Growing Garden Mushrooms: Mushrooms are Good for Your Garden

Written by: Luke Marion

Published on March 16, 2025

Updated on March 16, 2025

Mushrooms are not plants but fungi that play a vitally important role. Contrary to popular belief, mushrooms are good for your garden, not bad.

Did you know that they can even decontaminate polluted soil?! Their beneficial relationships with plants are integral to obtaining the correct balance in the garden. Mushrooms are so favorable that you may decide you want to grow more of them in your garden beds.

A man looking at mushrooms growing in a garden.

In this post, you’ll learn about the benefits of mushrooms, types of garden mushrooms, cultivation of edible mushrooms, and how to increase soil mycology to help your overall plant health and gardening success.

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Gardening Success

My goal is to inspire others and help them succeed in the garden. After all, who wouldn’t like to enjoy an Autopilot Garden that basically grows itself?

Good soil quality is key to enjoying a thriving, low-maintenance garden. That’s why I’ve created resources about soil composition, amending soil, making compost, vermicomposting, the importance of mulching, and this post.

Understanding the Magic of Mushrooms

Many gardeners fear mushrooms, wondering which ones are poisonous mushrooms, if they are bad for their garden, and if nearby plants will become inedible. The truth is that mushrooms are a good sign of healthy soil.

Mushrooms are an indicator species of a vigorous mycological environment and healthy ecosystem, just like turtles are indicators of a healthy marine ecosystem and trout are indicators of clean, cold water. Mushrooms growing in an area usually indicate the presence of mycorrhizae.

Mushroom blooms or caps are the fruiting bodies (the visible part above ground responsible for reproduction) while the magic is happening underneath the soil. Mycorrhiza is a symbiotic relationship between fungi and plant roots in the soil.

Because mushrooms cannot photosynthesize like plants, they need a food source. That food source could be decaying matter or, in the case of mycorrhiza, a living plant. The plant creates sugars and carbohydrates that the fungi can feed on, and the fungi help the plant absorb trace minerals, nutrients, and even water.

The Hidden Benefits of Mushrooms

When I say that I want mushrooms in my garden, I am not just talking about edible mushrooms but mushrooms that will help my plants thrive. Here are more benefits of mushrooms:

Enrich Soil - Mushrooms break down organic matter and improve soil quality by releasing nutrients into the soil.
Soil Structure - Fungal hyphae (similar to a root system) improve soil aeration and water retention and bind particles together, improving soil structure.
Plant Health - A fungally dominated soil improves plant health and disease resistance.
Plant Growth - Mushrooms and their hyphae help plants absorb more nutrients and water, leading to increased growth.
Decomposition - Worms shouldn’t get all the credit; fungi account for about 80% of decomposition!

Types of Garden Mushrooms

Mushrooms take on many different forms, but not all are bad. It's a good idea to have a mushroom identification book for the area where you garden. Common Mushrooms of the Midwest is a handy guide to mushroom species found here in Michigan.

You can also do a Google image search using Google Lens to determine which type of mushroom you have. Before eating garden mushrooms, it's crucial to understand safe mushroom identification and harvesting to avoid any dangers!

Mushroom Type	Environmental Benefits	Growth Conditions
Inkcap Mushroom	This is an indicator species of a good mycological environment and healthy soil.	Inkcap mushrooms are common and grow in colonies on rotting wood and organic material.
Fairy Ring Mushroom	These mushrooms are mycorrhizal fungi that create more fertile soil and microbial diversity.	These mushrooms are commonly found in yards and gardens containing much organic matter. They enjoy wet conditions.
Turkey Tail Mushroom	This mushroom is part of nature’s recycling system. It breaks down fallen leaves, dead plants, and trees.	Turkey Tail mushrooms usually form on moist, old, untreated wood away from direct sunlight.
Oyster Mushrooms	Oyster mushrooms are delicious edible mushrooms. They are great for the garden and, through their hyphae, can even suppress soil-borne pathogens.	Oyster mushrooms grow in cool but humid environments on an organic substrate. They prefer indirect light and good air circulation.
Shiitake Mushrooms	These mushrooms break down organic matter, like wood, and return essential nutrients to the soil.	Shiitake mushrooms grow well on hardwood logs in a damp, shaded environment.
Lion’s Mane Mushrooms	Lion’s Mane is a gourmet edible mushroom that recycles essential nutrients back into the soil from decaying wood.	Grows well on hardwood logs and straw in a shaded environment.
Morel Mushrooms	Morels are a mycorrhizal mushroom that benefits nearby plants. These edible mushrooms are a delicacy.	Morels are considered hard to cultivate, but if conditions are right, they could grow in a garden (usually in wood mulch).

Creating the Perfect Environment for Mushroom Growth

Here are some simple ways to increase the overall mycology in your soil and encourage mushroom growth:

Add Fresh Compost - Mushrooms love organic material so adding fresh compost regularly will increase the amount of beneficial fungi in your soil.
Use Predominantly Cold-Composted Compost - Cold composting achieves fungally dominated compost. When composting happens slowly, over time, it increases the mycology in the soil. While hot composting works very fast, it tends to break down and kill fungal spores.
Inoculate Soil With Spores - Buy powdered or pelletized mycorrhizae fungi and inoculate your raised beds with them to increase their population in your soil. Pro-Tip: First, ensure the soil is a hospitable environment for fungi. If there is not a “home” for the spores, the inoculation won’t help.
Bury Logs - Hyphae can attach to and feed on rotting logs. Burying logs in raised beds helps decrease the amount of soil needed to fill a bed, helps retain moisture, and invites mushroom growth.
Add Wood Mulch - Properly applying mulch to the garden will increase the mycology by creating the right environment for beneficial fungi to thrive!

Edible Mushroom Cultivation

I always err on the side of caution when it comes to eating wild mushrooms because some are very dangerous, and there are many look-alikes, which makes correct identification tricky. Do not eat garden mushrooms unless you can 100% confidently identify them!

We enjoy eating gourmet edible mushrooms grown from mushroom growing kits. They are a fun and creative way to learn how to grow delicious mushrooms outdoors, in mushroom beds, or in your kitchen.

Our kits do not require special equipment, and each one includes a culture, instructions and a glossary of mycology terms. Mycology can help you improve your garden!

Now let's grow bigger!

Are mushrooms bad for my garden?

No, mushrooms are good for your garden. They help break down organic matter and make the soil healthier for your plants.

Are mushrooms good to eat?

Many mushrooms are tasty, healthy, and safe to eat, but some are poisonous. Do not eat wild mushrooms unless you can 100% confidently identify them!

Should I remove mushrooms from my garden?

No, fungally dominated soil is good for a garden. Mushrooms are beneficial fungi that improve soil quality, plant health, and plant growth.

How can I increase the beneficial fungi in my garden?

Adding compost, inoculating the soil with spores, avoiding disturbing the soil, and adding mulch can all increase beneficial fungi.

What is the best way to grow mushrooms?

A mushroom growing kit is a great way for beginners to learn how to grow mushrooms.

How do I identify mushrooms?

It's a good idea to have a mushroom identification book (like Common Mushrooms of the Midwest) for your area. You can also identify the mushrooms you find by doing a Google image search using Google Lens.

What are some well-known types of mushrooms?

Some well-known types of edible mushrooms include shiitake, chanterelles, oyster mushrooms, and portobello. Some well-known wild mushrooms include inkcaps, mushroom agaricus campestris, and fly agaric amanita muscaria.