The present invention relates to a device for growing mushrooms, including beds for holding compost and a shelving arranged for supporting the beds for holding compost. The beds are placed at a mutual distance above each other. The beds are movable between at least a first position, wherein a second bed supported above a first bed at least partially impedes the accessibility of the first bed in a direction perpendicular to the plane in which the first bed extends, and a second position in which at least a larger part of the first bed is free approachable from a direction perpendicular to the plane in which the first bed extends than in the first position. The shelving includes at least one portal. The portal includes at least two essentially vertical stands connected by at least one beam that extends from a first stand to the second stand. At least two beds are movably supported by the at least one beam.

A monokaryotic mycelium sheet producing system for creating a sheet of monokaryotic mycelial material. The mycelium sheet producing system includes a culture unit, a spore stock unit, a plating unit, a section unit, a sub-plating unit, an expanding unit and a colonization unit. The culture unit prepares a monokaryon culture. The spore stock unit grows a plurality of fruit bodies in sterile laboratory conditions to create a spore stock. The plating unit performs a peroxide-based spore rescue and a plating process. The section unit is adaptable to section robust hyphae. The sub-plating unit sub-plates and expands the robust hyphae onto a spawn grain master. The expanding unit subsequently expands the spawn grain master into appropriate production of spawn volume. The colonization unit is adaptable to perform a subsequent colonization of mycelium substrate thereby creating a substantially defect free sheet of mycelium.

A monokaryotic mycelium sheet producing system for creating a sheet of monokaryotic mycelial material. The mycelium sheet producing system includes a culture unit, a spore stock unit, a plating unit, a section unit, a sub-plating unit, an expanding unit and a colonization unit. The culture unit prepares a monokaryon culture. The spore stock unit grows a plurality of fruit bodies in sterile laboratory conditions to create a spore stock. The plating unit performs a peroxide-based spore rescue and a plating process. The section unit is adaptable to section robust hyphae. The sub-plating unit sub-plates and expands the robust hyphae onto a spawn grain master. The expanding unit subsequently expands the spawn grain master into appropriate production of spawn volume. The colonization unit is adaptable to perform a subsequent colonization of mycelium substrate thereby creating a substantially defect free sheet of mycelium.

A system including components and electronic modules that together form a transportation and growing system for plants and fungi is provided, the system including at least two components, the components further including one or more of pallets, liquid collectors, posts, rails for trays, and accessories useful for managing use of the trays; and one or more electronic modules, the electronic modules further including one or more of processors, logic systems and/or controllers useful for controlling functionality of the system.

Provided are a system, method(s), and apparatus for automatically harvesting mushrooms from a mushroom bed. The system, in one implementation, may be referred to herein as an “automated harvester”, having at least an apparatus/frame/body/structure for supporting and positioning the harvester on a mushroom bed, a vision system for scanning and identifying mushrooms in the mushroom bed, a picking system for harvesting the mushrooms from the bed, and a control system for directing the picking system according to data acquired by the vision system. Various other components, sub-systems, and connected systems may also be integrated into or coupled to the automated harvester.

A system for growing fungi, the system comprising a nutritive vehicle, a porous material, an administrable space, fungal tissue comprising fungal hyphae having a growth pattern, the fungal tissue connecting said nutritive vehicle to said porous material to said administrable space, wherein the fungal tissue within said space defines at least one successive fungal material layer; and a chemically or physically altered separated portion of fungal material, the separated portion separated from said fungal tissue.

A system for growing fungi, the system comprising a nutritive vehicle, a porous material, an administrable space, fungal tissue comprising fungal hyphae having a growth pattern, the fungal tissue connecting said nutritive vehicle to said porous material to said administrable space, wherein the fungal tissue within said space defines at least one successive fungal material layer; and a chemically or physically altered separated portion of fungal material, the separated portion separated from said fungal tissue.

A mycelium growth bed for optimal production of pure mycelium or a pure mycelium composite with controlled or predictable properties, the bed comprising a tray, a conveying platform, a permeable membrane, a substrate, and a porous material. The permeable membrane is positioned on the conveying platform within the tray. The substrate is positioned on the permeable membrane and the porous material is positioned on top of the substrate. The system provides a configuration wherein the CO.sub.2 concentration is held above 3%, the relative humidity is held above 40% and the O.sub.2 concentration is held below 20% in steady state conditions to produce leather-like mycelium without fruiting bodies.

A mycelium growth bed for optimal production of pure mycelium or a pure mycelium composite with controlled or predictable properties, the bed comprising a tray, a conveying platform, a permeable membrane, a substrate, and a porous material. The permeable membrane is positioned on the conveying platform within the tray. The substrate is positioned on the permeable membrane and the porous material is positioned on top of the substrate. The system provides a configuration wherein the CO.sub.2 concentration is held above 3%, the relative humidity is held above 40% and the O.sub.2 concentration is held below 20% in steady state conditions to produce leather-like mycelium without fruiting bodies.

The present invention relates to a method of producing mushrooms, comprising the steps of: i) providing a tray having a first surface and an opposite second surface and comprising a plurality of depressions in the first surface, the inner surfaces of the depressions defining receptacles open to the first surface for holding a mushroom growth medium and the outer surfaces of the depressions defining protrusions extending out from the second surface, ii) filling each receptacle at least partially with a mushroom growth medium, iii) applying a foil or sheet to the first surface so as to close each receptacle, iv) pasteurizing the mushroom growth medium, v) inoculating the growth media with mushroom spawn by injecting the mushroom spawn through the foil or sheet into the mushroom growth medium, vi) incubating the growth medium for allowing a mushroom mycelium to form in the mushroom growth medium, vii) at least partially removing or opening the foil or sheet above the receptacles to allow mushrooms to grow to protrude from the first surface, and viii) harvesting the mushrooms. The present invention further relates to a device for producing mushrooms.