NOTE: Workshop bookings will open when a date is set for spring 2026. If you would like to be notified about this, email us at info@mycologic.nz and we will let you know when bookings are open, or you can select a back in stock notification on this page!
 
Hosted by MycoLogic's founder and head technician Bart Acres, this interactive and hands-on workshop will give you all of the foundational knowledge you need to begin successfully growing consistent crops of gourmet mushrooms at home. 
 
Bart has been running mushroom cultivation workshops for many years and continually refined and developed the format to give a great learning experience for people who want to learn about mushrooms and how to grow them. 
 
WHY: Learning how to grow your own mushrooms at home is a great way to
Eat the freshest and most delicious mushrooms around. Grown right on your own property and picked at the perfect moment
Save money. Growing your own gourmet mushrooms works out much cheaper than buying them from the shops, and you can grow varieties that are rarely or never found for sale. 
Diversify your diet. Mushrooms are a great source of home grown protein along with other nutrients and beneficial compounds (many of which are proven to have medicinal and health benefits). 
Grow in the off season. Mushrooms will often fruit at times of year when there is not much else growing in the garden. It's always nice to cook something home grown.
Learn a new skill. The biology and life cycle of mushrooms is fascinating, and learning to cultivate them is a rewarding process.
 
WHERE: The Valley Project Community Rooms
                   262 North Road, Dunedin 
                   (on the grounds of NEV Normal School) 
 
WHEN: 
Sunday 17th May 12 noon till 3.30pm 
 
WHAT: This workshop is guided by Bart Acres, former director of Shadow Gourmet Mushroom Company and founder of MycoLogic who has over two decades of mushroom cultivation experience both at the hobby and commercial scale. 
 
The workshop will consist of a theory session, whereby you will get to learn all about the life cycle of mushrooms, how they grow, and how to cultivate them. 
 
We will have an afternoon tea break with snacks and coffee/tea provided. Bart is known to on occasion even cook up a few mushrooms!
 
This will be followed by a hands-on demonstration of making both sawdust blocks (quick yield of mushrooms within a month of making the block / bucket) as well as how to inoculate wood logs with mushroom cultures (takes longer for them to fruit but they will then fruit for several years after that). We will also cover how to create outdoor woodchip beds of selected species in your garden. 
 
The workshop covers a wide range of species that can be cultivated at home including oyster mushrooms as well as a selection of other native edible and medicinal fungi. 
 
WHAT YOU GET TO TAKE HOME:
An oyster mushroom grow block / bucket inoculated with mushroom culture ($40 value)
A wood log inoculated with oyster or shiitake mushroom culture ($40 value)
All the skills and info you need to continue growing your own mushrooms at home for years to come!
 
You can also purchase MycoLogic products at a reduced price at the workshop. An assortment of items will be brought along, and specific orders can be made in advance if you know what you want ahead of time. Anything from our website can be pre-ordered and will have plenty of copies of my book, and some packs of mushroom dowels and spawn there on the day. Cash preferred for the sake of simplicity! 
 
In light of current economic conditions we have decided to offer this workshop at a reduced price - and you can rest assured that you will be getting great value for money!
 
WASTE REDUCTION OPTION:
For the sawdust blocks part of the course, we will be using filter patch bags to fill with substrate, which are a single use plastic (recyclable after if washed via soft plastics recycling). If you would prefer to go with a zero waste option, please bring your own clean (or new) food grade 5 to 10 litre (maximum) plastic pail (with lid) which we can modify during the course into a re-usable mushroom growing container which can be used time and time again using the skills you have learned at the workshop. 
 
We ask that if you have cold or flu like symptoms or are feeling unwell that you do not attend the workshop as a covid-19 precaution. If this is the case please notify us as soon as possible via email info@mycologic.nz

If you have any further questions about this workshop please contact us
 
NOTE: Please proceed through shopping cart as usual - don't worry about the shipping fee as it will be $0.00 
 
Spaces are limited for these workshops and book out fast. Spaces will automatically become unavailable on the ordering system when each workshop is full. If you miss out on a spot and want to be on the wait list for next workshops (Spring 2026) email us and we will add you to the list.