It's week one of The Mushroom Diaries and Louis had great fun this morning, putting the mushroom compost into its box. It's mucky and a bit smelly, but that didn't bother him.
Then it was time to cover the compost with the peat mixture. Still mucky, but not quite as smelly.
The hard part was squirting a whole litre of water through a flower spray over the peat mixture. It took ages. So Louis had to have a biscuit, to build up his energy half way through.
Then the box lid went on top and it all went in the kitchen cupboard.
We get to look at it again and water it on Friday.
Week Two
The First Signs Of Life
The first signs of life have appeared in our mushroom box!
This fine white fungus is the start of mushrooms - their equivalent of seedlings.
It's a good sign that the mushroom compost is alive and well and doing it's job.
It also means that our first mushrooms are just a week or two away.
So it's time to keep watering and check every few days for tiny, baby mushrooms!
Week Three
A Monster Mushroom!
Our 12cm mushroom!
The gills on the sides mean this one needs eating soon
I don't know, you tend your mushrooms with loving care, waiting patiently for them to do their stuff. Then you go away for a few days and a monster has arrvied!
This is really early for a mushroom kit, but we've already got a fungus that fancies itself as a giant puffball!
But seeing how mushrooms double in size every day, it's not really a big surprise that it's grown so large, so quickly.
We'll be picking this one this afternoon and Louis will help me cook it.
Here's to lots more mushrooms next week.
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