Parkvale Mushrooms grow in naturally fermented compost, rich in goodness, which has been composted for two weeks and then conditioned in a room at 45-60C. The compost generates its own heat during the composting and curing process. Mushroom spawn is then mixed through the compost. This colonizes fully over the next 13 days and into the 5cm of peat, which was added after spawning. The peat is now wet and mixed to ensure an even crop, and is transferred to the growing room, where it stays until the crop has been fully harvested.
Generally at Parkvale, four flushes are picked over six weeks. Air is circulated around the mushroom crop and water is misted onto the mushrooms to ensure superb quality and flavour is achieved.
The mushroom pickers harvest daily into three main stages of growth:-
