Growing fungi at home has mushroomed as a coronavirus-era hobby

Ralph Haydl sprinkling coffee grounds on mushroom spores in a plastic bowl. For several years now, he has been selling mushroom cultivation sets that can be used to grow various fungi at home. Photos: Daniel Karmann/dpa

Ralph Haydl carefully sprinkles coffee grounds, a mix of spores and chalk in alternate handfuls into a pot.

Within a few days, he’s hoping that the first, pale signs of mushroom growth will appear. “It’s wild how fast that happens, ” says Haydl.