Strange mushroom questions

**kita** · 04-18-2011, 03:05 PM

I have a community garden which I "inherited" this year. Last year I had a different plot so I was eager to see what the new plot looked like.
I have checked on it a couple of times but it has been cold and rainy so I haven't planted or even rototilled it yet. Hopefully it will be rototilled this week. (thanks to my brother!)
Besides a large bush of rosemary there is a fair amount of morel mushrooms growing on the plot now. I have picked and eaten them so I know that they are good mushrooms. They seem to be concentrated in a two foot square area. I thought I could mark that area off from being rototilled and let the mushrooms grow as long as possible. However someday it will be dry and sunny enough that the mushrooms will quit growing ...at least I think so.
So the question is, what can I grow after the mushrooms are gone. Will there be veges that would do well and some that won't grow well after having mushrooms there for several weeks?
Are there ways to encourage them to grow on a flat plot of land? How would I extend their growing season?
And I suppose I would welcome anyone with ideas on how to perserve them....

**Durgan** · 04-18-2011, 03:23 PM

Originally Posted by kita

I have a community garden which I "inherited" this year. Last year I had a different plot so I was eager to see what the new plot looked like.
I have checked on it a couple of times but it has been cold and rainy so I haven't planted or even rototilled it yet. Hopefully it will be rototilled this week. (thanks to my brother!)
Besides a large bush of rosemary there is a fair amount of morel mushrooms growing on the plot now. I have picked and eaten them so I know that they are good mushrooms. They seem to be concentrated in a two foot square area. I thought I could mark that area off from being rototilled and let the mushrooms grow as long as possible. However someday it will be dry and sunny enough that the mushrooms will quit growing ...at least I think so.
So the question is, what can I grow after the mushrooms are gone. Will there be veges that would do well and some that won't grow well after having mushrooms there for several weeks?
Are there ways to encourage them to grow on a flat plot of land? How would I extend their growing season?
And I suppose I would welcome anyone with ideas on how to perserve them....

I find it hard to believe that you have morels. What is your location?
Anyway mushrooms will in no way inhibit growing garden produce.

**kita** · 04-18-2011, 03:51 PM

My brother recognized them, ate one raw in front of me, and after I picked them I looked them up on line, ate them Sat. night and I am fine. They are a dark brown variety but on-line it says that is what is out here in Portland, Oregon.

**Spirit Deer** · 04-18-2011, 08:22 PM

Morels are our state mushroom here, and they're not that uncommon. I'm no expert, but it's my understanding nothing else looks like a morel so it's unlikely to pick something morel-like and harm yourself. Disclaimer: Always check with a reliable source before eating any wild mushrooms.

I have portabellas growing in a box in my sewing room at the moment (simple, fun, and tasty!) and this spring I've done a bit of research on growing various types of mushrooms outside. From what I understand, it's not unusual for mushrooms to spontaneously flourish for one season in a certain location, then never grow in that spot again. So I'm not sure you could get them to come back again. But again, I'm no expert. There's a lot of info on growing mushrooms online though.

I do know mushrooms deplete the nutrients in the soil they're in, which could be why they don't come back in the same place again. In the instructions that came with our mushroom kit, it says once the mushrooms stop producing, we can add the soil that came with the kit to our outdoor garden to enrich it. So based on that, I'd say you can go ahead and grow whatever you want in the spot where the morels are.

Good luck keeping your morels to yourself! They are highly prized and sought after, and if someone else sees them they might disappear.

BTW, if you see any tiny white spots in the dirt, stuff that looks like perlite, keep a close eye on it because those could be pinheads, which will grow into more mushrooms. Keep the dirt damp but not soggy.

**kita** · 04-18-2011, 09:19 PM

Originally Posted by Spirit Deer

Morels are our state mushroom here, and they're not that uncommon. I'm no expert, but it's my understanding nothing else looks like a morel so it's unlikely to pick something morel-like and harm yourself. Disclaimer: Always check with a reliable source before eating any wild mushrooms.

I do know mushrooms deplete the nutrients in the soil they're in, which could be why they don't come back in the same place again. In the instructions that came with our mushroom kit, it says once the mushrooms stop producing, we can add the soil that came with the kit to our outdoor garden to enrich it. So based on that, I'd say you can go ahead and grow whatever you want in the spot where the morels are.

Good luck keeping your morels to yourself! They are highly prized and sought after, and if someone else sees them they might disappear.

BTW, if you see any tiny white spots in the dirt, stuff that looks like perlite, keep a close eye on it because those could be pinheads, which will grow into more mushrooms. Keep the dirt damp but not soggy.

Damp but NOT soggy has been a bit of a trick this spring since soggy has been the name of the game for the weather.
And that bit about not confusing morels with anything else is almost word for word what my brother was saying as he was munching on a raw one in the garden,

**Spirit Deer** · 04-18-2011, 09:59 PM

Well, if it's soggy and your morels are still happy, then who am I to say anything different?

I'd like to reiterate I'm NOT a reliable source when it comes to mushroom identification, so always be sure to check with someone who is. Bad things can happen with wild mushrooms. Your local DNR should be able to ID mushrooms if there's any question.

**kita** · 04-18-2011, 10:23 PM

What is a DNR? I work as a caregiver with often very ill patients so to me a DNR is a "Do not resuscitate" order which doesn't sound very promising when connected to wild mushrooms.

**Spirit Deer** · 04-18-2011, 11:10 PM

DNR=Department of Natural Resources. It might be called something else in your state.

Yeah, Do Not Resuscitate would definitely be a bad thing when talking about eating wild mushrooms!

**Spirit Deer** · 04-19-2011, 09:41 AM

I was wrong. There are mushrooms that look like morels but aren't, and they're poisonous. Although it stills seems like they're easy to tell apart from real morels. False morel info.

That link leads to a very interesting and informative page all about mushrooms, including a how-to on growing mushroom spawn using cardboard. I may have to give that a try! We're loving growing our mushrooms from a kit, but the kit would have been about $50 if I wouldn't have had a $25 coupon. Even with the coupon, it's expensive although worth it for the experience. But if I can find a less expensive way to grow my own mushrooms, I'm sure going to give it a try.

**Nishu** · 04-19-2011, 10:05 AM

You should post a pic of your mushrooms. We hunt morels around this time of year and I've never seen a bunch of them together. Having a bunch in your garden would be like winning the lottery.