Record: Straw weight, soak hours, squeeze test result, spawn weight, sheet-on and sheet-off dates, bed temperature twice daily.
Set aside 10 to 15 kg of clean, hand-threshed straw and tie it into bundles; weigh two bundles.
Soak for 12 to 18 hours in clean water, drain, and do the squeeze test; note what you felt.
Lay cross-wise layers on a raised platform in a closed shed; spawn along the edges with a 12 to 15 cm margin.
Cover with a clean sheet and put a thermometer under it; read morning and evening.
Note the day white mycelium reaches the surface and remove the sheet.