Fascinated by fungi? Or ever marvelled at the mysteries of mushrooms? Do you have a garden, allotment or small holding? Then this course is for you!

Fungi are a delicious and important source of protein that can be produced in many different ways. This one-day course will explore some fo the simplest techniques that can be used to successfully grow edible and medicnal mushrooms in almost any outdoor space.

Starting out with a short introduction to fungal biology and ecology, we will explore how incredibly strange and important this hidden Kingdom of Fungi is, to ourselves and all life on Earth. Once we’ve established an understanding of what fungi are and how they live, we will then work practically with several lo-tech outdoor growing techniques that can be applied to produce a range of delicious edible fungi in any garden or allotment. 

Focusing on low-input and nature friendly approaches, we will also identify how these techniques can be integrated with other growing systems to increase productivity, improve soils and support biodiversity.

The course will cover:
• A short introduction to the biology, life cycles and ecology of fungi
• Growing fungi in ground level and raised bed systems
• Log cultivation and natural culture techniques
• Choice species of edible and medicinal fungi
• Straw cultivation
• Barrel cultivation
• Site selection and observations
• Choosing and grading substrate
• Irrigation, care and maintenance

This course is open to anyone with an interest in fungi and is suitable for total beginners, through to those who have some experience but would like to learn better techniques.

Comments from previous participants:

“This has been a seriously interesting course and I feel like I’ve opened the door to a fascinating world that I knew very little about before. Rich used very accessible language and teaching styles which were greatly appreciated.”

“Excellent delivery from an extremely knowledgeable tutor. Interesting and fun! The weekend of learning has been inspiring and has held my attention from start to finish.”

Terms and conditions: Please note that refunds will only be able to be made if requested 14 days prior to the event date or earlier, refunds will not be available after this time. Refunds if requested will be returned minus the Billetto booking fee.