Mushroom compost compacting tamper

A mushroom compost compacting system and method includes a hydraulically activated tamper platen to compact compost held within a mushroom compost receptacle. The tamper platen has engageable arms extendable from opposite ends of the top surface of the platen and that each connect to a respective hydraulic piston or cylinder. The hydraulic pistons or cylinders link to respective ends of a brace bar disposed beneath the floor portion of the compost receptacle. Tamping compression of the tamper platen compresses compost between the tamper platen and the brace bar. In one embodiment, the hydraulic pistons are installed in or joined to fixtures, which fixtures may have trolley wheels therein to permit relative movement between the fixtures and guide rails supporting the fixtures so that the mushroom compost compacting system may be traversed along the length of all or a portion of the compost receptacle.