Mushrooms/Toadstools in my worm bin

I've had my bin for about a month, and I'm getting some loathsome looking mushrooms/toadstools. I "weed" about every other day, but I'm finding more little starters stuck to the newspaper bedding. I worry about their possible toxicity to my little wormies, and they're just icky looking. Any suggestions?

There are good mushroom books available to help identify. Unless you're drinking your compost tea I don't think you have to worry about toxins. A good mushroom identification book might reassure you The deadliest mushrooms are best not even handled but they are white and beautiful. Some of the sliney looking ones are good eating. If you even consider eating any consult an expert and even then, don't take any chances.

kb

Well, it does say you have excellent fungal/microbiotic processes taking place, or you wouldn't be getting mushrooms.

Thanks for the quick responses. I use rubber gloves for weeding, and scrub them afterwards. I wouldn't dream of eating something like this. The fact that they can grow 3-4 inches in a day or two is impressive, but they are a weird, ghostly white with gray/black tops. A little scary looking. I have cats, and worry I might drop some of it, etc.

katiebear -- I liked your suggestion on finding a mushroom book, but rather than wait, decided to try some more sleuthing on the internet. I finally found an article on fungus in worm bins, that it's normal, no risk to the worms, but that since fungus grows in a still, non-active enviroment, it suggests that there is too much food for the environment. Learned something new and passing it along. Thanks.

JDZ, I've found most shrooms micro-coriz-blah-blah-blah underground stuff likes dead wood 3 to 5 inches underground to attach to. It needs this woody stuff (different fungi-different wood) for certain elements of growth and you can use this for growing your own private patches of shrooms in nice cool dark areas on your property by burying the sticks and smearing a ripe shroom over your buried sticks and covering (apparently) YOUR compost over it to a depth of 4 inches. Other than that it's just more stuff to compost, bury it deeper if it is too " loathsome looking"
Carol

Carol, I know you can't officially recommend, with so many poisonous mushrooms out in the wild, but now I am tempted to try to grow some grocery store shrooms that way. Have you?

I wish I had the room to try shitakes. I have a friend who grows them......yummy, yummy.

JDZ, one of my outdoor compost bins which doesn't get turned often developed mushrooms. I have red wigglers in this bin which devour the mushrooms when it does get turned. The frequently turned bin next to it never develops mushrooms. I am seriously considering doccat5's comment on growing shitakes in this bin next spring. It's in a perfect location for an experiment.

Sally, haven't done it, yet, been going to. I suggest you try.
Carol

Hmm, I think you misunderstood me. Shitakes are grown on seasoned oak logs. Mushroom growing is another whole interesting sub cultural group of gardeners.

Shitakes are common the spring after forest fires here. Lots of commercial pickers come into designated areas to harvest them. No fee required for the 5-gal bucket per day limit when the mushroom are sliced in half.

The white button mushrooms are probably the best choice if I leave the horse manure compost in the bin. But like you say doc, another topic...another time.

well, if I would dedicate a place to put a nice pile of old manure, and some gone-past store bought buttons, you would think eventually I might get some... I guess the waiting would be the hard part.

sally, what did you just say!? You can use mushrooms from the grocery store as a seed starter???

I love this site. I want to get rid of the scary looking things in my worm bin (indoor), the thread has turned into a how-to on growing mushrooms, converting me into a new project. Sallyg -- I anxiously await your response -- can you use store bought shrooms as seed?

Mushrooms grow from spores which are held in the gills on the botom of the cap. Store bought mushrooms can be used to introduce spores to the manure. It's an interesting subject.

katiebear

This may be interesting enough to start a new thread and look for somebody who actually knows something- that leaves me out!- let's go to Vegetable Gardening. Here: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/807697/

This message was edited Jan 26, 2008 2:34 PM