I've seen some spindly mushrooms in the compost, I think it's no big deal and like you I just turned them back into the compost.

Lloyd

Mushroom sprouting is quite common for my shaded coffee-ground compost. I used to pick them and give them to my neighbor's chicken and they seem happy eating those. Come to think of it, that is probably not safe for the sorry chickens consumption.

Mushrooms are the seed stalks of the fungi that live in your soil. When conditions, warm and moist soil, are right mushrooms grow and will produce and spread spores that will grow more colonies of fungi. Fungi do prefer to live and grow in soils with very high levels of organic matter, but are a normal part of our world. Turning any that grow uip back into the soil they grew in is okay.

If they are the "magic" kind, eat them. You think composting is interesting now, watch out!

Blaze! LOLOLOLOL!!!!!!!

I had mushrooms popping up everywhere last summer and I thought something was wrong with my soil. It turns out to be normal here, and the squirrels eat them. I think I saw about 10 different kinds of mushrooms on my property.

I just wanted to comment though that you should dry that compost somehow. It will start to get pretty funky if it is that wet in a container with so little air. Maybe leave the lid off for a while so some moisture can evaporate.

You should find out if they are beneficial mushrooms and are actually helping your trees. That would be cool.

nancyjane-Your in NorCal so you know what Im talking about!! :-)

Thanks for your information, everyone! Very informative, as usual :)

Blazeaglory, I can guarantee they aren't helping my trees as I don't have trees :) I live on the prairie - every single tree in our city was planted by hand and there are no trees on our little lot.