During mild, wet, winter months it is not uncommon to see mushrooms growing among your vegetables. With mushrooms invariably come questions: what is it and what do we do about it.
First, DO NOT EAT THEM, mushrooms may be lethally poisonous, especially with young children and older adults.
A recent case of mushroom poisoning occurred in California when a care-giver at a nursing home picked some poisonous mushrooms and served them in a gravy. Four individuals died.
Mushrooms are a fungus and classified in the kingdom of Fungi, which is different from the other kingdoms such as Animalia, Bacteria and Plantae.
They show up in plant beds often when there is woody mulch present.
In nature, Fungi are part of the great recycling that occurs in forests and other woody areas. When trees and plants die in the forest, mushrooms assist in their decompositon.
To rid your beds of mushrooms do not just remove the mushroom but also the surrounding soil. This way they will have less chance of growing back.
You may dispose of poisonous mushrooms in your compost pile. They are actually very helpful in breaking down organic matter.
For more info see, Mushrooms in the Garden Beds from the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension.
