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Fungal growth in raised bed soil #446401

Asked April 05, 2018, 3:51 PM EDT

Hi, I have found unwanted mushrooms growing in two different areas of my raised vegetable gardens. The beds get direct sun in the summer (I have successfully grown tomatoes there). The mushrooms were present all through the last growing season, and have appeared again this spring. The sides of the beds were constructed using downed branches from my yard, some of which have fungal growth on the bark. The soil is a mix of G&B raised bed mix, Harvest Supreme, and my own compost from kitchen, garden, and yard debris. Are the mushrooms safe to be growing alongside my vegetables? Are they an indicator of something needing to be modified in my soil? Can I compost the mushrooms? Do the mushrooms compete for nutrients? Is there a way to get rid of them? Thank you for your assistance! Beth

Benton County Oregon

Expert Response

Hi there.  Your mushrooms are most likely decomposers that are working on the wood that you mentioned that is being used to construct your beds.  The mushrooms are reproductive part (fruiting bodies that produce spores) of the fungi that is working on breaking down the wood.  There is a corresponding mass of less conspicuous hyphae in the soil that do the work of breaking down the wood and other organic materials in your soils.  From the information I have found it is not likely that your vegetables will be impacted by the growth of the mushrooms.  If you are worried about whether the mushrooms are poisonous contact the OSU Extension Master Gardener help desk in Benton County.  Phone number is<personal data hidden>.  They have information about how to contact someone who can identify the mushrooms for you.  The mushrooms are likely breaking down the woody components of your raised beds.  As to whether they are competing with your vegetables for nutrients the best way to determine that is looking at your vegetable plants, if they are healthy and producing quality veggies I would not worry.  The incorporation of wood chips into the soil can tie up the nitrogen available to your veggie plants as microbes (bacteria) use the nitrogen to break down the wood.  Again, if your plants are healthy and productive it is probably not an issue.  Mushrooms thrive in moist places, if you have these fruiting bodies throughout the summer perhaps you should reduce the amount of water being applied.  You could also turn the soil to aerate it and let it dry some prior to planting ensuring that drainage from the bed is not slowed to the point of keeping the soil too wet.  Composting the mushrooms should not be an issue.  If that compost is used in other beds it could spread your mushrooms to other beds.  Nothing I could find suggested that mushrooms were detrimental to vegetables in raised beds.  If you have pets and small children I would pursue determining if the ones you have growing are safe for consumption.

D.Lauer Benton County Master Gardener Replied April 09, 2018, 7:13 PM EDT

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