Mushroom Farming Apparatus and Method

In mushroom culture it is customary to utilize a number of separate mushroom beds for growing the crop. These beds are traditionally formed in an enclosed space having certain natural or controlled climatic conditions. Therefore, to economize the enclosed space, mushroom beds are carefully designed for maximum production. This has led to the conventionally constructed mushroom frames containing a plurality of mushroom beds which are each accessible for the purposes of making the bed, growing the mushrooms and harvesting the crop.

Normally, a mushroom bed is formed from fresh compost which is formulated as needed by the grower. After the compost is deposited in the bed, mushroom spawn is distributed therein by conventional means. Finally, the bed is completed by applying a uniform layer of casing soil on top of the spawned compost to provide the medium in which the crop will mature. Heretofore the application of casing soil to the closely spaced mushroom beds has been an arduous and time consuming manual process including measuring, raking and levelling of the soil.

It is an object of this invention to provide an apparatus for applying a level layer of casing soil uniformly throughout the length of a mushroom bed on top of the composted and spawned bed.

It is another object of this invention to provide an apparatus for introducing a level layer of compost into a mushroom bed.

It is another object of this invention to provide a method of continuously applying a level layer of compost in a mushroom bed and to provide a method of continuously applying a level layer of casing soil uniformly throughout the length of a mushroom bed on top of the compost soil by mechanical means.

These and other objects of this invention have been accomplished by the apparatus and method of this invention shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein,

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a mushroom frame utilizing the apparatus and method of my invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of a mushroom frame utilizing the apparatus and method of my invention;

FIG. 3 is a broken perspective view of the apparatus of my invention showing the apparatus and method thereof in certain detail;

FIG. 4 is a partial vertical sectional view taken in the direction of the lines and arrows 4--4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of certain details of the apparatus of my invention during the operation thereof; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged top plan view of a portion of the apparatus of my invention.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown an elongated frame 10 for supporting a plurality of mushroom beds 11 in vertically stacked parallel arrangement. Frame 10 consists of a plurality of vertical stiles 12 and a plurality of horizontal crossmembers 13. Each bed 11 consists of a floor 14, a pair of end walls 15 and a pair of side walls 16. During the cultivation of mushrooms, each bed 11 is partially filled with compost 17. The apparatus of this invention comprises in combination with a frame supported mushroom bed a hopper 18 adapted to be detachably mounted on the frame 11 by means of chains 19 and bolts 20; flexible sheet means adapted to accept pulverulent material discharged from the hopper 18 in a manner so as to deposit said pulverulent material in a continuous layer of compost 17 in a bed 11 or in a continuous layer of casing material on top of said compost 17 throughout the length of said bed and detachable winch means 22 for activating said sheet means.

In the drawings, hopper 18 is shown comprising a front wall 23, a back wall 24 and tapering end walls 25. The top and bottom of hopper 18 are open, however, a bottom measuring means is formed by the combination of flexible sheet 26 and an adjustable doctor plate 27. The flexible sheet 26 is stored for delivery and retraction on a journalled roller 28 which is mounted between extension brackets 29, which are affixed to tapering end walls 25. Also journalled in extension brackets 29 are several supporting rollers 21 which provide a level path for the flexible sheet 26. Brackets 29 are formed with an out-turned distal flange 30, which flanges in combination with the chains 19 and bolts 20 detachably support the hopper 18 in juxtaposition to each of the beds 11, outboard of frame 10.

The end of sheet 26 not secured to roller 28 is adapted to extend away from the front wall 23 of hopper 18, is retroverted about a roller 31, and secured throughout its entire width to the body of hopper 18. Roller 31 is sleeved on shaft 32, which is in turn supported by a yoke formed of a cross-bar 33 and side-arms 34. Centrally of cross-bar 33 is formed a shackle 35.

Hopper 18 has mounted longitudinally therein a mixing auger 36, having opposed helical flights 36a formed thereon. Auger 36 is journalled in end walls 25, through one of which the auger 36 is extended and provided with a driven pulley 37. A motor 38 is mounted on top of hopper 18 so as to provide means for driving the auger 36. This is accomplished by means of a driving pulley 39 affixed to the drive shaft of motor 38 and drive belt 40.

In accordance with the apparatus and method of this invention, winch 22 is detachably supported by a bracket 41 including grips 42 and pins 43 outboard of the end of frame 10 opposite from which hopper 18 is mounted. Winch 22 is provided with a drive drum 44 having affixed thereto a suitably amount of a cable 45, which is conveniently attached to shackle 35 by a hook 46.

For convenience in accumulating the flexible sheet 21 upon roller 28, a crank 47 extends therefrom through bracket 29. The doctor plate 27 is slotted so as to be adjustably mounted on front wall 23 by means of nut and bolt sets 48. An auxiliary pulley 49 is journalled in a block 50, which is mounted on a bracket 41a that is detachably supported on frame 10 by grips 42a and pins 43a. When bracket 41 and bracket 41a are each mounted in a vertical spaced relationship upon the frame 11 a plane passing generally through the center of beds 11 longitudinally includes pulley 49 and drum 44.

The operation of the apparatus and method of this invention may be readily understood from the several drawings. At the start of a mushroom crop, the beds 11 are partially filled with compost 17. Sometime after the mushroom spawn is distributed in the compost 17, the step of covering the compost 17 with casing soil 51 is carried out. Initially, a hopper 18 is attached to the compost of frame 10 as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4. An amount of casing soil 51 sufficient to cover the compost 17 is deposited in the hopper 18. Alternatively, the hopper 18 may be continuously charged with casing soil 51 at a rate sufficient to provide the necessary amount thereof to adequately cover the compost 17 in accordance with the method of this invention. The crank 17 is operated so as to substantially fully retract sheet 26 upon roller 28 as shown in FIG. 1. Hook 46 is placed in shackle 35 so as to position the line 45. As shown in FIG. 1, the casing soil 51 is allowed to issue from the bottom of hopper 18 in an amount determined as to its thickness by the doctor plate 27 and sheet 26. The winch 22 is then operated so as to withdraw sheet 26 from the storage roller 28 as shown in FIG. 2. By reason of the relative juxtaposition of the winch 22, sheet 26, hopper 18 and bed 11, as sheet 26 is withdrawn, a layer of casing soil 51 is continuously formed on top of sheet 26 and continuously deposited on top of the compost 17 across the full width of the bed 11. It may readily be understood therefore, that casing soil 51 need only issue from the hopper 18 onto the moving sheet 26 until the retroverted edge of sheet 26 has traversed a distance equal to half of the length of bed 11. At that point in time there will be an amount of casing soil on top of sheet 26 equal to that which is needed to completely cover the compost 17 as the cross-bar 33 is pulled to the opposite end wall 15 from hopper 18 by the winch 22, cable 45 and hook 46. During the delivery of the casing soil 51 from hopper 18, the auger 36 causes uniform mixing of the soil 51 to occur, thereby ensuring a uniform casing soil layer on top of the compost 17. After the covering of one bed 11 in this manner, sheet 26 is retracted upon roller 28. The hook 46 is detached, and the hopper 18 is removed from its position and replaced at the end of another bed 11, as shown in phantom lines in FIG. 2, through the use of chains 19 and bolts 20. In this phantom position, hopper 18 may again be loaded with casing soil. Bracket 41a is then placed in the phantom position shown in FIG. 2 by means of grips 42a and pins 43a, and cable 45 is led over auxiliary pulley 49 to that hook 46 may be re-attached shackle 35. As now positioned, the operation of winch 22 will again cause sheet 26 to be withdrawn from roller 28, with the resultant covering of another composted bed 11.

The foregoing method may be repeated as often as necessary in order to fully cover all composted beds 11 with casing soil 51.

By the use of the apparatus and method of this invention much hand labor may be eliminated from the mushroom growing industry.

It will likewise be apparent from the foregoing description that the apparatus and method of this invention may be utilized to originally fill mushroom beds with compost. In such use, the doctor plate 27 must be adjusted so as to allow the proper thickness of the compost 17 layer to issue from the hopper 18. In normal practice, a six inch layer of compost is first laid, and the casing soil is normally laid in a one inch layer.

Among the advantages resulting from the use of the apparatus and process of this invention is the improvement of the mushroom harvest since the layer of casing soil produced is significantly more uniform in thickness than that produced by hand. As a result, the budding mushrooms emerge from the casing soil throughout the bed as an "even break", thereby facilitating the harvest.