Modern mushroom cultivation began in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania in 1896. At first, mushrooms were just grown as a side crop to flower production, using the dark spaces underneath potting tables. As the demand grew, special “houses” needed to be created to control the precise environmental conditions necessary for production growing. With these growing houses, mushroom production and popularity was well on its way.

Even with these advances, mushrooms were still not as commonly available as they are now. Due to the fact that growing was still limited by the temperature and humidity of season, mushrooms were planted in the fall and harvested in winter and spring. Fresh mushrooms were, therefore, hard to come by in the summer. Today’s growing techniques resolve many problems of the growing process.  (continued)