Lrigginsdesign
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I have mushrooms, are they poisonous?

I started prepping my raised garden beds this weekend and discovered a few things: my chives are coming back, and my walla walla onion came back too! Also, they are surrounded by mushrooms. So two questions: 1) Should I worry about the mushrooms poisoning my vegetables? 2) Is it a bad sign that mushrooms have shown up?

I'm in Portland, Oregon, if it helps, and it's been a warm, mild winter. Garden is a raised bed with organic 4 part soil mulch.
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imafan26
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Unless you have a mushroom expert identify them, it could go either way.

Christian1971
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don't mess with mushrooms. many look similar but have subtle differences. unless an expert is looking at them physically, just say NO.

tomc
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I probably would not eat those mushrooms. They will have no effect on your vegetables.

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rainbowgardener
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Agree with tom. Most mushrooms are not poisonous, but you wouldn't want to eat yours without having them identified. But they are harmless to your veggies.

There are a couple possibilities why they are popping up: you are keeping your soil too moist and/or there is wood in your soil - either buried roots from a tree that used to be there or you are using wood chip mulch, etc. Lots of mushrooms like to grow on dead wood.

I don't know what this means: organic 4 part soil mulch

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jal_ut
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Quote: " So two questions: 1) Should I worry about the mushrooms poisoning my vegetables? 2) Is it a bad sign that mushrooms have shown up?"

No and No. Nothing to worry about. I am with Tom though, don't eat them.

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Gary350
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I did a lot of research on mushrooms 1970. There are a lot of mushrooms that look identical but are totally different. You can probably do your own research on the internet. You need to do several tests, spore print, stem test, and I don't remember what else.

Remove the head from a mushroom and place 1 on black paper and 1 on white paper. Cover both heads with a empty glass. Let it set over night next day see what color the spore pattern is on the paper. Color and pattern will tell you a lot.

Cut the stem set it aside for a while some spems turn colors. This will tell you something about the mushroom too.

Some heads have spots, white, brown, black, etc this will tell you more information about the mushroom.

If there is a ring about the stem DON'T eat is.

After you do several tests you can check a chart of known mushrooms to find out what you have. Buy a good mushroom book with photos.

If you find that fungus stuff take grows on dead trees it is call, Chicken & Hen of the Woods. It tastes like fried chicken. Mushroom hunters make big $$$$$$$$ searching for this. What you see in this photo is worth about $500 at a gourmet restaurants if you harvest it before it becomes tuff and hard to eat. There is another popular one found in the forrest I can not recall the name.

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https://blogs.citypages.com/food/2014/09 ... _jerky.php

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imafan26
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Most of the time if you have mushrooms popping up after a heavy rain, then there is decaying matter in the soil. If the organic matter you put in your bed was not fully composted, or you have chunks of buried stumps or branches under your veggie bed, even thatch in grass will decay and cause toadstools to grow on the lawn. If you put in mushroom compost, it can have spores in it and mushrooms will pop up if there is decaying matter in the soil.

Still, I would not eat mushrooms unless they were identified. The prettiest ones are usually the ones that are the most deadly. There are mushroom hunters who go out and harvest their mushrooms from the wild and they find some really good ones like morels, but they know what they are doing.

Mr green
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rainbowgardener wrote:Agree with tom. Most mushrooms are not poisonous, but you wouldn't want to eat yours without having them identified. But they are harmless to your veggies.

There are a couple possibilities why they are popping up: you are keeping your soil too moist and/or there is wood in your soil - either buried roots from a tree that used to be there or you are using wood chip mulch, etc. Lots of mushrooms like to grow on dead wood.
Many mushrooms likes to grow on or in soil well fertilized with manure as well. Mostly the mushrooms them selfs are only beneficial for the soil. I would´nt worry about them at all. But would'nt eat them before have a proper id on it, mushrooms can be a dangerous thing.

Nimrod
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Gary350 wrote: There is another popular one found in the forest I can not recall the name.
Mushroom hunting is one of my favorite past-times (it's the beginning of morel season here in S. Illinois!). But there are plenty of popular species people around here hunt: oysters, black trumpets, morels, chanterelles, hen-of-the-woods, chicken-of-the-woods, lion's mane, pheasant back... the list goes on.
It's not hard to identify mushrooms if done properly. As mentioned already, a spore test is the first thing to do. Take the cap, put it on a piece of contrasting paper (mushrooms with white gills go on black paper, dark gills go on white paper), cover, let dry, and look at the pattern. There are plenty of charts online that will show you what's what. From there, you can identify them by where they're growing (soil vs. wood, near specific trees), the way the gills are attached, the stems, smells, the season (yes, edible mushrooms grow year-round), etc. Here's a great book I use for my area:
[url=tp://www.amazon.com/Edible-Mushrooms-Illinoi ... pfulgar-20]https://www.amazon.com/Edible-Mushrooms- ... 252076435/[/url]

The idea of leaving all mushrooms alone out of fear is just silly. There are some types that have look-a-likes, sure, but things like black trumpets and morels are hard to mess up ("false morels" aren't hollow, a black trumpet is a black trumpet, you can eat those without worry so long as they're cooked, pheasant backs smell like watermelon when cut, and nothing else does...). The point is that with a little research, mushroom hunting can be one of the most rewarding foraging experiences out there (that and wild asparagus). Just like some other members were saying about bees and ticks and such, don't let fear ruin a good thing, just be smart about it. In my neck of the woods, groups of people meet up at farmers markets and health-food stores, and guides take them hunting. You might want to search "mushroom hunting" on Craigslist or something to see if your area has something similar. IMO, it's definitely worth it.

Lastly, for those who like mushrooms but aren't comfortable picking them wild, Amazon sells plugs for cheap (I think you get a hundred plugs for 15 bucks or something). You can drill holes in a log, hammer the plugs in, cover with cheese wax, water, and wait a year of two. Put the logs in your garden and grow your own shitakes and oysters! For 15 bucks, you can't go wrong (you can get chicken-of-the-woods plugs too) and once the log is inoculated they are perennial. Just my .02

As for your picture, it would be reckless to comment or guess, but I can say those characteristics don't fit with the dozen or so species I look for. Regardless, next time just pick one and take it to the Department of Agriculture or any college campus. They'll get you started, and often times will tell you way more than you wanted to know.

Nimrod
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imafan26 wrote: The prettiest ones are usually the ones that are the most deadly.
Ever see an Indigo Milkcap? One of natures marvels, and they're delicious.

Joyfirst
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Nimrod wrote:But there are plenty of popular species people around here hunt: oysters, black trumpets, morels, chanterelles, hen-of-the-woods, chicken-of-the-woods, lion's mane, pheasant back... the list goes on.
Now you made me long for chanterelles, my favorite mushroom of all times. And despite that they grow in huge colonies in the forest, people still can't figure out how to domesticate them. Or maybe I am wrong? I would buy their plugs. :D

Nimrod
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Joyfirst wrote: Now you made me long for chanterelles, my favorite mushroom of all times. And despite that they grow in huge colonies in the forest, people still can't figure out how to domesticate them. Or maybe I am wrong? I would buy their plugs. :D
Right! Yumm...
I haven't seen plugs for chanterelles. From what I understand, growing them outdoors is similar to growing morels: spread the spores in an area with ideal conditions and cross your fingers. It isn't easy, that's for sure. They have a mind of their own.
But, Martha Stewart grows them, so it can be done ;)

Nimrod
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Yesterday's harvest after a walk in the woods. Morels and a large pheasant back.
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