In your garden,
mushrooms are generally a good thing. They tend to pop up when the soil is wet
and in shaded areas (underneath the foliage, for instance). Mushrooms are not a
reason to flip out. The vast majority are safe for consumption or composting. The
mushrooms and its underlying fungus are normal in soil and absolutely expected
in composted wood scraps.
If you are interested
in eating them or just curious, you can use a book
or website to help you
identify them. I would be very careful, though. I am well-versed in mushroom
identification and love their flavor, but I wouldn’t eat them unless I bought
them. Being decomposers, they do make great compost.
If your soil is
healthy, there is fungus growing under the surface. These beneficial microbes
help your plants to reach water and nutrients faster and more efficiently. They
are a good thing, so don’t run out and buy a mycocide to kill them. You may be
simply watering your garden a bit much for the current weather conditions.
Reduce your water and the mushrooms will likely go away.
Some people love to
grow their own mushrooms. There are kits available that are far safer. Fox News
recently did an article
on a small company that sells kits for your backyard or patio.
