How to Make Money with Shiitake Mushroom Farming in Korea

Shiitake are grown by putting mushroom spawn into oak logs or oak-sawdust blocks. You can grow them in a forest or greenhouse and sell them fresh or dried. This guide explains how to make money with shiitake farming in Korea, based on the National Forestry Cooperative Federation’s Forest Mushroom Research Center and the Korea Forest Service.

In one line: log cultivation takes 6 to 18 months to the first mushrooms and is labor-heavy; sawdust cultivation can fruit after 3 to 4 months of incubation but needs costly facilities (Forest Mushroom Research Center).

1. Two ways to grow

Strains are grouped as warm, medium and cold types. Cold types go mostly to dried shiitake; warm and medium types mostly to fresh.

2. Start-up cost

Costs vary widely by method and scale. The Korea Forest Service publishes official production costs for shiitake (outdoor logs, greenhouse logs, sawdust) every year in its Forest Products Production Cost Survey; check the latest report on kfss.forest.go.kr before you start. Items: logs or blocks, spawn, shade net, watering, a shaded site or greenhouse, heating/cooling and sterilizing equipment if making your own blocks, harvest baskets, a dryer and packaging.

3. Log cultivation steps

1. Fell oaks in early to mid November when leaves are 70–80% colored.
2. Dry for 1–4 months, then cut into lengths.
3. Drill holes (for plug spawn: 1.2–1.3 cm wide, 2.4 cm deep, 10–15 cm apart along, 3–5 cm across).
4. Inoculate from late February to mid April.
5. Incubate in shade: temporary stacking, then main stacking.
6. Stand the logs up from October to December or the next spring, by strain.
7. Fruiting, harvest, sorting and shipping.

About 100 logs of 10 cm × 120 cm count as 1 cubic meter.

4. Buying spawn

• Sold by the forestry cooperative federation and private spawn labs; log spawn only from December to April, sawdust spawn only in its seasons.
• Reserve your strain early.
• Inoculate right away; otherwise store at about 3°C (or below 10°C, 60–70% humidity).
• Check for discolored patches (contamination) on arrival.

5. Selling and income

• Channels: forestry cooperative auction markets, local-food stores, farmers’ markets, online direct sales, restaurants.
• Origin labeling: since January 1, 2021, shiitake grown from imported inoculated blocks must be labeled with the country where the longest growing period (from inoculation to harvest) took place. It is “Korean” only if the time grown in Korea was longer.
• Income varies by strain, fresh vs dried, timing and grade. Check the Korea Forest Service’s annual income and production-cost surveys for current figures.

6. Step-by-step start

1. Take forestry or mushroom courses and visit working farms.
2. Run a one-year trial with a few hundred logs or a small batch of blocks; log time and yield.
3. Line up sales channels first.
4. Decide strain, method and scale from your records.
5. Ask local agencies about farm-business registration.

Watch out for these problems

Labeling shiitake from imported blocks as Korean can be punished as an origin-labeling violation; the rule caused enough confusion that South Chungcheong’s provincial council called for changes. Also beware of pitches that promise big monthly income if you buy their blocks or facilities. Check the company and terms with the forestry cooperative or local forestry office first, and look at real farm records.

Sources

• Forest Mushroom Research Center – overview, strains, spawn
• Forest Mushroom Research Center – log cultivation steps
• Forest Mushroom Research Center – log details
• Forest Mushroom Research Center – sawdust cultivation
• Korea Forest Service – 2024 income and production cost surveys
• Korea Forestry Promotion Institute – production cost survey
• Yecheon County – shiitake origin labeling notice
• EKN – South Chungcheong council on shiitake labeling (2023-09-08)

7. FAQ

Do I need a forest?

No. Sawdust cultivation is done in greenhouses, and logs can be stacked in any shaded plot or greenhouse.

Can any tree be used?

Oaks are best. The research center rates chestnut and daimyo oak low.

Will I earn in the first year?

Log cultivation takes 6–18 months to the first crop, so keep separate living money.

Can I buy ready-made blocks?

Yes, but imported blocks must follow the origin-labeling rule.

Where are official cost and income figures?

In the Korea Forest Service's production cost and income survey reports on kfss.forest.go.kr.

Last updated: October 30, 2026. Based on official sources; rules and prices can change.