Why Are Mushrooms Growing in My Vegetable Garden?

As you’re tending to your garden this summer, you might notice a few uninvited guests cropping up in your yard. Mushrooms growing in your garden or backyard are common, but are they something you need to worry about?

Actually, mushrooms are a great sign for your garden. Mushrooms grow in soil that is healthy, so if your soil is well-fertilized or otherwise contains lots of organic matter, you’re much more likely to spot a mushroom now and again.

When you see mushrooms in your yard, you can pat yourself on the back for having a well-kept garden. Learn a bit more about why you’re seeing mushrooms and if you need to get rid of them.

Why Are Mushrooms Growing in My Garden? 

Mushrooms’ job doesn’t stop at being a healthy soil indicator. Mushrooms can speed up the process of organic matter decomposition.

Dead plants, leaves, and cuttings in your yard can all be broken down by the enzymes that mushrooms release. As the matter in your soil is broken down, mushrooms make more nutrients available to the surrounding plants, creating a healthier ecosystem for your garden.

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Is It Safe to Have Mushrooms Growing in the Garden?

Are mushrooms safe to leave in a veggie garden? We definitely don’t recommend trying to eat any of the mushrooms growing in your soil, but it’s generally very safe to leave mushrooms growing around fruit and veggies.

As long as you’re not picking up mushrooms along with the edible plants you’re harvesting, the other plants in your garden will remain safe to eat. 

If you’re not a fan of mushrooms growing in your garden for aesthetic reasons, feel free to remove them. You can just pull them out of your garden or even gently kick them out of the soil. Mushrooms don’t root deep into the ground, so they’re not difficult to remove and require no force.

Also, if you have pets that frequently roam your garden or backyard, you may want to remove any mushrooms you come across. Many soil varieties of mushrooms can be dangerous to eat, so you’ll want to prevent your pets from being able to access any.

How to Encourage Healthy Soil in Your Garden

If your garden is lacking mushrooms and you’re feeling a little left out, the good news is that there are many easy ways to make your soil healthier and encourage plant growth. 

• Adding compost to your garden beds is a simple way to help your plants get more nutrients. It’s the fastest way to enrich your soil, and you don’t need much to get started. Just add mix compost in with your soil when planting new plants or spread a thin layer over the surface of your soil.
• You can also leave lawn cuttings on your soil or spread thin layers of shredded leaves to insulate your plants and encourage healthier soil.
• Using manure can also give your plants more nutrients to enjoy. You can even add shredded wood chips or moss to your yard to help improve your soil. 

After employing a few of these methods, you’re much more likely to see a few mushrooms popping up in your garden to indicate that you’re doing a good job. But if you feel like you’re doing everything right and still aren’t seeing mushrooms, don’t worry.

They won’t grow in every climate and especially dislike lots of sun or dry soil, so your garden may not see mushrooms even in the best of conditions.