How Fast Do Morels Grow?

When a morel mushroom decides to fruit, it actually doesn’t take much time at all. The part that you see and want to harvest, the fruiting head, grows quite quickly. 

The time a morel mushroom takes from fruiting to maturity is very rapid. As soon as the head pokes up out of the ground, the clock is ticking. They will get to maturity and be ready to be harvested in 10-15 days. During the first few days, it is likely you won’t even see them because the heads are so small. Often, it isn’t until the 10^th day that you can really see them. And, they will need to be harvested as soon as they are mature because they deteriorate quite quickly as well. 

In order to be successful in harvesting morels, it is imperative to catch them just at the right time. These tricky fungi, though, don’t make it easy. It is commonly remarked that they seem to grow overnight. One reason for this is that they tend to blend into their environments, making them difficult to spot. Once they are spotted, it is usually towards the latter part of their growth and so they are already almost full-size. 

Morels grow in the springtime, during a one-month period between April and May. The exact dates vary every year depending on weather and climate conditions. Some years, they won’t grow at all because the environmental conditions aren’t up to their standards. If you know a place where morels grow, check it every year as they frequently will grow in the same place for multiple years. The mushroom foraging world kicks into high gear when morel season starts because they are the first big harvest of the year and because the season is so sadly short. Once they are done, they’re done and you won’t see them again until the following spring.