Talgarth-based mushroom grower and tincture maker, Marley Burns of SuperFungi will teach us the basics of indoor and outdoor mushroom cultivation.

You will learn the basics of mushroom cultivation: about both high and low technology approaches, the growth cycle of fungi, homemade substrates and how to optimise conditions for different mushroom types from inoculation to fruiting.

You will be given substrate bags of oyster, an indoor growing mushroom. You’ll also receive a syringe of liquid mycelium culture for the species, which will permit a lifetime supply of home-grown mushrooms!

You will:

• Learn to understand different methods of mushroom production
• Learn how to grow fungi from spore to mycelium, and onwards to fruit
• Gain insight into both indoor and outdoor growing
• Take your own mushroom grow bags away from the course alongside the knowledge to continue growing your own edible fungi for years to come.

Who is this for?

This course is for anyone interested in small-scale mushroom growing.

Key Information

Date - Sunday 30th of November 2024 from 9.30am – 5pm

Location - Troed yr Harn, Talgarth. We operate a car-free campus and we will meet at Talgarth Car Park at 9:30am to walk up to the campus together. If you have mobility issues, then please contact us and we will arrange for you to be able to drive to the campus.

The walk from the carpark to the campus is a lovely 35 min walk, over farmland and through woods, with a fairly steep incline at the end. Walking together is a great way to prepare for the learning and get to know the other participants.

We will walk down at 4pm, so expect to be back at the carpark just before 5pm.

Course Instructor

Marley has been growing mushrooms, making tinctures and creating grow kits for several years and is steadily increasing the size and scope of his business, Superfungi Ltd. He is also involved in some novel research around mycelium and halting biodiversity loss, but above all he’s keen to spread the spores of mushroom positivity and loves teaching courses and enthusing new growers.

What you need:

• We will provide coffee, tea, cows and oat milk; please bring a water bottle and packed lunch.
• Sturdy shoes and waterproofs/warm clothing suitable for the season and being outside.
• A backpack to carry your grow kit back down to Talgarth.

Age limit - You must be 16 years old or above to take part in this course for safety reasons. Under 18s should be accompanied by an adult.

How much does it cost?

We aim for our short courses to be as accessible as possible by removing finance as a barrier to learn. We also have to ensure that we can cover material and teaching costs. To do so, we operate a Pay What You Can ticket model. We ask you to select one of 5 ticket options based on your individual financial circumstances:

Low wage – Reduced rate: £50

Mid wage - True cost: £80

High wage – Pay it forward: £120

Philanthropist - Gifting a donation to the college to support future courses & bursaries: £300

Free - Fully-funded

If you are unable to pay for the course and would like to be considered for a free place, then please send an email to info@blackmountainscollege.uk. You will be contacted by a member of our team 2 weeks prior to the course starting. Please note that once tickets are sold out, we can no longer accept bursary applications.

Please note that spaces on all our courses are limited. We operate on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Please view details on our pricing structure here for suggestions of what rate to pay 

Refund Policy

We will refund a 50% of your ticket until 4 weeks prior to the course start. After that tickets are non-refundable. Depending on the uptake of the course we hold the right to cancel it, in which case you will be refunded. In cases of extreme weather or other unforeseen circumstances that force us to cancel the course, you will also be refunded.

Accessibility

This course is rated as 1 (most accessible) on our scale of accessibility. Read more about our accessibility policy here.

Please see our booking terms & conditions upon checkout for more information.

We will be doing some practical and surveying work around the farm buildings moving over rough ground, with steep slopes so this is less suitable for those with mobility issues, but we will be able to make adjustments, so please contact us with any concerns.