Shiitake: How to…

Choose the right site

In an ideal situation, you will have a northeastern facing site with running water in close proximity. The area will have a border of Pine trees surrounding it and a few within. There should be only minimal direct light coming through at anytime. It should not be dark though, but enough light to see what you are doing. The land should be fairly level and optimally it will have an easily accessible barn (building) that is situated in the center or on the periphery. Of course, there should be a road that pulls right up to the barn. Inside the barn there should be a walk in refrigerator that can store this weeks harvested mushrooms and possibly the spawn used for inoculations, there should also be a wash station.

I have yet to see a farm that has all these elements. Truly the most critical element is water, unless you plan to let the mushroom fruit when ever it pleases. That being the case, you should be creative with what you have. I have virtually no flat ground, so I use the hill sides, and many of them are very steep. At the base of the hill, I level what ground I can with a shovel and I use rocks and locust logs to make more of the lower area of the hill usable. For the steeper portions, I use the stair stack method (one log lying horizontally across the hill, then 3 logs laying across the left end, middle and right end of the log, building a stair pattern uphill as you go). However, this method is a pain in butt if you are actively managing the logs. This method is best used with logs that aren’t forced.

On the flatter ground, I prefer to use the log cabin stack, ideally on a pallet. I try to stack about 40 logs to each one, since that is the number of logs each soak tank can handle. In my site I have my logs resting to the south of my soak tanks which is just south of my makeshift fruiting facility. For me, it helps to keep things in a direct order. My newly inoculated logs are kept at the southern most end of my log yard, as they won’t be productive for at least a year. When they show signs of being ready, I will then incorporate them into the soaking schedule and the resting yard.

With regards to inoculation, I tend to inoculate the logs in the center of the area that I will be having the logs incubate at (one side for fall inoculations and the other side for spring inoculations). I find that having the logs cut and ready to go (a weeks worth at a time) next to the inoculating table is very beneficial. I start the stacks at the far end and close myself into the center. Keep in mind that each stack takes up space that is approximately 4’x4’ plus a bit of room on each side to walk around it, so if you are planning to do 400 logs, then an area of at least 640 square feet is needed plus adequate walking space.

Ultimately, you will want an area that is sheltered from the wind, protected from direct sun, and has access to clean running water. Moving logs around is a pain, but the effort put into a properly laid out log yard will reduce redundant lifting and excessive carrying. If you have to move logs further than 50’ feet by hand, you should consider rearranging your log yard or get a pallet mover or a tractor to move those logs.

Keep in mind that you will occasionally lose logs to contamination. I keep a separate area, far removed from the main yard, for these “bad boys”. I know that they still produce shiitake, but I also know that they will further infect other logs, so I keep them away, downwind and downstream. Since they are still producing shiitake, I tolerate them, but sooner or later they will cease to produce and then I will use them firewood. Many people do not remove these logs from their site; however, they do so at their own risk. It’s much easier to remove them at soon as they are noticed then to try to repel a contamination after is well established in the log yard. This mistake can and has led to complete log failures in extreme circumstances.

If you still have doubts as to whether your farm is suitable, or if you just need help, give us a call. We would love to come over and help you get started correctly.