Shiitake mushrooms are one of the easiest and most prolific, forgiving mushrooms to grow on logs for all skill levels, and a perfect mushroom for beginners. Shiitake are meaty and savory, hard to beat on flavor! Our best outdoor cold weather Shiitake strain, this superior and consistent strainproduces dark brown to blackish fruitbodies when temperatures fall in between 40-55F. Typically fruits after cold snaps, logs should be protected from freezing weather when fruiting, using blankets, or move logs indoors once triggered by cold shock. Fruits well on oak, sweetgum, poplar, and other hardwood species. Recommended for supplementing winter production in warmer climates or year- round in temperate climates and higher elevation locations. Not recommended for southern or tropical climates unless you have 1-2 months of winter to sustain cold shocks needed. This strain should also conversely be used as the bulk strain in colder climates, paired with our wide range strain.
Check out our blog posts on Growing Shiitake On Logs and How to Cultivate Shiitake Mushrooms!
| Edibility and Taste | Savory and Meaty |
| Grows On | Hardwood logs, oak, pecan, walnut, alder, sweet gum, maple, ironwood, hophorn beam, cherry, sycamore, tulip poplar, eucalyptus, chestnut, ash, birch, bitternut, willow. Avoid for shiitake: conifers, fruit trees, elm, hackberry, sassafras, soft maples (red and striped), dogwood, black locust, beech, hickory |
| Fruiting Temps | 40-55F |
| Availability | Year-Round |