Mushrooms (Inky Cap) Growing In Veggie Garden

by Kathy
(Bowling Green, KY)

Hi, I have grown a few gardens but am still fairly new at it and still have a lot of learning to do.
What I am concerned with now is what's growing in my food garden and is it still safe for us to eat the friuts of our labors.
We started this food garden in virgin soil and have put local wood mulch around all plants and in the rows. We began to notice just a couple of weeks back that we also have mushrooms growing, an abundance of the little critters! From what I can gather doing online searches, what they are are "Inky Caps".
What I want to know is, do I do anything about them or do I just let them grow, and rake them over each morning? Will they poision my food that I have growing in my garden?
I just wondered, after reading about mushroom compost being good for gardens, if the growing mushrooms breaking down the mulch right along side my veggies would hurt anything. I just want to know what to do, if anything.
I want to know that whatever fruits of our labors (tomatoes, squash, peppers, etc.) that come in from the veggie garden will be safe foods to eat.

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Mushrooms (Inky Cap) Growing In Veggie Garden

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Jul 11, 2010

do not remove the mushrooms
by: Anonymous

Mushrooms do not poison soil. Inky caps are not poisonous; in fact, some species are choice edibles. But remember not to eat mushrooms without proper identification. You do not need to remove the mushrooms, or rake them, or use fungicide; mushrooms are the fruiting body of what is called mycelium. The mycelium of inky caps decomposes the organic matter in your soil, increasing the amount of nutrients that your plants receive. You need to forget the common misconception that mushrooms are evil, when in fact they are a symbol that your soil is incredibly healthy. Without mushrooms and other fungi, no organic matter would ever decompose, and life would cease to exist. Let the mushrooms stay in your garden, just do not pluck them and eat them. If you have pets or children, you can remove the mushrooms if you are concerned that they will be eaten, but remember that this will reduce the amount of helpful mushrooms in your garden if you do not let them reproduce. A good place for information on the importance of mushrooms is fungi.com. Enjoy your garden and remember that the mushrooms are helping the plants absorb more nutrients!

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