Growing mushrooms

I'v been looking into increasing my winter food production and it occured to me that growing mushrooms I'm just unsure as to how to go about it. I get the occasional field mushroom (edible) which are very nice but i'd like more. Do i need to buy the spores? or can i just pinch them from the existing mushroom population? Will i need to heat the growing area?
i'v got an old book on the topic but it insists that i need to make or purchase mushroom compost.

 

to Gardeners Forum @Matthew Bishop

I haven't grown mushrooms personally, but this link may give you more information on growing mushrooms indoors:

How to Grow Mushrooms Indoors

Do let us know how you get on

 

I have not grown mushrooms but am about to attempt it. I've ordered some wine cap spawn and a shiitake log. The wine caps apparently grow well in wood chippings. I wood chip some of my borders and paths to keep the weeds down so plan to spread the spawn around in there and see what happens.

 

Wood chippings will probably work well, had some morrels come up on their own in some.

Keep them damp, but bear in mind you're not growing in a sterile medium so anything could come up.

I used to work on a mushroom farm and even using sterile compost we still got the occasional rogue mushroom come up.

 

AI live 20 mins from the largest Mushroom growing area in the USA.