Day-by-Day Timelines

Why the timeline matters

Most first-time growers check their block every day, which is stressful and not especially useful. A mushroom block does not change much in 24 hours. Knowing what to expect lets you check on a schedule instead, and stops you from making decisions - like cutting too early - based on impatience.

Pink Oyster: 18-24 days outdoors

This is our outdoor block. Set on a damp garden bed and covered by a normal garden situation, it is the fastest and most forgiving of our kits.

Day 0 - Plant it

Tear the bag open along the side, set the block on prepared soil, and cover it with about 2cm of soil or a thin layer of mulch. Leave the top of the block exposed. Water the bed so the soil is damp, not wet.

Day 3-5 - Primordia

Look for small white bumps on the exposed top of the block. They look like tiny cauliflower. If you are outdoors, they appear after rain or a good watering. Ignore any that appear on the buried sides.

Day 7-12 - The flush

Pins expand into a full cluster. Stems stretch and the caps flatten and blush pink from the centre outwards. This is the fastest part of the timeline - the cluster can double in size in 48 hours.

Day 14-18 - Harvest

Harvest when the cap edges are still slightly curled under and the underside has just started to show gill structure. Pink Oyster is best eaten fresh, but it also holds up well in a hot pan because of its firm texture.

Day 18-35 - Second flush

Cut the cluster at the base. Leave the block, keep the bed damp, and it will fruit again. The second flush is usually about half the size of the first.

Lion's Mane: 25-30 days indoors

Lion's Mane is slower and wants more humidity than Pink Oyster. It is a countertop kit.

Day 0 - Unwrap and bag

Remove the outer lid, but keep the block inside its mycelium bag with the filter patch. Put the whole thing into the humidity bag, or into a clear tub with a loose lid, and leave it somewhere with indirect light.

Day 5-10 - Primordia

You will see small white nubs forming through or around the opening. Unlike Pink Oyster, Lion's Mane fruits from the sides of the block as well as the top, so it often appears around the edges of the bag.

Day 14-22 - The flush

The cluster grows as a single cascading mass of short, stubby spines. It expands slowly compared with an oyster. Keep the humidity high and resist opening the container - every opening lets the humidity drop.

Day 22-28 - Harvest

Cut the cluster at the base when the spines are about 1.5cm long and the surface is still slightly wet. Lion's Mane is best when it is firm and bright white. Yellowing at the tips means it has sat too long, which is harmless but reduces the texture.

Day 28-40 - Second flush

Water the block, reseal it, and it will give a smaller second flush over the following week or so.

Shiitake: 21-28 days indoors

Shiitake is the most demanding of the three and the most rewarding when it works.

Day 0 - Cold and covered

Shiitake blocks benefit from a cold shock. Keep it in the fridge for 48 hours after it arrives, then move it to room temperature. This mimics autumn and is what triggers pinning.

Day 7-14 - Primordia

Pins form on the scored surface. They stay small for a long time - this is normal for Shiitake and where most growers give up too early.

Day 16-24 - The flush

The caps push out and crack. Shiitake caps should be left to fully flatten and open, and the veil will tear naturally as they do.

Day 21-28 - Harvest

Twist and pull rather than cutting - the stems of Shiitake are fragile and snap cleanly at the base. The gills should be visible and the caps fully open.

What to do when the timeline slips

A few days either way is normal and driven mostly by temperature. Two weeks late means something is wrong. Work through the checklist in this order: humidity first, then temperature stability, then fresh air, then light. In our experience it is humidity nine times out of ten.