Saturday 10 – Sunday 11 May 2025
The two-day course runs from 9.30am to 5pm in Brighton
Learn about mushroom growing on this two day hands-on course. You will be able to take home a shiitake inoculated log and oyster mushroom inoculated straw.
What will the Mushroom cultivation course cover?
The course introduces the wonderful world of fungi. Learn what a significant role fungi play in the cycles of life and how they enhance the environment. Hands-on practical activities will give participants skills in several ways of cultivating mushrooms suitable for small spaces. We will look at how to integrate fungi into Permaculture systems in gardens, small holdings & farms.
The course will cover the following:
- Introduction to fungi and cultivated species
- The essentials of cultivating any mushroom species
- The specifics of growing shiitake mushrooms on logs (practical), including selection of logs, inoculation, waxing, spawn run, the harvesting cycle, shocking, fruiting and resting, and pests and diseases
- The specifics of growing oyster mushrooms on substrate bags (practical), including selection of substrate, inoculation, spawn run, the harvesting cycle, and pests and diseases
- Inoculating lawns and mulch beds with mushrooms like Morels, Shaggy Ink Caps and King Strapharia
- Domestic and small scale production of gourmet mushrooms
- Contacts and references
Please note that it may be difficult to take home both a mushroom log and oyster mushroom bag if you are travelling by public transport.
Who is the Mushroom cultivation course for?
The course is open to anyone over the age of 16 and no prior knowledge is necessary.
The practical element of the course involves very basic woodwork, carried out in pairs, and is not strenuous.
Brighton Permaculture Trust aims to meet the needs of participants with physical disabilities and leaning difficulties. If you have any issues which you feel may affect your ability to attend or participate in this course, please contact us to discuss them prior to booking.
Learning methods and outcomes
A discussion about what participants want from the course will be followed by talks and slide presentations. However, half the course will be devoted to practical hands-on experience with guidance from the tutor. By the end of the course, participants will have the information and skills necessary to cultivate a few types of mushrooms in several ways.
Course tutor
Bill Knight used to be a civil engineer until he discovered designing for sustainability and got into Permaculture. Since 1997 he has been living and working at Keveral Farm in Cornwall where he is a member of the workers’ co-operative which manages the farmland helping work on the veggie box scheme, running Permaculture courses, farming organic fruit and veg on 10 acres and growing gourmet mushrooms to sell to box customers, restaurants and shops. Bill is also a sustainability consultant working with local authorities and social enterprises. In his spare time he likes to forage in the woods.
Venue/Accommodation
Brighton – venue to be confirmed
Sussex
South East England
If you intend to book accommodation, please check availability before booking a place, as accommodation in Brighton can be hard to find, especially over the summer months.
Get details on local accommodation and Brighton Permaculture Trust supporters who can provide accommodation in their homes.
What does this course lead on to?
This short specialist course is not accredited and does not lead on directly to any other courses.
Recommended reading
No reading is required prior to the course. The text listed here is a recommendation only:
- Mycelium Running by Paul Stamets
Fees
Fees include tuition, refreshments, handouts and information sheets.
- £275 – Sponsored/organisation rate
- £275 – Individual income more than 25k/yr
- £235 – Individual income 18-25k/yr
- £195 – Individual income less than 18k/yr
- £155 – Individual, concessionary rate (check eligibility)
We endeavour to make our courses and events affordable to all. Unfortunately, we do not receive any external funding for most of these and rely on large amounts of voluntary input.
See the cancellations and refunds policy.
Booking the Mushroom cultivation course
Booking is essential, as most of our courses/events are fully booked weeks in advance. However, if places are still available, then bookings can be made until midday the day before the course/event.
If you have completed the booking process but you haven’t received a confirmation email from us please contact us to check your booking has gone through.
If you are booking within two weeks of the event, or the event is nearly full, you will not have the option to pay by BACS. Instead, you will need to pay immediately using a credit/debit card or PayPal.
Book the 10-11 May 2025 course
*If the course is fully booked please get in touch via the Make an Enquiry button at the bottom of this page to be added to the waiting list.