Out with the old and in with the new. What do you do with old mushroom logs?
Spent mushroom logs make great garden bed borders. Used correctly, they can keep weeds out and good soil in. Old logs can also hold moisture and nutrients for the soil over a long period of time.
Selecting Spent Logs
Depending upon what kind of wood was used, Shiitake logs can continue to produce mushrooms for up to five years. Once the mushrooms have used most of the log’s nutrients available to them, the log feels light and soft. Other second level decomposers can begin to move in along with the termites and beetles.
It is a good idea to remove these infested (biodiverse) logs from the stack. But what to do with them?
What To Do With Spent Logs
Some shiitake operations further north heat their greenhouses at night with woodfire stoves burning old, spent mushroom logs.
Usually, Arkansas winters are not so cold. This year we lost our heat in a blizzard and I almost had to start burning shiitake logs to stay warm. Luckily, our wood stores held out.
This year marks the fifth year since we’ve started inoculating our own mushroom logs every February. I was more focused on planting a garden than inoculating mushroom logs. Natural weed barriers are needed in my yard. Bermuda grass. Enough said. Maybe some old logs would do to keep the weeds out and my soil in.
I had lots of logs to choose from . Wanting to keep the newer logs clean, I selected lighter logs with the bark falling off.
These old logs are the perfect backyard resource to shape up one side of my little garden beds. Hopefully the wood will provide enough support to keep the soil from washing away. The spring rains will test this.
A Few Weeks Later
We have radishes and lettuce leafing out over these logs, no mushrooms yet but the conditions aren’t quite right. I hope the remaining mycelium will love the added moisture. They are partially covered by soil, leaf mulch, and radish leaves. Plus they are sure to be watered every other day.
Good Knight Mushrooms 