How to grow mushrooms at home as a business?

To create a business with minimal costs or quickly payback is the dream of many people. For those who love planting and harvesting on their backyard plots, there is a great opportunity to "grow" a profitable business that generates a steady income. This is mushroom cultivation as a business (at home).

Year-round business

Mushrooms are a year-round product in demand. Delicious dishes are prepared from them by the housewives in their kitchens, and by the chefs in restaurants of any level. For most people, mushrooms are a tasty and healthy product for which they are willing to pay money. For others, growing mushrooms as a business is a source of income.

The very process of running a mushroom business is not burdensome, and you can start receiving profits in two months. The main thing is to decide on the place and volume of the enterprise.

Mushroom business conditions

Like any profitable business, growing champignon mushrooms as a business requires the preparation of certain conditions and calculations.

The choice of location can be determined by the following criteria:

• For year-round business, you can equip a greenhouse.
• If you have a cellar, shed or basement, you can equip them for a mushroom enterprise.
• Seasonal mushroom cultivation is like a business for the spring-summer period: under fruit trees in the open field.

The simplest of them is seasonal cultivation, as it does not require special equipment.

The benefits of mushroom business

The launch of any enterprise should begin with calculations for investment, payback periods and profits. The acquisition of mycelium today is not difficult, as is the search for a market for the sale of mushrooms, so the clear advantages of this business are obvious:

• Getting the first profit in the third month after laying the mycelium.
• The possibility of obtaining a permanent year-round income.
• A simple activity that is accessible even to a beginner.
• Use of any utility rooms.

A mushroom growing business plan should start with finding and equipping a suitable location.

Greenhouse business

Many gardeners choose to use their greenhouses for a double benefit. From September to February they collect mushrooms in them, and then proceed to planting early vegetables. This approach gives the maximum profit, since a higher demand for mushrooms is observed in the autumn-winter period, and for early vegetables in the spring.

Growing champignons as a business, reviews of entrepreneurs confirm this, it is better to conduct it from autumn to spring, since with the advent of vegetables, the demand for mushrooms decreases somewhat.

Greenhouse arrangement

For champignons, you can adapt an ordinary film greenhouse or tinker and build it according to Grachev's principle. Glass coatings are also suitable. The main thing is that in such rooms it will not be difficult to create the required temperature and humidity, the conditions so necessary for mushrooms.

A greenhouse made of film or polycarbonate is the simplest option for a room, so that growing mushrooms as a business is less of a hassle and brings in more money.

Stages of arranging a greenhouse:

• First of all, you should provide the room with heat. It can be heating with gas or electricity. It is also important to ensure good ventilation, as the compost on which the mushrooms grow gives off carbon dioxide and must be removed regularly. Enterprising farmers have adapted to plant cucumbers, zucchini and pumpkin in mushroom greenhouses. This makes it possible to spend less time on maintaining the microclimate, since the plants complement each other and coexist perfectly side by side.
• Growing mushrooms as a business gives profitability quickly due to the use of shelves. This Dutch method maximizes the use of space while leaving room for harvesting conveniently and quickly. If you can invest in containers, it will make it easier to care for your mushrooms. The containers can be plastic or wooden crates that have been treated with anti-mildew.
• Soil preparation.

You should invest money in arranging a greenhouse if you organize a year-round business. If you correctly draw up and implement a business plan, growing champignons in specialized premises provides a quick return on investment and a constant income.

Champignons in the basement

To keep the investment in the business minimal, if you have a basement or cellar, you can use their area. Suitable room criteria:

• The best option would be a high-quality cemented floor, so that it is easier to maintain cleanliness and not to expose mycelium to mold infestation.
• In order for the cultivation of champignons as a business (reviews, photos of those who are already making a profit, this is confirmed) give a high income and a bountiful harvest, it is better to equip the room with racks. They save space and allow planting myceliums with different ripening periods on each tier, which puts the process on stream.
• Mushrooms do not need lighting, so you can equip light enough for the convenience of those who care for them and harvest them.

Basement equipment for a mushroom farm

• Ventilation should be of high quality, insect-proof, for which a fine-mesh mesh is used. At the same time, it is important that there are no drafts, therefore, in addition to hoods, it is appropriate to use fans over the beds or filters to clean the air.
• Growing mushrooms as a business also requires constant regulation of air humidity and temperature. It is necessary to equip the room with a hygrometer and a thermometer. To increase the humidity, it is enough to spray the beds and the floor, and to lower it, ventilate or turn on the heating.
• If the room is large enough, then it can be divided into a zone for growing mycelium and a department for growing mushrooms, which will significantly increase the yield, and, consequently, profit.
• Disinfection of the premises is required before starting work. This can be whitewashing with lime mixed with copper sulfate, spraying with a 4% formalin solution or fumigating with a sulfur stick. Mushrooms are sensitive to mold and pathogens, so the harvest should be checked, and diseased specimens should be placed in a separate container and destroyed.

Growing champignons as a business (reviews on how to grow, from other gardeners - this is confirmation) is a case in which it is recommended to use any room, even not quite suitable at first glance. The main thing is to protect it from drafts, heat, ventilate and protect it from pests and mold.Plants will be thanked with a high yield.

Compost preparation

The purchase of mycelium and preparation of the nutrient medium included in the business plan "Growing mushrooms" are the most important points in it. The highest yield is obtained if horse manure is used for compost. But if this is not possible, then cow or bird droppings will do.

Ingredients for creating a substrate:

• horse dung;
• straw;
• urea;
• ammonium sulfate;
• superphosphate, chalk or alabaster.

To make good compost, all layers should be laid. Straw soaked during the day is laid in a lower layer, then manure, again swollen straw and manure. There should be 6-8 such layers. When laying, each layer must be watered with warm water.

After 3-4 days, all layers need to be mixed, add urea and superphosphate to them. After another 3-4 days, mix again and add the rest of the ingredients, and so 4-5 times, and only in the last batch is gypsum added to the nutrient medium.

Planting mycelium

After the compost is "ripe", it is necessary to add mushroom "seeds" to it to get mycelium. For 1 m2 of nutrient medium, there are 500 g of compost mycelium or 400 g of grain spores.

They sow the substrate, for which they make indentations with a finger at a distance of 20–25 cm, in which the seed is placed. If spores are used for sowing, then it is enough to sprinkle them on the nutrient medium.

The air temperature for the incubation of mycelium should be + 20… +27 degrees. When the mycelium begins to grow actively after 10-12 days, it should be sprinkled with a mixture of peat, earth and limestone in proportions of 5: 4: 1 and periodically sprayed, not allowing the nutrient medium to dry out.

Harvesting

The “mushroom” farmer will be able to harvest his first harvest in 35-50 days, given that the maturation of compost takes 20-25 days. Depending on where the ripening takes place and how well the environment has been prepared, yields can be either very high or mediocre.

Growing champignons as a business, reviews of experienced mushroom pickers confirm this, is a very profitable business, since the fruiting cycle can be made year-round.

The air temperature before mushroom ripening should be + 22 ... +26 degrees. If it gets hotter, the mushrooms will climb up very quickly and will have a small cap with a long stem. Such a product will not be marketed. At a temperature of +12 degrees, the mycelium will cease to bear fruit. Therefore, as soon as the caps appear and the mushroom smell is felt, the temperature should be reduced to + 15… +16 degrees.

Picking mushrooms should be done carefully so as not to damage their base. To do this, you need to hold the bottom of the leg and the ground with the fingers of one hand, and separate it from the mycelium with the other with a slight twist. It is necessary to harvest all fruits, even small ones, because if you cut only large mushrooms, the rest stop growing and begin to rot.

It should be borne in mind that with the right approach, you can collect from 5 kg of mushrooms from 1 m2 for several cycles. Therefore, when calculating the scale of a business, you should immediately think about what area to use for it.

Harvest storage

To preserve the harvested crop from a large plantation, when it is difficult to manage in one day, you need to think about refrigerators in advance. Their capacity is calculated from the number of kilograms of finished product from 1 m2. So, in a room of 30 m2, this will be an average of 150 kg per day.

Picking up mushrooms is a delicate process, and it does not tolerate haste. In addition, the harvested crop should be sorted by quality and size.

Before placing the mushrooms in the refrigerator, they should be slightly cooled in a room with an artificially low temperature.

It is not recommended to fill refrigerating chambers with boxes with ready-to-ship products to the top, since even there the mushrooms need air circulation.

If for some reason the cap of the champignon is covered with brown or gray spots, and the leg is bent, it means that you urgently need to remove the diseased mushroom from the mycelium along with its nearby "relatives". The lesion should be sprinkled with table salt. If you do not take these measures, then you can infect the entire plantation, and you will have to start the business from the beginning.

When a disease is detected, it is required to find the source and neutralize it. This can be caused by mold and can be easily removed. It is advisable to burn rotten mushrooms, and then thoroughly disinfect clothes and hands.

In no case should you use chemicals or poisons from pests. After using them, champignons will become hazardous to health and must be destroyed. It is better to lose mycelium or several than to risk someone's life.

Mushrooms are not too capricious, so it is enough to carefully check the ventilation, the absence of mold and insects, to get a thriving and profitable business.

♦ Capital investments - 950,000 rubles.
♦ Payback - 1 year.

Champignon is one of the favorite mushrooms in different countries because it is tasty, easy to prepare, affordable and is always abundant on supermarket shelves.

According to historians, the pioneers of the cultivation of champignons were French peasants, who in the late 1600s noticed that if you rinse adult champignons with water, and then pour this water onto a compost heap, periodically watering this area, then on the compost heap you can collect good harvest.

Growing champignons as a business, took root in England.

There, at the beginning of the 18th century, mushroom farms were organized.

Gradually, this practice began to take root all over the world.

Features of growing mushrooms as a business

Champignons, as a business, were first discussed in Russia in the 1990s, during a terrible economic crisis.

Then the farms for growing these unpretentious mushrooms, organized in abandoned mines, saved more than one village on the verge of extinction.

Gradually, the technology of growing champignons began to improve, and other methods of harvesting began to be practiced.

Many entrepreneurs are at the mercy of the misconception that agricultural business is difficult and not very profitable.

The industrial cultivation of champignons, although it belongs to the field of agriculture, completely breaks these stereotypes.

Growing champignons is definitely profitable, otherwise this market would not have grown by 25% only in the previous year.

If we take the average statistical data, we see that every Russian eats at least 1.5 kg of mushrooms a year, and this trend, according to experts, will only increase.

All this should lead businessmen looking for a profitable start-up to the idea that they need to organize the industrial cultivation of mushrooms and make money on their sale.

It is quite easy to enter this business, because you do not need to purchase expensive equipment or rent gigantic areas in order to grow the first batch of champignons.

And the technology of growing this mushroom itself is extremely simple and you don't need to be a certified botanist to master it.

In general, if you are looking for a profitable, promising business that does not require huge financial investments, then this business is just for you.

Advantages and disadvantages of growing mushrooms as a business

Every businessman interested in quick self-sufficiency and good profit for his business needs to calculate all the pros and cons before starting to invest in any business.

Growing champignons as a business has a number of advantages:

1. You need relatively little money to launch a startup.
2. The mushroom market in Russia has huge holes filled with low-quality imported goods, so you have a chance to gradually build a real empire for growing champignons.
3. The raw material for growing these mushrooms is agricultural waste (compost, straw, chicken droppings), which can be purchased for a penny.
4. Champignons can be grown in any conditions (in abandoned mines, in the basements of private houses, in bags right in apartments, etc.).
5. This mushroom bears fruit all year round if you create the right conditions for it.
6. The market is full of unoccupied niches that you can fill.
7. This is a profitable business that will bring you your first profit within a few months after launching a startup.

But you need to remember about the main disadvantage of growing mushrooms as a business, which is the need to find a market for your products.

It may not be so easy, especially in a small town, but if you have your own transport, then nothing prevents you from going to a neighboring large city to sell your products there.

5 ways to grow mushrooms like a business

The main thing in this business is to get a high percentage of profitability, not yield.

To achieve this, you need to choose the most suitable mushroom growing system.

There are 5 main methods of growing mushrooms:

1. Directly on the ground.

   You can set up your own mushroom growing business right in an empty mine, your own greenhouse, basement, etc.
   This system is very cheap because you do not need to order special equipment.
   One of its main disadvantages is the risk of mycelium infection, because the ground is full of different microbes.

2. Dutch shelf growing system.

   Such production can be started, for example, in your shed or garage.
   The more shelves you equip, the more crops you will harvest.
   One of the disadvantages of this system is the high cost of arranging a room for growing mushrooms.

3. In bags.

   This is the simplest and most profitable mushroom growing system.
   Firstly, you can plant mushrooms in bags even in your own apartment.
   Secondly, your mushrooms will be isolated from each other and if you notice signs of infection in any of them, you can simply throw this bag away and save the rest of the crop from infection.

4. In containers.

   If you choose this method, you will need to purchase special, very expensive containers, which are treated from the inside with a solution against infections.
   The system of growing mushrooms in containers can be made fully automated, getting a good harvest and increasing your profit level.

5. In briquettes.

   One of the favorite methods of mushroom cultivation among many domestic businessmen.
   The purchase cost of briquettes is not too expensive, they are easy to transport if you decide to change the cultivation of mushrooms at home to an industrial scale, and it is easy to protect your crop from diseases.

Growing champignons as a business: advertising campaign and customer search

If you are going to grow champignons on a modest scale only for your own use, then you will not have to worry about advertising and finding clients for your business.

Quite another matter, if you want to make good money on mushroom cultivation, then you just need to think about an effective advertising campaign for your business.

You need to advertise grown products using all kinds of advertising tools:

1. Media of your city.
2. Outdoor advertising.
3. Promotional printed matter that you can distribute, such as business cards or flyers.
4. Social networks.
5. Ads on sites that are frequently visited by residents of your area.

The search for sales markets depends on the size of your business.

If you grow some mushrooms, then they can be sold among neighbors, friends and acquaintances.

If you are harvesting 100 kg or more, then look for other channels:

1. Self-sale of mushrooms at the nearest market.
   Gradually, you will have regular customers.
2. Selling mushrooms to dealers in the markets.
   Yes, you will get less income than if you sold mushrooms yourself, but you will save a lot of time.
3. Sale of champignons through grocery stores.
   To do this, you need to have all the documents and be a registered owner.
4. Bypassing the offices and state enterprises of your city with an offer to purchase champignons from you.
   If the quality of the products you grow suits your customers, then in the future you will receive permanent orders and bring a specific batch of products.
5. Sale of goods via the Internet.
   To do this, you can create your own website, but it is more profitable to sell through social networks.

Food delivery business

Growing champignons as a business: a calendar plan

Starting a mushroom growing business takes time and money, especially if you want to harvest a few tons instead of a couple of tens of kilograms.

For the preparatory period (registration, equipping the premises, buying compost with mycelium, searching for sales markets, etc.) you will need at least 5 months.

registration

If your main clients are friends, acquaintances and neighbors, then you shouldn't fool with the registration procedure.

But those who want to grow champignons on an industrial scale and sell their products through grocery stores should definitely register as an individual entrepreneur or LLC, choose the appropriate form of taxation, and officially employ their employees.

In order to sell your goods through supermarkets and grocery stores, you should draw up a number of documents confirming the quality and safety for buyers of your products:

• phytosanitary certificate for mushrooms;
• a certificate confirming that the mushrooms you grow comply with GOST;
• radiologist protocol.

And also carefully study the instructions for storing and transporting your grown products so as not to destroy your business due to the fact that low temperature or high humidity has led to damage to your goods.

Business ideas in the garage

Premises

Again, the size of the premises directly depends on how large-scale the business you want to open.

If we are talking about a small business (you do not want to grow a lot of mushrooms), then you can organize a business even at home.

If you want to receive at least 2–4 tons of products per year, then you need to find premises of at least 100 squares.

This can be a greenhouse, hangar, abandoned mine, industrial building, warehouse, etc.

You have three options:

1. Purchase a plot of land and build a building on it that is ideal for growing mushrooms.
2. Rent a room of a suitable size and equip it the way you need to start a mushroom growing business.
3. Buy real estate that has already been used for mushroom farming.
   Such a building can be loaded with the necessary equipment, so you will be relieved of the need to look for everything you need to organize a business.

It is imperative to equip the room chosen for growing mushrooms with a heating and ventilation system so that the temperature is stable all year round + 14-16 degrees, and the ventilation system draws out ammonia and other vapors from the room.

In order to re-equip a small building for growing mushrooms, get ready to allocate about 80,000 rubles.

Equipment

It all depends on what method of growing mushrooms you have chosen for yourself: in bags, containers, blocks, on racks, etc.

If we are talking about growing mushrooms on an industrial scale, then you will have to divide your premises into several zones and purchase equipment with which you will make, pasteurize compost, grow mycelium on your own, etc.

If you are aiming at a more modest business, then you can purchase already prepared compost seeded with mycelium.

For 10 tons of such compost, you will have to pay about 100,000 rubles.

To equip at a minimum a room and a mushroom house on 100 squares, you will have to spend another 200,000 rubles.

For 300,000 rubles. you will be able to purchase a used gazelle for the delivery of products.

If you decide to grow mushrooms on a smaller scale, then the cost of equipment and compost with mycelium will be significantly lower.

Staff

Business is an exciting game in which maximum excitement is combined with a minimum of rules.
Bill Gates

Cultivation of champignons, as a business, is difficult to do alone, especially when it comes to an industrial scale.

If you have purchased 10 tons of compost and are going to grow mushrooms on the territory of 100 squares, then you will need at least two workers to grow mushrooms and one driver to deliver the finished product.

If you are going to independently sell a product on the market, then hire a seller for this business.

You can save on the seller's rate if you supply products to stores and market dealers.

As for the administrative and accounting functions, see for yourself: you will be able to cope with the financial and management side of the business on your own, do not hire anyone, if you do not believe in yourself, hire both a manager and an accountant.

The minimum wage costs for staff will be as follows:

Workers	2	15 000	30 000
Driver	1	15 000	15 000

How much money does it take to open a mushroom growing business?

It all depends solely on the scale to which you are going to grow mushrooms.

If you want to buy just a few bags of compost in order to breed goodies for yourself, your friends and acquaintances, then 30-40,000 rubles is enough to open a business.

If we are talking about an industrial scale, then get ready to collect at least half a million, or better - a million rubles of capital investment:

registration	30 000
Equipment for growing rooms	200 000
Buying a car	300 000
Buying compost with mycelium	100 000
	20 000
Additional expenses	50 000

In addition to the initial investment, you need to have money for servicing the business (electricity, taxes, staff salaries, etc.), which should be added to the amount prepared for the start, because you will receive income only by collecting and selling the first batch of grown mushrooms: at least than in 1.5-2 months.

The amount for the maintenance of the business will be 250,000 rubles. in two months:

Premises for rent	2	30 000	60 000
Communal payments	2	20 000	40 000
Staff salary	2	45 000	90 000
Tax and administrative expenses	2	15 000	30 000
	2	5 000	10 000
Additional expenses	2	10 000	20 000

That is, to engage in mushroom cultivation as a business, on an area of ​​100 square meters in a relatively small settlement, you should have about 1,000,000 rubles.

How to properly grow champignons,

watch the video:

How much can you earn in a year growing mushrooms as a business?

If we take the previous indicators (10 tons of compost, 100 squares of area), then we will collect the first crop of 2,000 kg of mushrooms.

The selling price of one kilogram is about 100 rubles.

That is, our first earnings will be 200,000 rubles.

For a year, one mycelium can be harvested on average 6 crops, which will amount to 1,200,000 rubles.

Throw away the amount of start-up capital and mandatory monthly expenses and you will receive 250,000 rubles. net profit.

Download a ready-made business plan for a farm for growing mushrooms with a quality guarantee.

Business plan content: 1. Confidentiality

2. Summary

3. Stages of project implementation

4. Characteristics of the object

5. Marketing plan

6. Technical and economic data of equipment

7. Financial plan

8. Risk assessment

9. Financial and economic justification of investments

10. Conclusions

As you can see growing mushrooms as a business, Is a very profitable business.

In a year, you will not only return the amount of capital investment of 950,000 rubles, but also earn about a quarter of a million rubles.

Agree, for a start, these are good indicators.

Helpful article? Don't miss new ones!
Enter your email and receive new articles by mail

In a difficult economic situation in the country, every man in the street thinks about how to replenish their finances at minimal cost.

Someone moonlights as a cab, someone is looking for a part-time job, and someone is trying to grow mushrooms on their own in their private premises.

Growing a mushroom like champignon on your own is not difficult, but persistence and desire are essential.

But if you approach the process correctly, follow all the rules and instructions, then you can achieve good results. You can not only temporarily replenish your wallet, but also establish your own small business, which will bring a certain income every day.

Champignon is a food that cannot be poisoned, and is ideally balanced. This mushroom can even replace seafood, it is endowed with a large amount of phosphorus.

How to grow mushrooms at home

Given the high yield of champignons, the return on money invested in production is a minimum period of time. Today (with the right technology), up to fifteen kilograms of mushrooms can be harvested from one square meter of the prepared substrate.

The basis for growing mushrooms is the substrate, which is placed on special racks. The room where the racks are installed must meet the following requirements:

• indoor humidity should be at least 65% and not higher than 90%;
• the air temperature should in no way exceed 250 C and be at least 140 C.

A cellar, basement or barn is ideal for such criteria.

Champignons grown from the substrate on an industrial scale

to the content ↑ Preparing the substrate

As noted above, the substrate is the basis for growing mushrooms. And your harvest and, accordingly, income will depend on its high-quality preparation. The beneficial effect of preparing the substrate will depend on its fermentation.

Fermentation is a microbiological process that develops with the help of microorganisms.

The composition of the substrate includes straw and horse manure (it is the manure that makes up 80% of the total substrate). If you are unable to purchase horse manure, you can use bird droppings or cow dung. With such components, you do not risk losing productivity.

It is best to do the entire substrate preparation procedure outdoors. This is due to the fact that during its preparation, a lot of ammonia and carbon dioxide are released.

It is possible to prepare the substrate in the room, but for this it is necessary, of course, to provide good ventilation in this room.

The components used in the preparation of the substrate are as follows:

• One hundred kilograms of straw (wheat can be used instead of straw).
• Two kilograms of urea.
• Two kilograms of superphosphate.
• Eight kilograms of plaster.
• Five kilograms of chalk.

Using such a number of ingredients, you can prepare a mycelium of three square meters.

to the content ↑ Stages of preparation of the substrate

Initially, we soak straw or wheat in water for a day. After that, add manure, soaked straw or wheat. We put it in stacks (in three or four layers). With such styling, it is necessary to additionally moisten each layer. After a day, mix everything, add urea, half of the superphosphate and gypsum. For the third mixing, add the remaining superphosphate and chalk.

Preparing a bed for champignons

back to contents ↑ Planting mycelium

We put the prepared substrate on the racks in layers of thirty centimeters. This surface should spring a little when touched by the hand. Over the course of three days, the laid layers of the substrate will cool down to a temperature of 250 C.Having brought the substrate to such a temperature, we proceed to planting the mycelium.

The mycelium is the basis of the future fungus, its vegetative body. This body is made up of fine, branched filaments called hyphae.

The mycelium is planted to a depth of five to seven centimeters in the substrate. After seven days, the mycelium grows in the form of spider webs. Now the main thing is not to let the top layer of the substrate dry out, so the room must be kept at high humidity.

After twenty days, the mycelium will appear on the surface, during this period it is necessary to lay additional casing layer.

Cereal mycelium

This mixture is prepared five days before laying and includes:

• peat;
• a piece of chalk.

The peat to chalk ratio should be nine to one. Having laid out the cover soil, it is necessary to reduce the ambient temperature to fifteen degrees. If the temperature is higher, the mushrooms will not grow well.

In the process of growing a mushroom farm, it is very important to observe two points, namely: to maintain the temperature regime of the environment and not to disturb the regime of humidity. To maintain moisture, it is necessary to regularly moisten the substrate with water.

In the process of mushroom growth, the air humidity should be at least eighty percent, and the maximum - ninety. Do not forget about airing the room, it is regularly ventilated, but drafts should not be allowed.

back to contents ↑ Harvesting the first crop

The entire process of growing mushrooms at home can actually take from two to four months. Fruiting of mushrooms can last two to three months. The ripening of the mushroom is determined by the formation of a film that connects the stem of the mushroom to the cap.

The main feature of mushroom picking is that it is not cut with a knife. The champignon is "twisted" from the substrate. The hole, which is formed after the extraction of the mushroom, should be covered with the casing layer, which was used during the maturation of the mycelium. After harvesting and filling the holes with a casing layer, the entire surface of the substrate is watered.

With the right cultivation technology, your mycelium will be able to give you up to ten kilograms of mushrooms per square meter.

to the content ↑ Growing in industrial conditions

In the event that you decide to grow mushrooms for your personal consumption, you do not need to draw up any documents.

If you decide to grow mushrooms seriously, then you need to draw up a certain package of documents.

It is based on documents for registration of entrepreneurship and permission from the sanitary and epidemiological station. The sanitary and epidemiological station will also give you a quality certificate, which will allow you to sell mushrooms in stores and on the market.

back to contents ↑ Technological map

Having decided to professionally engage in mushroom cultivation, you must draw up a technological map for yourself. Such a technological map may look as follows:

• mycelium equipment - ventilation system, irrigation system;
• disinfection of mycelium - treatment of walls with lime, spraying formalin vapors;
• purchase of high-quality mycelium;
• professional preparation of the substrate;
• stacking the substrate on racks;
• creation and maintenance of a certain microclimate in the mycelium;
• collection of mushrooms;
• transportation and sale.

back to contents ↑ Equipment for industrial cultivation

Industrial equipment for growing mushrooms

As the main equipment for the industrial cultivation of mushrooms, it is necessary to have a ventilation unit and an irrigation system in the mycelium.

It is these two systems that play a major role in the ripening and growth of mushrooms.

The ventilation system is able to provide the required temperature in the room, the irrigation system will constantly maintain the required humidity in the mycelium.

back to contents ↑ Financial costs

Considering mushroom growing as an additional business, it is worth noting the fact that this does not require expensive furnished premises and expensive equipment.

The sales market is always present. The main financial costs will be for the preparation of the substrate and the purchase of mycelium.

In the consumer market, a substrate with seeded mushroom mycelium is sold, this will greatly facilitate the start of your business. The cost of such a substrate does not exceed $ 200.

Considering the income from mushroom cultivation, it is worth noting that, with proper business conduct, it can amount to twenty percent. These numbers indicate that the mushroom growing business is profitable at any volume.

The volumes may vary. It all depends on your financial capabilities and desires. Having established the process of growing champignons once, you can ensure yourself a constant financial income for many years.

back to contents ↑ Own business

Elite champignons for sale

Having familiarized yourself with the theoretical basics of mushroom cultivation, it is worth moving on to practical actions. Today there are no problems with the purchase of all the necessary components for creating a substrate.

At the same time, you can easily and simply buy high-quality mycelium. You need a minimum investment and a desire to earn.

Having found the necessary premises for cultivating champignons, think about the sales market in advance. Your list of potential buyers should include:

• market pavilions;
• shopping centers;
• the shops;
• restaurants and cafes.

Local newspapers, which advertise the sale of mushrooms and the Internet, can also be involved in the marketing process. By researching local sites, you can send out business proposals by email, which may interest shop and cafe owners.

Conclusion

Having studied all the pros and cons of growing mushrooms, it is worth noting that this is a profitable business. Its organization does not require large investments, and the profitability is high.

Mushrooms are a part of the diet of many people, and growing them is beneficial not only for your family, but also as a business. Champignons are especially popular: they are healthy, tasty and very easy to prepare. And if the mushrooms are grown in their own greenhouse, then they are also environmentally friendly. But this, of course, requires skills and certain knowledge, since growing mushrooms is not as easy as it might seem at first glance. You will need to be patient and first study the whole technology, because the omission of even the smallest detail can nullify all efforts.

If the climate allows and the purpose of growing champignons is only for yourself, then you can do this in open beds. But in this case, you need to be prepared for the fact that even in the presence of a large vegetable garden, a bountiful harvest cannot be collected. Therefore, there is no talk of any preparations for the winter time. If your goal is precisely a large harvest, then it is more profitable to grow mushrooms in the presence of a cellar or basement. Then you can provide mushrooms not only for yourself and your friends, but also successfully implement them. Where to start and how to grow these delicious mushrooms properly? Let's figure it out.

Preparing the substrate

Champignons are fastidious mushrooms, and will not grow without a substrate (compost). The process of its preparation is rather complicated, because for this you will need straw, cow or horse manure (they can be replaced with chicken droppings) gypsum and slaked lime. The amount depends on the volume of the area. Ideally, it is better to take wheat or rye straw, other types are also possible, but they will reduce the yield of mushrooms. And always fresh! Gypsum and lime are required as mineral supplements, and bone meal can also be added. It is very important that the compost water is not tap water, it contains chlorine.

How should the substrate be prepared? First, the straw must be cut into small strips and soaked in water. After a few days, it will be saturated with moisture through and through, and a pile must be made for the future compost. Put wet straw and manure in layers (starting and ending with straw). Cover the finished pile with foil, leaving some open spaces on the sides (for ventilation). Once a week, the substrate should be interrupted by adding gypsum and lime. The result should be loose, brown compost without a pungent odor. If you don't want to mess with it, you can just buy a ready-made substrate.

We purchase and plant mycelium

Mycelium is nothing more than a mycelium, which is easy to buy today. The main thing is that it is of high quality. To obtain mushroom mycelium, rye grains are most often used, due to which the mycelium receives nutrition. This seed is sold in plastic boxes, it should have a characteristic mushroom aroma and off-white color. If there are greenish tints in the mycelium, then this indicates the presence of mold in it. It should be stored in the refrigerator (up to three months), and before use, keep for at least a day at room temperature so that the mycelium adapts.

Planting mycelium is easy: you can just sow it, or you can lay it in holes (5 cm deep) and cover with compost (5 cm layer). It is better to make the holes according to the chess principle, the distance between them should not be less than 20 cm.After a couple of weeks, the tomb will begin to grow, and it will need to be covered with a 3-4 cm layer of soil and periodically moistened to protect the substrate from drying out. Such soil is called casing layer, it can be purchased either ready-made or made by yourself. To do this, you need peat, earth and chalk (5 parts, 4 parts and 1 part, respectively), per 1 sq. m - 50 kg of the mixture.

Controlling the temperature and caring for mushrooms

The basic rules for growing mushrooms are a clean room without light and drafts, but with ventilation. A barn, garage, basement, cellar and even an attic are perfect. The temperature should be in the range of 15-25 degrees, and the humidity rate should be 65-85 percent. If the humidity needs to be increased, then the room must be sprayed, if it is lowered, it must be ventilated. In cold weather, additional insulation is needed, but without fanaticism, extremely moderate heat. And do not forget to control the moisture content of the compost: spray, cover with newspapers - in a word, do everything to avoid dryness.

A prerequisite for caring for growing mushrooms is the temperature not lower than 25 degrees in the first two weeks. After the growth of the mycelium, the temperature drops to 20 degrees, and the rest of the time is maintained within 15-17 degrees. You should not do it "by eye", it is better to constantly focus on the thermometer. It is also important that the casing layer is sterile, otherwise bacteria can enter the mycelium. Therefore, it is recommended to additionally steam the mixture for the cover or just spill it with boiling water, since the yield of the mushrooms depends on this mixture.

Harvesting champignons

The first mushrooms will appear in a month, and the main rule that you must firmly learn: you cannot cut the champignons, just twist them! Then immediately sprinkle the hole with earth and water with water - for a new harvest. If the champignon is cut off, then its remains will rot, insects will settle in it, and there can be no question of a new mushroom. If everything is done correctly, then every month you can collect up to 10 kg of mushrooms per 1 sq. m. The first three harvests give the most mushrooms, after which their number decreases. After the sixth harvest, the area should be cleared of the old mycelium and a new one should be planted.

I would especially like to highlight such a nuance as the collection of "high-quality" mushrooms, since champignons with a stretched pale pink thin film are considered to be properly ripe.It is located on the stem and at the very edge of the cap, which indicates a "healthy" mushroom. If you notice brown streaks - this is a "sick" champignon, and it is not suitable for food. Sometimes, specimens with burst films come across, which means that they are overripe (or were overlooked during the previous harvest). Such mushrooms are edible, but overripening is not recommended, since old mushrooms deplete the mycelium.

Growing champignons: a business plan

Creating a profitable business with minimal costs is the dream of many. Growing mushrooms for implementation today is not only profitable, but also does not require a lot of effort and time. Champignons occupy a leading position in this business, as they are a tasty, aromatic and healthy product that people are happy to purchase. In addition, it is one of the few types of mushrooms that grows well in an artificial environment. And when mushrooms are grown at home, this is always a huge plus, attracting most buyers with its quality.

The mushroom business does not require seasonality, because mushrooms can be grown all year round. Of course, subject to all the rules of the technology, which was discussed in detail above. Such an appetizing product like mushrooms is always in demand, and if you competently master all the wisdom of growing, you can be very successful in this area. The mushroom business is especially good for people who already have experience of working on personal plots, who like to "dig" in the ground, plant something, care for and harvest. So what should you learn if you are planning to start a mushroom growing business?

We draw up a business plan in stages

Any large-scale enterprise should start with drawing up a business plan in order to systematize your actions and make a profit in the future. And mushroom cultivation is no exception. A business plan should consist of several steps:

1. To issue an individual entrepreneur or LLC, as well as a package of necessary documents.
2. Choose a form of taxation that is convenient for you personally.
3. Find a room suitable for growing mushrooms.
4. Purchase mycelium (online or from farmers).
5. Buy or make your own substrate (compost for mushrooms).
6. Grow champignons according to all the rules of technology.
7. Find the right channels to market your products.
8. Directly the very implementation of the mushrooms you grow.

The mushroom business has many advantages, for example: you need a small start-up capital. Judge for yourself: the raw materials needed for cultivation (straw, manure, compost) are quite cheap, and it is not a problem to find them. Champignons do not require any special conditions, they can grow anywhere, even in bags. And most importantly: our mushroom market is overflowing with low-quality goods, so your business will flourish. Provided that you are able to establish channels and put the sale of mushrooms on the stream.

Choosing a growing method

There are five ways to breed champignons in total. Study them all carefully to decide which one suits you best. Each has both pros and cons, so you will need to weigh the pros and cons to get a good harvest.

1. On the ground... This method is quite cheap because it allows you to grow mushrooms in your garden beds, basement, garage, greenhouse, or whatever space is available to you.
   Pros: there is no need to purchase special equipment.
   Cons: there are many microbes in the ground, so infection of the mycelium is possible.

2. In briquettes... A popular method, which consists in pressing the substrate and placing it in briquettes. In such conditions, the growing procedure is simplified.
   Pros: briquettes are inexpensive, they can be easily transported with them.
   Cons: lack of the necessary moisture will lead to mushroom disease.

3. On shelves... This method is called "Dutch" and involves growing mushrooms indoors, if you want to use the entire space.
   Pros: the ability to equip many shelves for a large mushroom harvest.
   Cons: Not the cheapest system that requires hardware costs.

4. In boxes... Another way is to grow mushrooms in special container boxes, pre-treated with antimicrobial agents.
   Pros: This method allows you to fully automate the cultivation.
   Cons: rarely used due to the expensive cost of container boxes.

5. In bags... The easiest way to grow mushrooms, which can be used even in an apartment. Its big plus is the isolation of mushrooms from each other.
   Pros: practically does not require special costs and special equipment.
   Cons: minimal harvest, and this method is unlikely to be suitable for business.

We make financial calculations

If you are starting a mushroom business from scratch, then a considerable start-up capital will be required. You will need about 1,500,000 rubles for land, premises and equipment. Now about the running costs: they should be calculated based on one production cycle. That is, two months. Substratum - about 20,000 rubles, mycelium - 10,000 rubles, utility bills - from 50,000 rubles, staff salaries - about 60,000 rubles. Total: 140,000 rubles. The cost of a kilogram of champignons is about 100 rubles, if you take into account 30 tons of substrate, then you can get 6,000 tons of mushrooms. In total, one production cycle will bring you from 600,000 rubles. We calculate the costs of 130,000 rubles and get a net profit of 460,000 rubles. We multiply this figure by four (the number of mushroom cultivation per year) and we are convinced that about 1,840,000 rubles can be earned in a year. As a result, the invested starting amount pays off in 12 months. If you already have your own premises, then, of course, much less costs will be required.

Searching for clients and selling products

If your main goal is to get good profit from mushroom cultivation, then you cannot do without advertising your products. What do you need to do to make potential clients know about you? There are many ways: ads in the media and social networks, flyers and leaflets on the streets, outdoor. You can also sell mushrooms yourself or offer your goods to dealers. The first option will bring you more income, but it will take a lot of time, while the second option is the opposite - the profit is less, but it saves time. Another way is the sale of mushrooms through stores, but for this you need to have the registration of a private entrepreneur. Perhaps the most profitable option is to sell your mushrooms on the Internet, through social networks or your own website.