The Essential Guide to Cultivating Mushrooms: Simple and Advanced Techniques for Growing Shiitake, Oyster, Lion's Mane, and Maitake Mushrooms at Home

A fantastic book for first time cultivators. It's an easy read, has great step-by-step tutorials with pictures, and contains a wealth of knowledge. I've already recommended this book to several others as it has assisted me extraordinarily in my mushroom cultivation pursuits! There have been a few times where I've needed to delve a little deeper into certain methods explained in this book but I give it 5 out of 5 stars! Thanks for a great guidebook!

Very easy to read and understand Gives you a good general knowledge to grow on

This book is easy to read & understand. Most of the recipes & instructions are good, but some of them don't quite work like he says they will. I do think it is still a great book for beginners b/c it gives ideas of alternative grains & substrates that are easier to find & cheaper than some of the traditional ones. He also gives instructions for people who are just starting out & can't afford all the expensive equipment, like he tells how to make a glove box to use for a sterile environment for innoculation instead of an expensive flow hood. I refer to this book a lot while experimenting w/ growing mushrooms.

I was getting frustrated listening to all of the conflicting suggestions on social media. This book answered most of my questions. It is a very easy read with nice illustrations. I highly recommend this book.

I'm only on Chapter 1 where Stephen Russell endorses getting to know the growing process and recommends purchasing ready-made kits. He says kits allow you to learn without much investment. The advantage here is no worry about knowing advance procedures until you have decided to commit. My kit arrives tomorrow. I'm all in.

This book covers the basics of mushroom cultivation in a clear and accessible way, with thorough photographic illustrations. It's a great starter volume for anyone who might be interested in advancing beyond the prepared kits (or is wondering what to do with the leftover spawn after the kit has finished fruiting). The printing and paper quality feel good, the book is a nice intermediate size. For a book of technical instructions I actually found it quite enjoyable to read.

Got it to educate myself as a total newb to mushroom cultivation. For a beginner wanting to start doing some growing at home, it is excellent. Easy rid, gives you the basics, and a good base before possibly going into more detailed/advanced books.

This is a superb book for those looking to move up a level in cultivation - it is arranged progressively, with very clear instructions and images.

A detailed overview of all the required information to grow your own mushrooms. The author shows do-it-yourself techniques for building many of the essential tools for a successful operation. Every step is supporte4d by photographs of the stage or equipment. Anyone seriously looking at growing mushrooms from culture through to harvest.

This is great book to learn how to cultivate mushrooms. I have purchased Tradd Cotter's book before. Tradd Cotter does great job describing various mushrooms and methods of cultivation. Stephen Russell starts where Tradd Cotter stops. He focus on indoor growth and explain all procedures in deepth. For example, if one wants to cultivate mushrooms in wooden logs and is willing to purchase wooden plugs from local supplier, that Tradd Cotter's book is perfect. However, if one wants to inocculate wooden plugs (or grain) by himself, Stephen Russel's book is great manual. For example, it describes how to create laminar hood system. This book may not be the first book that you want to buy to learn more regarding mushroom cultivation. But it is great second book (or the first one if you have done your internet research before).

Ce livre complète et reformule ce que Stephen Russel appelle l'Ancien et le Nouveau Testaments, c'est à dire les ouvrages de référence de Paul Stamets. Sous la forme d'un guide, l'auteur présente ici une approche pratique, abondamment illustrée, et présente sous la forme de FAQ les points critiques à chaque étape. D'une écriture très fluide, il se lit facilement, et le vocabulaire technique est systématiquement défini et reformulé pour faciliter encore la compréhension. Cet ouvrage me semble indispensable pour un débutant comme moi, à lire avant de commencer toute manip' ! J'apprécie enfin le choix de Stephen Russel de se concentrer sur la culture des espèces comestibles, sans pour autant occulter la contribution des cultivateurs de psilos.

I really enjoyed the book. It is a go-to book for amateurs.

Molto utile e chiaro per i principianti. Metodi dettagliati e foto a colori per illustrare i processi. Libro molto ben fatto, consigliato a chiunque sappia leggere l'inglese e voglia imparare dalle basi la coltivazione dei funghi!