Classic. Versatile. Ready in weeks. Keep the kit in a cool, shaded spot out of direct sunlight. Hydrate the casing soil and spread evenly, hold the moisture steady, and you are picking fresh white mushrooms within 16 to 24 days. The world's most widely eaten mushroom, grown on your own counter, fresher than anything on a shop shelf. Every box is hand-planted with nutritious pre-spawned compost on our family farm in Storrington, West Sussex, drawing on six generations of growing expertise. This is a casing-method kit. The compost arrives already spawned — you add the enclosed casing soil on top to trigger fruiting, which is what separates white and chestnut kits from the ready growing range, such as Oyster Kits. This kit produces a total yield of 1 to 1.5kg of fresh White mushrooms across 3 to 4 flushes over 5 to 7 weeks, with your first crop ready in 16 to 24 days. Explore our full range of Mushroom Kits for more types of mushrooms.

About the White Mushroom Growing Kit

White mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) are the most cultivated and most eaten mushroom in the world. The button mushroom in a supermarket punnet is the same species picked young; left to grow it becomes the open cup, and at full maturity the large flat mushrooms. Chestnut mushrooms are a brown-capped strain of the very same species, with a firmer texture and a nuttier flavour. Grow your own and you get them at the stage you want, picked the morning you cook them.

What's in the kit

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White mushrooms grow differently from oyster and our other kits, and the casing layer is the reason. Where an oyster kit fruits straight out of colonised substrate, Agaricus bisporus needs a thin top layer of casing soil to trigger pinning. The casing holds moisture against the mycelium and gives the pins a surface to form in. Get the casing damp and even, keep the kit cool and shaded, and the first mushrooms appear 16 to 24 days from setup.

Nothing beats the flavour of freshly picked mushrooms, and it's great fun watching them grow, children love them too. Each kit contains pre-spawned mycelium for White mushrooms and a top layer of casing compost. Once set up, all you need to do is spray daily with a mister to keep the compost moist and the mushrooms will develop. Once picked, more will follow, and each kit has enough for several weeks of cropping. Suitable for beginners and experts alike.

Mushrooms will continue to grow if left between 14 and 21°C, ideal for your kitchen or utility room. In daylight or darkness but not direct sunlight. Full growing advice is provided on the instruction leaflet and FAQ's are on our website with our contact details should you require guidance.

1. Rehydrate the casing soil

Add 100mls water into the bag of casing soil and let to soak in, work it with our hands to ensure even distribution.

2. Add the casing soil

Sprinkle the enclosed bag of casing soil evenly over the compost. This top layer is what tells the mushrooms to fruit. Rest the lid loosely back on for around 8 days.

3. Watch the whiteness

Check the casing each day. You will see white mycelium creep up into the casing layer. Remove the lid before that whiteness grows right across the surface, catching this moment matters. Leave the lid on too long and the mycelium overruns the casing instead of pinning.

4. Position the kit

Keep it somewhere cool and shaded between 14 and 21°C, a kitchen or utility room is ideal. Daylight or darkness both work; direct sunlight does not. White mushrooms do not need light to fruit, which sets them apart from the oyster kits.

5. Mist and maintain

Once the casing is exposed and pins begin to form, mist daily with a sprayer to keep the surface damp but never waterlogged. Pinheads swell into buttons over a few days. Pick by gripping the mushroom low and twisting gently to lift it cleanly, rather than cutting, so the bed is not disturbed.

6. Harvest and repeat

Pick white mushrooms at the size you want, from small button through to open cup. Each flush lasts a few days, then the bed rests and pushes the next. Expect 3 to 4 flushes over 5 to 7 weeks, with the first flush usually the heaviest.

Troubleshooting

How to grow White Button Mushrooms?

We have an in-depth White Mushroom Growing guide to help you along the way.

White Mushrooms in the Kitchen

White mushrooms are the most versatile mushroom in a British kitchen, eaten raw or cooked, and they take on whatever flavour you cook them in. Raw, they are mild and crisp in a salad. Cooked, they brown and deepen, releasing a savoury, slightly nutty flavour into stir-fries, risottos, soups, and sauces. Picked the same day you cook them, they hold more moisture and firmness than anything that has spent days in transit.

Slice or quarter them and cook hot in a dry or lightly oiled pan so the water cooks off before they steam. Salt at the end to keep them firm. They work in a risotto, a stir-fry, a stroganoff, on toast, or in a burger, our mushroom Swiss smash burger recipe puts them to good use. Because white and chestnut are the same species, the chestnut mushroom recipe ideas work equally well with your white crop.

Nutritional Profile per 100g (raw)

Can You Eat White Mushrooms Raw?

Yes. White mushrooms are one of the few cultivated mushrooms commonly eaten raw, sliced into salads or served as a snack. Most people still prefer them cooked, which softens the texture and deepens the flavour. More detail is on our blog, can you eat mushrooms raw.

Storage After Harvest

Keep fresh white mushrooms in a paper bag in the fridge, never sealed in plastic. They hold for several days. To keep a larger crop, slice and freeze them, ideally after a quick sauté, our guide on how to freeze mushrooms walks through the method. Alternatively they can also be dried

White Mushrooms: Frequently Asked Questions