early evidence of growth after about four months. Make sure to provide your mushroom with a warm spot on your countertop, where it’s out of direct sunlight and won’t be disturbed.

Shiitake

The shiitake mushroom (Lentinula edodes) looks like the quintessential brown mushroom you might see, either growing out of a dead log or sliced and sauteed on a menu. They’re brown with a light-colored stem and that classic umbrella-shaped cap. Sometimes the caps are smooth and other times you’ll find cracks or marks on the surface of the cap, resembling the surface of a freshly baked loaf of sourdough.

Shiitake mushrooms contain copper, a mineral known for supporting healthy blood vessels, bones, and immunity. It also contains selenium. Their taste is characterized as rich, buttery, and umami. And, if you don’t want to use your freshly grown shiitakes right away, you can harvest and dry them for later use.

Because they produce large and reliable flushes of shiitakes, this is a great option for beginners. Remember to mist or cover your mushroom with a humidity tent to keep it moist as you wait for it to fruit. Dive into a full shiitake growing guide here to discover more.