We're headed west to Yuma to hold another of our Fundamentals of Small-Scale Mushroom Production workshops this April. The workshop will be held on ​April 20th from 1pm - 5pm. We'll discuss mushroom biology, the viability of the mushroom market, cultivation techniques, and even learn culture transfers and inoculation during the hands-on portion of the workshop. 

Registration is $20, which includes a colonized mushroom fruiting bag to grow at home, as well as a Pleurotus ostreatus (Blue Oyster Mushroom) culture! Register for the workshop by clicking here.

Email Thom with any questions. Hope to see you there!

We have been so excited by the interest generated by our last few workshops. Meeting folks in Tucson and Phoenix who have an infectious excitement about fungi and mushroom cultivation has really been inspiring. We've been revising our content to making our workshop even better and are ready to start taking to even further-flug reaches of Arizona. Our next workshop will be held in Yuma, with events in Phoenix, Show Low, and  Prescott to follow. We also have  two workshops planned for our home turf  here in Tucson. You'll find the list below.

Email Thom with any questions.

Each workshop begins at 1pm and runs until 5pm with the exception of the Show Low workshop, which runs from 12:00 noon until 4pm.

April 20
Yuma
Register Here.

April 27 
Phoenix
Register Here.

June 1st
​Show Low 
​Register Here.

June 29
Tucson
Register Here.

July 6
Flagstaff
Register Here.

August 10
Prescott
Register Here

August 31
Tucson
​Register Here.

​Past Workshops:

Tucson Mushroom Club
Tucson, AZ

Beginning Farmers Course 
Florence, AZ
​April 6th

CEAC (Controlled Environment Agriculture Center) Short Course Seminar, University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ
March  24th

Maricopa County Cooperative Extension Office
Phoenix, AZ
February 24th

Pima County Cooperative Extension Office
Tucson, AZ
January 13th

The mushroom show is about to hit the road! We will be taking "Fundamentals of Small Scale Mushroom Production" up to Maricopa County this month. It will be held at the Maricopa County Cooperative Extension Office on February 24th from 1 - 5pm. All the content from the Tucson workshop will be presented (see the flyer below for more info), and we'll even be bringing a Laminar Flow Hood for a  microbiological technique tutorial as well as a small, portable example of a fruiting shed. 

If you are interested in registering or have any questions, email mailto:tplasse@email.arizona.edu. We're looking forward to meeting all you Maricopa mushroom enthusiasts!

The Arizona Mushroom Growers Association is excited to announce  our first cultivation workshop!

"Fundamental of Small-Scale Mushroom Production" will be held on January 13th, 2016 from 1 - 5pm at Tucson Village Farm at the Pima County Cooperative Extension Office.  Presenting the workshop is  Dr. Barry Pryor of the University of Arizona's School of Plant Sciences, and Thom Plasse, Instructional Specialist at Tucson Village Farm.

Dr. Pryor is a plant pathologist with a strong interest in mycology and commercial mushroom cultivation. He also is the founder of the student-led MycoCats, who for three years have been recycling waste by turning it into mushrooms that feed the U of A student population. Thom Plasse has been an educator at Tucson Village Farm (TVF) since 2011, and leads up the mushroom production operation there. He also has been working with Dr. Pryor over the past year bolstering the MycoCats' mushroom production.

This workshop will equip participants with all of the knowledge needed to start up their own growing operation. We'll also be visiting TVF's small-scale fruiting shed and the MycoCats' hoophouse to get a first-hand look at different models and scales of production. Topics covered at the workshop will include:

- Mushroom biology
- Culture techniques
- Spawning
- Inoculation
- Appropriate substrate materials
- Arizona-friendly mushroom varieties
- Necessary facilities and equipment
- Sources of strains and spawn
- Troubleshooting common cultivation problems
- Economic viability of mushroom cultivation in Arizona
- Fruiting mushrooms simply at home

In addition to all this valuable info, participants will leave the workshop with a fully-colonized, ready-to-fruit bag of Pleurotus (Oyster mushroom) mycelium that will produce mushrooms at home.

The cost of the workshop is $20. Payment will be received on the day of the workshop - cash or check.

To register, email Thom at tplasse@email.arizona.edu and he will add you to the list. Hope to see you there!