Nothing to fear from mushrooms growing from the soil. Their appearance in your garden reveals the richness of your soil, or at least the presence of an abundance of decaying organic matter — a key component in healthy, life-enhancing soil. Dampness also encourages their growth; if you have experienced all the regular rainfall we have been getting here in southeastern Pa. this summer, you are bound to find some mushrooms somewhere. To reduce their appearance, you can try cultivating the soil and removing (and possibly replacing)any woody mulch, but sometimes it is very difficult to eliminate mushrooms since their extensive, hidden, undergound mycelia can spread far and wide, and their spores can easily be scattered, too, in the removal process. Also, any old dead tree or shrub roots sometimes remain for years underground, and from these decaying roots wood decay mushrooms will sprout above the soil surface.

Bill Rein – Burpee Horticulturist