Mycology in the Garden

When the rains come, mushrooms visit our gardens, peering at us through the flowers reminding us of the mysterious world just below the soil surface. What are they doing there? Are they hurting my plants? Can I eat them? This class will address these questions and explore the relationships fungi have with plants and the greater ecosystem. We will cover some techniques improving our soils with fungi and other ways to incorporate them into our vegetable gardens and landscapes.

You’ll learn:

• Basics of Fungi

• Basics of the Soil Food Web

• Building soil using the Soil Food Web

• How to incorporate fungi into culinary and ornamental gardens.

Hands on Skills:

• Expand mushroom spawn easily at home

• Build a mushroom patch

• Inoculate plants with beneficial fungi

• Methods for cultivating a healthy Soil Food Web

Supplies:

• Hardwood Mulch

• Mushroom Spawn

• Cardboard

• Mycorrhizae spores

• Native Plants

Equipment:

• Shovels

• Pitch Forks

• Heavy Duty Plastic Storage Bin