Quonset Hut: The Preferred Greenhouse Choice for a Mushroom Farm

Why A Quonset Makes The Perfect Mushroom Greenhouse

Just outside of Denver Colorado sits the small, picturesque town of Sedalia. It’s the perfect place for mushroom farmer and entrepreneur Gary H. to run Fresh from the Farm Fungi.

Prior to growing mushrooms full-time, Gary worked as a clinical microbiologist extracting stem cells from donor tissue. Then, he moved on to extracting plant tissue, which ultimately led him to harvesting mushrooms!

He used his extensive knowledge of tissue culture and quality control to turn his hobby of growing mushrooms into a successful business.

It all started one Thanksgiving when Gary returned home to his native town of Buffalo, New York, where Gary’s dad introduced him to a local mushroom farmer. He was successfully growing many mushrooms in a Quonset building which peaked Gary’s interest. It got him thinking about his own mushroom farm and mushroom grow house design.

“I was blown away by the whole operation,” Gary said.

SteelMaster building specialist Aaron Varnum worked with Gary to find the perfect building for his needs.  Aaron had reached out to Gary after researching different keywords by state and finding Fresh from the Farm Fungi.

After Aaron’s initial call, Gary found SteelMaster online and saw some of the custom grow rooms our customers have constructed.

“I did a little research. It came up on Google and had good reviews,” Gary said.

After finding the correct model and size building, Gary worked with After Market Specialist Travis Ashley who assisted Gary with parts and accessories.

Gary hired contractors for the concrete slab and keyway, and then recruited the help of a couple of friends to erect the arches.

“It was a team effort. A couple of our mushroom friends helped raise the arches, I bought them lunch we just hung out and made it a fun day. It wasn’t too hard, just a matter of getting the right tools.”

Why A Steel Quonset For A Mushroom Farm?

Gary says his favorite feature of his Quonset hut is that it is low maintenance.

He said, “The low maintenance aspect is nice. Being a small crew, we don’t want to spend time taking care of the building, especially long term.”

Additionally, Gary said the Quonset provides the perfect mushroom fruiting chamber conditions. The arches provide the space to add the ventilation system he needs to grow healthy mushrooms and the Galvalume Plus coating on the steel arches repels water and condensation.

Aaron added, “Our buildings are great for mushroom farms in particular because they are easy to temperature control. They are great for farms in general because of our turn around time, they are easy to assemble, and they are maintenance free.”

Overall, Gary had a great experience with SteelMaster.

“So far we are super happy with [the building].”

Now, Gary’s mushroom farm is fully operational, and he grows multiple types of mushrooms and provides them to farmers markets and culinary chefs in Colorado.

The team at SteelMaster thinks Gary is a fun-gi and if in the future he doesn’t have mush-room, we can’t wait to design a new grow room building with him.