Midwest Grow Kits

Who it’s best for#

Midwest Grow Kits is the supplier to look at once you’ve decided to build out a home lab rather than keep buying prepackaged kits. The catalog is deepest on everything that sits around the spores: grain jars, all-in-one bags, bulk substrate, agar supplies, still air boxes, laminar flow hoods, pressure sterilizers, and a proprietary line of automated fruiting chambers you won’t find anywhere else. It’s also the rare direct-to-consumer shop that stocks commercial-grade equipment — ribbon mixers in the $4,000 range, Bonsai 25Q autoclaves at $699.99, XL HEPA flow hoods in the $800s — so growers scaling from hobby into small production can stay on one vendor instead of cross-shopping industrial suppliers.

The key positioning line is right in their FAQ: “We do not sell spores. We specialize in the growing mediums.” If you already have a spore source you trust, that’s a non-issue. If you don’t, it’s an extra order to plan for.

What they do well#

The proprietary hardware is the real draw. The MycoClimate automated monotubs ($109–$139.99) handle temperature and fresh air exchange without a separate controller build, and the Ecosphere 3.0 tiered fruiting chambers ($134.99–$209.99) give you stacked shelf space in a single enclosure. These are house-designed products — you’re not picking between “cheap plastic tub” and “expensive martha tent,” you’re getting something purpose-built for hobby-to-small-commercial fruiting.

Liquid culture pricing is also genuinely competitive and the species list runs deep. 20+ gourmet and medicinal species sit at a flat $12.50 per 10cc syringe, with specialty picks like Maitake, Golden Yellow Morel, and Black Morel at $15, and Amanita Muscaria at $24.99. That’s meaningfully cheaper than North Spore ($19.99 flat) and matched to Out-Grow ($12). The catalog also reaches into less-common territory — Pioppino, White Beech Shimeji, Brown Beech, Black Pearl King Oyster, Antler Reishi, Yellow Reishi, and Bioluminescent Panellus stipticus — that most kit-focused suppliers skip.

The operational story backs it up. Midwest Grow Kits launched in 2011 out of parent company Midwest Organics (commercial substrate supplier since 2003), grew into an 8,500 sq/ft production and retail center in Woodstock, IL, and has since absorbed Myco Labs for genetics and acquired Blue Myco Manufacturing (in partnership with Bonsai Filtration) to bring sterilizer servicing in-house. Free shipping on orders over $99 in the continental US, next-business-day dispatch at 9am CST, discreet plain-brown packaging, a physical showroom with phone support and live chat — and they’ll ship internationally via FedEx to Canada or USPS Priority to the rest of the world.

Where they fall short#

No spores. This is the single most important thing to know before ordering. Every kit, jar, and bag they sell needs a spore syringe or liquid culture to inoculate, and you’re sourcing that elsewhere. For a brand-new grower, that’s an extra step and an extra vendor relationship to figure out — though their own liquid culture catalog covers 25+ species if you’re willing to start from a culture instead of a spore print.

The $99 free shipping threshold only applies to the continental US. Canadian orders ship via discounted FedEx international rates, Alaska and Hawaii via USPS Priority, and international orders are quoted at checkout — so the sticker price advantage over North Spore or Out-Grow narrows (or disappears) depending on where you live. Customs and duties on Canadian and international orders are the buyer’s responsibility.

The perishables return window is also tight: 7 days on unopened substrate, spawn, and liquid culture, versus 30 days on non-perishable gear. If you’re stockpiling consumables, inspect them the day they arrive.