"To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow."
Audrey Hepburn
What Supplies Do I Need to Start Growing Mushrooms at Home?
Let's get specific about what you actually need to buy.
The exact supply list depends on your chosen growing method, but here is a comprehensive breakdown organized by method so you can shop with confidence.
Must-Have Versus Optional: Why This List Is Different
If you have searched for mushroom growing supply lists before, you have probably noticed that every list seems to include different items with no explanation of what is truly essential and what is just nice to have.
That inconsistency creates confusion and leads to two common mistakes:
Either you overbuy equipment you do not need yet, or you underbuy and stall out mid-project because you are missing something critical.
This checklist is organized by growing method and clearly separates must-have items from optional upgrades.
Start with the essentials for your chosen method.
Add the optional items later if and when you find you need them.
The Kit Method: The Simplest Entry Point to Growing Gourmet Mushrooms
When you are first starting, or if you simply choose kits to grow gourmet mushrooms at home with, all you need is:
- a kit
- a mushroom house (I use a sideways cooler or plastic container)
- a spray bottle
Even though I've had a gourmet mushroom kit business, I only only use kits to grow gourmet mushrooms at home...they are so simple and inexpensive...
Bucket Grow
Must-have supplies for a basic bucket grow include:
- a five-gallon bucket with a lid
- a drill with a quarter-inch or three-eighths-inch drill bit
- a large pot or cooler for pasteurizing straw
- a bag of straw from a feed store or garden center
- grain spawn of your chosen species (oyster mushrooms are recommended for beginners)
- a spray bottle
- a clean workspace.
That is the complete list.
You can be up and running for under $30 plus the cost of spawn.
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Optional but helpful additions include:
- a thermometer for checking pasteurization temperature
- a second bucket for draining straw
- a small fan for improving airflow if you are growing in a still room.
Monotub Grow: The Most Popular Indoor Method for growing Magic Mushrooms
I don't recommend or use monotubs to grow gourmet species...I find it much easier to grow with kits with consistently better harvests.
Scroll down to see my list for growing gourmet species in Unicorn bag kits.
Click here to get a complete list of supplies for the Monotub method for growing psilocybin species to accompany my grow book.
Growing Gourmet Mushrooms in Unicorn bags
This is the method I used when I had my gourmet mushroom kit business, but you can easily scale it down for a home grow.
Required supplies:
- Master's Mix pellets
- Clean water (non-chlorinated or dechlorinated)
- Large tote or container for mixing (27+ gallon)
- Grain spawn (2-3 lbs)
- 10T Unicorn bags
- Bag sealer
- Spray bottle
- Isopropyl alcohol (70%) for sanitization
Optional supplies:
- Thermometer
- Incubation tent (choose your desired size)
- fan
Click here to learn how to grow gourmet mushrooms in Unicorn bags
Outdoor Log Cultivation: The Low-Maintenance Approach
Must-have supplies include:
- freshly cut hardwood logs between three and eight inches in diameter and about three to four feet long
- plug spawn for your chosen species
- a drill with the correct diameter bit for your plugs (usually five-sixteenths inch)
- cheese wax or beeswax
- a small pot or double boiler for melting wax
- a dauber or small brush for applying wax
- a shaded outdoor area with access to rain or a hose
Optional but helpful items include:
- a small angle grinder with a drill bit adapter for faster drilling on large batches of logs,
- a wax applicator bottle for cleaner wax application,
- shade cloth if your outdoor area gets too much direct sun, and
- soaking containers if you want to force fruit your logs by submerging them in cold water.
Universal Supplies Every Mushroom Grower Needs
Regardless of which method you choose, there are a few universal supplies that every mushroom grower should have on hand.
- Rubbing alcohol at seventy percent concentration is your primary sanitizer.
- A spray bottle filled with clean water is essential for maintaining humidity.
- Disposable gloves help keep things clean during inoculation, but remember, you have to wash your gloves every time you touch something...so if you want to save money (and the environment, here, just wash your hands A LOT!
- A thermometer lets you monitor your growing environment.
- A notebook or phone app for tracking your grows is more valuable than you might think.
Writing down what you did, when you did it, and what happened helps you troubleshoot problems and repeat successes.
Where to Spend and Where to Save
Not every item on these lists deserves the same portion of your budget.
Here is where to invest and where to be frugal.
Spend more on grain spawn (for gourmet species only).
Buy your grain spawn from a reputable supplier.
This is not the place to cut corners.
Good spawn is the foundation of a good grow.
Look for suppliers with positive reviews who ship quickly and use proper packaging.
Spawn that arrives contaminated or weak will sabotage your grow before it even starts.
Spend more on a pressure cooker if you plan to make your own grain spawn.
This is especially important for psilocybin species.
A reliable pressure cooker that holds fifteen PSI consistently is a safety and contamination issue.
Buy once and buy quality.
Save on buckets and tubs.
These are commodity items.
A bucket from a hardware store works just as well as anything marketed specifically for mushroom growing. The same goes for storage tubs.
Save on substrate ingredients.
Straw from a feed store costs a fraction of what specialty suppliers charge.
Coco coir sold for reptile bedding or gardening is the same product used in mushroom cultivation and is often cheaper.
Save on:
- gloves
- spray bottles
- rubbing alcohol
Buy these in bulk from any general retailer. There is no mushroom-specific version that works better.
What You Do Not Need Yet (or maybe never)
If you are just starting out, resist the urge to buy:
- a laminar flow hood
- a commercial dehydrator
- a humidity-controlled fruiting chamber with automated fans, or
- laboratory-grade supplies.
I have never invested in these even with my gourmet mushroom kit business and the way I teach growing magic mushrooms at home.
These are tools for growing at the commercial level, not a home grow.
Only invest in a laminar flow hood unless you want to learn the old school way to grow magic mushrooms...
I teach a simpler, yet extremely effective way to bypass a hood in my grow book.
Start with the basics for your chosen method, grow a few successful batches, and then invest in upgrades based on what you actually find limiting in your process.
The best equipment purchase is the one that solves a problem you have already experienced, not one you are guessing you might have someday.
Follow me and spread the spores!
