In urban Birmingham, vacant lots overgrown with invasive trees are a common sight. These lots, often used for illegal dumping, contribute to neighborhood blight. But what if we could turn this problem into an opportunity? That’s exactly what we set out to do with the Urban Mushrooms on Mimosa Wood project.
The Idea: Low-Labor Mushrooms on Free Logs
Urban farmers already work under constraints—limited space, labor shortages, and the need for high-value crops. Mushrooms offer an elegant solution: they grow on logs, require minimal maintenance, and produce a specialty crop with strong market demand. Instead of expensive hardwood logs, we decided to test Mimosa (Albizia julibrissin) logs, a free and abundant invasive species.
The Experiment: Mimosa vs. Paper Mulberry
We inoculated 80 logs—40 Mimosa and 40 Paper Mulberry (a known suitable option)—with four mushroom varieties:
-
Chestnut (Pholiota adiposa)
-
Nameko (Pholiota nameko)
-
Golden Oyster (Pleurotus citrinopileatus)
-
Blue Oyster (Pleurotus ostreatus)
Over the next 24 months, we tracked their yield and production longevity. Paper Mulberry was expected to yield 100-150 lbs/ year, while Mimosa was an unknown variable—would it work, and if so, how well?
The Impact: More Than Just Mushrooms
Beyond the harvest, this project transformed an overgrown dumping ground into a productive urban farm space. Community members participated in clean-up efforts, mushroom inoculation workshops, and harvest days. Surveys showed improved neighborhood aesthetics, a stronger sense of community, and increased interest in urban farming.
What’s Next?
Although we didn't find that Mimosa logs were a viable log for growing mushrooms, we're not giving up! With the right logs, this model can be scaled across other urban farms, providing a low-cost, high-value crop while reducing invasive tree overgrowth. With an estimated 160-250 lbs of mushrooms per cycle, this could be a game-changer for time-strapped farmers looking to boost profits without increasing labor.
Want to get involved? Join our next workshop and learn how to turn waste into wealth—one mushroom log at a time.