I usually don't grow in the summer due to the heat and I'm struggling to get my ass in gear for this winter. I usually have about 4 varieties I grow, blue oysters, pinks, lion's mane and pioppinos.
A ready-made block should be fine in the kitchen, garage too if it not too cold for the species you're trying to grow and has a light you can keep on for at least 8hrs. Balancing the humidity and fresh air levels is the trickiest part for a counter-top grow but you sort of get a feel for it after some trial and error.