From the Fields: Ian Garrone, Monterey County mushroom farmer

By Ian Garrone
Monterey County mushroom farmer

We are organic mushroom farmers specializing in exotic mushrooms. Our main farm is in Moss Landing, and we also have a farm in San Martin. We recently purchased land in Arroyo Grande to expand production. 

We’re currently in full production, harvesting just under 20,000 pounds of mushrooms each week. During the summer, we focus more on our warm-weather varieties, including pink oyster mushrooms, pioppino and cinnamon caps. We’re also seeing strong production from shiitake, lion’s mane and oyster mushrooms, which make up most of our production. 

In the winter, we usually reduce the number of varieties because most mushrooms prefer slightly warmer conditions to produce efficiently. Summer is typically a slower season for us. Consumer demand shifts toward lighter meals, and farmers markets are full of fresh fruits and vegetables, so mushroom sales naturally slow down. During this time, we shift more of our production into our value-added products, especially mushroom jerky. We also dry a significant amount of mushrooms so they can be sold later in the year. Historically, demand picks back up toward the end of August and becomes very strong during the fourth quarter and throughout the winter.

All our mushrooms begin in 5-pound bags of sawdust. Each bag is inoculated with mushroom spawn and then placed in an incubation room, where it remains anywhere from four weeks to as long as 13 weeks for shiitake mushrooms. Once incubation is complete, each variety has different environmental requirements. Humidity, temperature, airflow and carbon dioxide levels all influence how well a particular mushroom performs. 

Our woodier varieties tend to do better in smaller growing chambers, so we often grow them inside converted 20-foot shipping containers where we can better control the environment. We’re constantly learning how small adjustments can improve production. Even a 10% or 20% increase in production can translate into an additional quarter pound of mushrooms from each growing block, which adds up quickly across an entire week’s production.

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