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Trained horticulturalist Sarah grows our flower and veg trials. A perk of the job is tasting all the veg varieties so she knows which are the best.
Our rigorous tests have found that while mushroom growing kits won’t save you money compared with buying mushrooms at the supermarket, they make a great gift for anyone who enjoys growing their own food and are a fun way to learn how fungi grow.
You can set a kit up indoors – anywhere with natural light – so you can grow mushrooms all year round.
We tested nine ready-to-grow kits and four DIY ones; we grew button, oyster, lion's mane and shiitake. Some kits failed to produce any fungi and others were very complicated to use. The best ones produced delicious, plentiful crops.
How our tests find you the best
We tested 13 mushroom kits
Nine ready-to-grow kits and four DIY ones.
Ease of use
How simple it was to set up each kit.
Quality of instructions
Whether they were well written, comprehensive and informative.
Yield
The weight of mushrooms from each kit.
Which members can log in now to see the full results and which are our Best Buy varieties. If you're not a member, join Which? to get instant access.
| Mushroom kit | Overall rating | Yield rating | Ease of setting up | Quality of instructions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caley Brothers Coffee Grow Kit | Sign up to reveal Get instant access to this and all our scores and recommendations Unlock tableDigital first month £5, then £8.99 per month, cancel at any time. Already a member? | |||
| Caley Brothers Lion's Mane Grow Kit | ||||
| Fat Fox Mushrooms Blue Oyster Ready-to-Grow Kit | ||||
| Fat Fox Mushrooms Tea & Coffee Recycling Kit | ||||
| Fungi Foods Grey Oyster Grow Kit | ||||
| Gourmet Woodland Mushrooms Oyster Mushroom Book Recyler Kit | ||||
| GroCycle Oyster Mushroom Kit | ||||
| Merit Mushrooms Large Lion's Mane Ready-to-Grow Kit | ||||
| Merit Mushrooms Large pink Oyster Ready-to-Grow Kit | ||||
| Merryhill Mushrooms Chestnut Mushroom Growing Kit | ||||
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Using the table: the more stars the better. BB/RC = Best Buys/Recommended. Overall rating: score ignores price and is based on: yield of mushrooms, 50%; ease of setting up, 25%, and quality of instructions, 25%
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All the kits we tried came with instructions. The key step is to keep the kit moist using a spray bottle, misting several times a day, and to place it in natural light but not direct sunlight.
It can take two to five weeks or longer for a second flush to develop, depending on the temperature and humidity. Soaking the substrate block can help, as can putting the kit in the fridge for 12-24 hours (blue oyster, king oyster and lion’s mane only). If you're not seeing much activity, a change of environment may help – move the kit somewhere cooler or warmer, with more or less light or more humidity.
When a kit stops producing mushrooms, you can plant it in a shady spot outside in a mix of soil and woodchips to create a mushroom bed. Alternatively, compost the used substrate block.
These are the mushrooms we’re most used to buying in the supermarkets, either as white or chestnut types – firm in texture and earthy in flavour.
Oysters come in grey, blue, yellow and pink; they grow in clusters and are found on deciduous trees in the wild. Pleasant, mushroomy flavour, with thin flesh.
Lion’s mane has a range of claimed health benefits, but research in humans is limited. The flavour is like crab or lobster, while the texture resembles shredded chicken.
Native to east Asia and widely used in Chinese cooking, shiitake mushrooms have a strong nutty flavour and rich velvety texture. They dry well for storage.
Mushroom kits come either ready to grow or as a DIY version where you need to add the mushroom starter spores to a growing medium. We bought nine ready-to-grow kits and four DIY ones, and set them up in a light, well-ventilated space indoors at our Capel Manor trial gardens in north London. We looked after all the kits as per their instructions, harvesting any mushrooms that grew and recording their weight. And, of course, we tasted all the mushrooms.