Mushrooms-If I was healthy
A. Gross Income Projection
![](https://joyfulcatholics.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/mushroom-farming-s-2023-09-23-1024x791.png)
If I had the health to start a mushroom growing business, I would try these steps.
Choose to grow oyster mushrooms to begin with:
Oyster mushrooms retail for $10/lb fresh.
They grow on substrate of straw, which is cheap and easy to get.
They should be kept between 60-70 F which is manageable.
Can produce first harvest in just a month.
Before starting
Plan on getting 1.0 lbs/sq ft of growing area/month.
A 5 gallon bucket fills 4 square feet.
Industry norm is 25 lb/sq ft/yr = 2 lb/sq ft/month.
Planning on 1 lb/square foot/month allows for things going wrong.
Find and negotiate space in storage area behind a retail store
Four months rent free to get started
ASSUME rent of $20/sq ft/yr. Call it $2/sq ft of floor space/month.
ASSUME only half of floor space can hold islands (growing areas).
First Month
Buy or scrounge beginning supplies
Pallets, Styrofoam sheets, Plastic bags or sheets,
Tools, Bleach, Sealant/Paint, Straw or Wood, Spawn (Seeds)
Clear and clean space to the bare walls
Bleach everything and seal walls, ceiling, and floor
Put out rat and bug traps
Insulate walls with styrofoam as available
Build first island
4′ wide by 16′ long = 64 sq ft footprint
5 shelves/beds one foot high = 320 sq ft of growing area
Growing in beds, not in buckets
Build from pallets to get free wood
Guestimate need 22 pallets per island
Following months
Harvest and sell
Continue marketing
Build one island each month
Start paying rent at end of fourth month