By Joshua Kato
Abel Kiddu, a mushroom farmer in the suburb of Makindye, west of Kampala city shows farmers how to make a mushroom garden.
According to Kiddu, you need cotton husks to make gardens. A bag of 40kg costs sh20,000.
These can be ordered for from cotton ginneries in areas like Lira and parts of Teso and if there is scarcity, Kiddu buys his from Tanzania.
- You need to soak the cotton in water for about an hour, then drain it to a level of just being moist, before packing it into polythene bags so that you boil the bags all together and kill the germs that could be on them. It is necessary to soak and cook up to the highest temperature in order to kill germs.
- Pack this cotton husks in polythene bags before cooking it. After packing, place it in a metallic drum. But put pieces of wood at the bottom to prevent water from logging into your cotton because it affects its quality, the ‘garden’ and harvest as well.
- It is advisable to cook in the evening for about three hours, then let it cool slowly throughout the night. Whenever you are going to touch the ‘gardens,’ you have to wash your hands with a solution with bleach to kill all germs. After cooling, put it in a clean, dry and cold place for 1-2 days, before you put on the mushroom seeds (spawn), after which it will take about 30 days to be ready to produce mushrooms.
“For farmers buying already-made gardens, it is advisable to buy them at 27 days. This is when they are starting to produce mushrooms. This means that you will cater for them for only three days before they produce mushrooms,” Kiddu says.
- Make sure that your growing room does not have direct sunshine. A lot of light can cause certain mushroom caps to turn dark brown. Ensure that you have a cool and dark surrounding for it to grow successfully.
- You also need to spray the ‘gardens’ with water daily to help them grow. Constant humidity is necessary for the mushrooms to develop and grow. Each spawn needs just about half a litre of water daily, delivered in the morning and evening. If you live in a dry climate, say above 38 degrees, you may need to spray more often.
Mushrooms need a lot of air to prevent carbon dioxide build up. Too much carbon dioxide will make your mushroom production stop, so do not grow mushrooms in a small closet or an enclosed space. Leave the mushroom house open with air passing through.
After 30 days, the gardens will start producing mushrooms. When the veil that attaches the cap to the stem begins to tear, it’s time for the mushrooms to come out.
- Depending on your mushrooms, it may be when the mushrooms are the size of an orange. Turn the block daily to check for harvestable mushrooms that may be hiding. Gently twist and pull mushrooms from the garden. Partial stems left on the block will rot, so do not cut them.
- Protect your mushrooms from insects by spraying the flaps of the growing box with cooking oil spray. The oil will trap and kill the insects before they reach your mushrooms. This is done as soon as the mushroom start coming out.
