Frequently Asked Questions

• How do I apply for a kit?

  • Complete the form here under ‘Apply now’ and enter contact plus the organisations details for whom you are applying. Please note if you are applying for a specific class/group, enter this information in the ‘comments’ section.
  • Note: Kits will only be dispatched to organisations, so we will need this delivery address not a private one.

• What happens after I apply?

  • Your organisations information is stored so with details to help us distribute fairly (around the country and to different ages).
  • The first draw is week commencing 23 July, then roughly each week until November 2018. Then restarting in March 2019.
  • If your application is drawn, our team will get in contact with the applicant, then arrange dispatch with the school/organisation.
  • If your application is not drawn, you will stay in the pool so may be drawn in future.
  • If there are any issues with the information provided, we will be in touch.

• What do I do once I receive the kit?

  The kits are pre ‘activated’ for you, meaning you don’t have to do anything except open them and they are ready to go (per the instructions inside). We recommend not leaving them too long as they either may try to grow and fail or may not activate if left too long.

• I am worried about the temperature, what do I do?

  We recommend you keep your kit at a temperature of 17 to 19C, however we appreciate this may be difficult in either winter or summer. In cooler seasons growth may be slower, keep your kit in a space that will be the least impacted by cooler temperatures. You may also consider closing the top down at night or even wrapping in a warm blanket. If your kit gets too cold this may reduce its yield and/or slow growth. For best results, keep the kit away from drafts and heat sources e.g. direct sunlight.

• My mushrooms are quite pink on the inside is that ok?

  Yes! When mushrooms are first picked, the gills on the inside will be a pinky colour which will change over a period of hours to the darker colour you are used to seeing.

• How do I know when to harvest my mushrooms?

  Mushrooms can grow VERY quickly, doubling in size over 24 hours so it is important to monitor growth and consider that what is small in the morning will need to be picked by the end of the day. Ideally you want to keep your mushrooms as a button which is 35-55mm and beforethe gills have opened and the cap has flattened.

• What are the stringy bits in the compost?

  Mushroom Compost is comprised of partially composted wheat straw, which often results in a stringy texture.

• What do I do with my kit when I have finished?

  Your compost is packed with nutrition and great for the garden, especially as a mulch. We recommend you mix the layers together then distribute in the garden. It is possible – depending on how many flushes you have run and the weather conditions – that you may continue to get a few mushrooms in the garden but due to the specific environment they require it is unlikely to get many.

• Can I purchase a kit

  Sorry no, our kits were created especially for schools and education. They are also hand-built and very labour intensive which means they would be quite an expensive item to buy. However we may revisit this in future if demand is there.

• What is the white stuff growing in my kit?

  This is mycelium. Mycelium is the equivalent of the root system in plants and is what your mushrooms will grow from. Through the mycelium, the mushrooms absorb nutrients from it’s environment.