Whenever I go hiking at Skylands, my home in Maine, or in the woodlands of my Bedford, New York farm, I always enjoy discovering and identifying all the different types of wild mushrooms that may be growing along the way.
A mushroom is the fleshy spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus. Fungus thrives in moist areas and loves growing on decaying wood. While many may try to eradicate mushrooms from their lawns, they are an important part of the forest ecosystem. Because they live off of decaying plant matter, fungus breaks down and disposes of fallen tree branches, leaves, and even animals. It also digests rock particles and other organic matter in the soil, so new plants can grow. Earlier this year, I received mushroom growing kits from 2FUNGUYS - an Atlanta, Georgia company that sells mushroom growing spawn plugs, inoculated logs, and complete starter growing kits. The process of growing mushrooms is very interesting, and very different from growing other crops, so I decided to grow some here at the farm.
Enjoy these photos and remember, never eat any mushroom you cannot clearly identify.
One way to grow one’s own mushrooms is to inoculate logs with mushroom plugs. Last March, Pete from my outdoor grounds crew went into the woodland for just the right trees. I hate to take down any trees, but he only looked for those that were growing too close to other more robust trees, those that were not growing well, or trees that were broken and needed to be removed. The best kind of wood to use for mushrooms is deciduous hardwood, such as oak, beech, willow, birch, elm, and poplar.
The logs used should also be the right size – four to 10 inches in diameter…
… and about two to five feet long. Pete cut them all to the same size.
The best time to cut the fresh logs is during the fall or winter, when their leaves have fallen and their sugar concentration is highest. After they are cut, they are left to rest for a few weeks.
The logs are then brought to an area tucked behind some trees and stacked securely for mushroom growing. It’s important that the logs used are clean and free of rot. These are stacked in a loose crib formation.
Some of the logs were also “planted” upright, another way to stack logs for mushrooms. Pete is digging the hole for the upright logs. Logs can also be stacked in a loose lean-to or upright A-frame structure.
Pete dug holes for six upright logs.
Here is our mushroom garden. On average, a mushroom log will produce for one year per inch of diameter of the log. Hopefully these will be very productive.
Our mushroom spawn plugs came in kits – one for oyster mushrooms, Pleurotus ostreatus, one of the more commonly sought wild mushrooms; lion’s mane mushrooms, Hericium erinaceus, those big, white mushrooms from the tooth fungus family that grow on woody tree trunks; and, shiitake mushrooms, Lentinus edodes, another popular mushroom renowned for its unique and savory flavor.
Each kit contains a hundred mushroom spawn plugs, an appropriate sized drill bit, tags, daubers, wax, and a complete instruction card.
Ryan starts by melting the wax. The wax will be used for sealing the plug into the log.
Once it is melted down, it is brought to the mushroom log site.
Meanwhile, Brian drills the holes in the logs. Using a 5/16-inch bit, he drills holes two-inches from one end of the log, spacing them several inches apart until he has reached the opposite end.
He does this on all the upright logs as well as those positioned horizontally.
This is what the log looks like after it is drilled – holes are around the entire girth of each log.
The holes should be about an inch and a quarter deep – deep enough for the mushroom plug to fit flush inside the hole.
These are organic mushroom plugs – each filled with pure mushroom mycelium.
Ryan takes each plug and inserts it into the hole and using a mallet, taps it until the plug is flush.
The plug should be very snug.
Next, using the dauber dipped into the melted wax, Ryan dabs the plug until it is completely covered and sealed.
This is a well covered spawn plug. It is important to make sure the inoculated logs are also well-watered twice per week to maintain the moisture levels. Mycelium are living organisms, so if the logs completely dry out, the mycelium will die. Our log stacks will be kept uncovered, where they are exposed and have access to rainwater.
Here is a log all done. We should have our first fruiting in about nine to 12 months – I can’t wait. If you’re looking for a wonderful family project, consider growing mushrooms. And go to the 2FUNGUYS.com for more information.
Here at the farm, the sunflowers are in bloom with their big daisy-like faces and brightly colored petals - it's always a very welcomed sight.
If you recall, my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, planted our sunflowers, Helianthus, in late June. They were planted in the center bed of my new vegetable garden. Sunflowers are the popular and cheerful annuals whose giant, round flower heads look like the sun. They come in vibrant yellow, but they're also seen in various shades of orange, red, bronze, and even white.
Enjoy these photos.
In late June, when we were still planting our first crops in the new vegetable garden, Ryan and I decided it would be nice to plant the sunflowers in this long center bed. We knew they would grow excellently here, but also provide a lovely selection of giant flowers for all to see.
For planting the large sunflower seeds, Ryan used this rolling dibbler available at Johnny’s Selected Seeds. It comes in single form like this one or with multiple wheels. It allows one to create evenly spaced impressions in the soil for accurate transplanting.
Sunflower seeds are normally black with white stripes and approximately five eighths of an inch long. The heavy hull accounts for approximately half the weight of the seed and is loosely fixed around the kernel inside.
Ryan planted one seed into each hole. Sunflowers grow quickly. Many can grow 12 feet in only three months. With the proper growing conditions, sunflowers should reach maturity in 70 to 100 days after planting.
Here is one just beginning to open.
And now, many of the flowers are in full bloom. Sunflowers commonly bloom during summer and a portion of fall.
Young sunflowers turn to face the sun as it moves across the sky. They face east at dawn and then slowly turn west as the sun moves. During the night, they slowly turn back east to begin the cycle again. This is known as heliotropism and is due to the presence of auxin, a growth hormone in the stem. This process continues until the sunflower is mature.
Sunflower is the only flower with flower in its name. “Helia” for sun and “anthus” for flower. Sunflowers are also the symbol of faith, loyalty and adoration. Sunflowers have different colored petals, but their centers also vary in different shades. The center of this sunflower is a light colored yellow and green.
Sunflowers are among the most popular of annuals. They have grown even more popular in the last couple of years because of the support for Ukraine. The sunflower is Ukraine’s national flower. It is also the state flower of Kansas here in the US.
We planted many classic yellow sunflowers as well as the more unusual bronze to red colored sunflowers. All of them look so pretty in the garden.
This bright yellow sunflower has long thin petals and a smaller center than other varieties.
Sunflowers produce a huge amount of pollen and nectar making so many pollinators very happy. Pollen from sunflowers has been found to boost the immune systems of both bumbles bees and honey bees.
Each sunflower is actually thousands of tiny flowers. The center of the sunflower is filled with disc florets, the flowers in the middle that contain male and female reproductive organs and mature into fruit and seed.
Around the disc florets are the ray florets or the sterile florets on the outside. Each sunflower can contain as many as 1,000 to 2,000 seeds.
The sunflower’s leaves are large, arranged alternately along the stem when mature. They have serrated margins, and are triangular to heart-shaped and can grow up to 12 inches in length.
A common sunflower stem is sturdy and covered in coarse hairs. Sunflowers also have long tap roots that need to stretch out, so the plants prefer well-dug, loose, well-draining soil.
Here are three mature sunflowers all facing east. They often face the rising sun because increased morning warmth attracts more bees and helps the plants reproduce more efficiently.
Tall sunflower varieties can usually grow up to 15 feet tall. The height of a sunflowers depends on its variety. Some dwarf sunflowers only grow to be about three feet tall and the tallest recorded sunflower was more than 30 feet.
One can plant annual sunflowers in almost every plant hardiness zone as long as it is in full sun. Sunflowers usually stay in bloom for about three weeks, sometimes even four. In this garden, with its nutrient-rich soil, I’m hoping these pretty flowers last even longer… we’ll see.
My garden maze here at my Bedford, New York farm now includes three weeping camperdown elm trees, Ulmus glabra 'Camperdownii.'
As many of you know, I am in the process of building a living maze, a botanical puzzle of interesting trees, hedges, espaliers, and shrubs. I started this three-acre maze project in the spring of last year, and it's already beginning to stump some of those who stroll through its pathways. Some of the other specimens include European beech, European hornbeams, boxwood, parrotias, espaliered apple trees, American sweetgums, barberry, London planetrees, privets, yews, and now these camperdown elms.
Enjoy these photos.
Just outside the kitchen to my Winter House, I have two of these weeping camperdown Elms. Camperdown elms slowly develop broad, flat heads and wide crowns with weeping branch habits that grow down towards the ground. This is how it looks in spring.
The tree’s seed pods are a light, silver green. This photo was taken in late April.
This is what it looks like now in summer. This is one of three young weeping camperdown elms to plant in this area of the maze.
I also have weeping camperdown elms in front of my maine greenhouse. Here is a more mature specimen in summer.
Its leaves are dark green, oval or egg-shaped with a pointed tip. The leaf has double-serrated leaf margins. Since it is deciduous, it will shed all its leaves in winter.
The bark of the camperdown elm is grayish. When it matures, it will have a darker colored bark and a more twisted form.
Once Chhiring marks the exact locations for the trees, the digging begins. Chhiring maneuvers our Kubota M62 tractor loader and backhoe to dig a hole for each camperdown elm.
Backhoes are extremely versatile. I am fortunate to have this attachment for our tractor. Backhoes come with a bucket and digging arm that can perform many different tasks, such as digging, moving materials. We use it very often here at the farm.
Camperdown elms prefer partial to full sun, but will also grow in light shade. The maze is a perfect environment for these trees.
After all the holes are dug, Chhiring uses landscaping twine to make sure the trees will be aligned properly. When choosing trees or plants, be sure to consider the size of the specimens when they are mature.
Here, Chhiring manually digs a bit more soil out of the hole. The rule of thumb when planting a tree is to dig the hole two or three times as wide as and no deeper than the bottom of the rootball to the trunk flare. The flare of the tree should be at or slightly above the soil grade. Remember, planting a tree too deep can kill it.
These camperdown elms were stored and nurtured at Skylands, my home in Maine. They were planted in pots, so there is no wrapping to remove or wire cages. Here, Chhiring pulls out the tree and exposes the rootball.
Next, he scarifies the rootball. When a tree has been growing in a container and the roots have reached the sides of the container, it’s important to scarify or tease the roots to stimulate growth.
Chhiring uses the end of his pruners to rough up the surface of the rootball on all sides and on the bottom.
Then he slowly and carefully rolls the tree into the hole. The twine is where the trunk of the tree should be.
This task takes a few minutes to get into the perfect position. Once it is placed, Chhiring checks that the trunk is straight and that the best side of the tree is facing the path.
Then he gives it a generous sprinkling of fertilizer specially made for transplanting.
He sprinkles fertilizer on the rootball and on the surrounding soil.
The camperdown elm is now ready to be backfilled. He does this manually to ensure it is done to the right depth. Once he is finished, he steps on the soil, so it has good contact with the rootball.
Chhiring does the same for all the camperdowns. Later, I may decide to plant some bulbs underneath the canopies.
Lastly, the tree pits are top-dressed with a two inch layer of composted mulch and given a thorough drink. These deciduous top-grafted weeping ornamental trees will ultimately reach a mature height of 15 to 20 feet with a spread of 20 to 30 feet – they all have ample room to grow and flourish here in my maze.
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