Posted by Dionne VictorOn Tuesday's "Homegrown," one listener called in for what she thought was the elusive mushroom soil. It turned out to not be so hard to find after all, though. The listener once lived in Pennsylvania, moved to Texas and now that she's back in Pennsylvania and she wanted to get her hands on the soil because of how it made her garden grow in the past.
Many gardeners like it because of its affordability and feel that it's a useful tool for amending their garden soil. Andrew said mushroom soil is prevalent in Pennsylvania, a state with a major mushroom growing inustry. The soil is actually steam sterilized horse manure mixed with other components like gypsum and straw, so it is essentially compost. After it's used it gets recycled in the gardens of local residents. To get your own mushroom compost, call a local mushroom grower and ask if they're giving out mushroom soil. Another listener called in and said to contact the Lancaster County extension agency or the Rodale Institute.
When using mushroom soil, care should be taken due to the high salt content which could kill germinating seeds. For younger plants, it's good to mix mushroom soil with your own to amend it. It works well for perenials, trees and shrubs.
The second caller advice that mushroom soil stores weed seeds vey well, so make absolutely sure that it has been heat-treated. You may find one or two mishapened mushrooms in your garden, too. Between weeds and fungi, you may be in for some surprises.
Do you use mushroom soil, where do you get yours from? Let us know.
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