Growing mushrooms in an enclosed space like a grow tent is a great way to get better control over your growing conditions. You can boost the humidity, which helps you produce larger, fresher mushrooms. There are plenty of grow tent options out there to choose from, this blog focuses mostly on a simple clear plastic tent that doesn’t need any electronics, fans, or lights—perfect for growing mushrooms on a budget, under $40!
More advanced growers - or anyone who loves tinkering with environmental controls - will find a hydroponic grow tent the top choice. Pair it with a fan, some lighting (aim for a 6500k colour spectrum with low intensity), a >>humidifier, and a humidity controller (like the >>Inkbird IHC-200), now you’ve got yourself a fully automated mushroom-growing setup right at home.
I’ve got another post here on >>how to build a mushroom fruiting chamber - this has lots of info that applies to setting up a hydroponic mushroom grow tent.
DIY Guide to Growing Cheap Mushrooms Indoors - Sporeshift Style
A thrilled customer shared photos of her straightforward home-style grow tent setup, which has delivered excellent results for her - so we asked if we could pass it along to everyone. This setup, costing under $40, is a perfect example of growing mushrooms affordably at home.
She took a basic mini greenhouse from Bunnings Warehouse and turned it into a neat indoor mushroom farm, using water trays to bump up the humidity. Adding some >>perlite to those trays will help with evaporation if you’re in a drier region of the country.
Oyster mushrooms need plenty of fresh air to grow properly, so leaving one zip open is a smart choice. Without sufficient airflow, they’ll produce small caps and long stems. With enough fresh air, you’ll get large caps and short stems - perfect for eating and boosting your yield. Keep a close eye on how your mushrooms are developing as adjustments can be made daily.
In this warm, humid environment, oysters can grow quickly, potentially doubling in size every 24 hours until they’re ready to harvest.
From this point, it’s best to let the mushroom grow kit work on its own—avoid touching or spraying water directly onto the mushrooms from here onward.
These mushrooms should be ready to harvest in 3-8 days, depending on the temperature. Warmer conditions will speed up growth, and oysters typically thrive between 10-30°C, depending on the species.
The simplest way to tell if oyster mushrooms are ready to harvest is by examining the cap edges. On a young mushroom, the outer edge of the cap is rounded; as it matures, this edge flattens out and becomes thinner.
Oyster mushrooms are ready to harvest when the cap edges are nearly flat or still slightly curved downward, just before they thin out too much and begin to curl upward. The mushrooms in this photo are at the perfect harvest stage
Harvest the mushrooms by firmly grasping the base of the cluster or individual mushroom and twisting until they detach from the grow kit. Larger clusters may require a bit more effort to twist off.
If you’re unsure whether they’re ready, it’s usually better to harvest earlier rather than later. Oyster mushrooms can release a large number of spores, creating a mess, and picking them before this happens ensures the best flavour and texture, which peak before spore release.
Sporeshift offers >> Pink, and Grey Oyster mushroom grow kits in ready to go form -- as well as >> DIY Kits they will all work well in this tent style of growing along with our entire beginner friendly Splash and Grow range which includes >> Shiitake, NZ Native Lions Mane and Turkey Tail options too.
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