That is a fungus that is working on digesting the organic material in the soil in that bed. Perhaps this, http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detailfull/soils/health/biology/?cid=nrcs142p2_053864 might be of some help.

kimmq is kimmsr

Yes - fungus. I can't actually see much soil in the photo. It all looks like semi-decomposed organic material, including lots of wood chips, which are still undergoing composting. Have you grown anything in it yet? How did it fare?

Fungi are actually the first wave of decomposers of wood, so they often show up in/on wood mulches. Very few of them turn out to be harmful to garden plants, and in fact, they are a beneficial and essential part of the soil ecosystem.

A few strawberry plants and a couple of watermelon vines were grown in this soil. They did okay but needed more square footage to grow. The soil we used was cheaper and had tons of wood, so it makes sense that the fungi would go crazy. Everything has been removed from the and bed I've been tossing the soil with other darker wormy soil I have. Does anyone have suggestions on how to bring those whiter clumps back to life? Compost? Toss with other healthier soil?

"Does anyone have suggestions on how to bring those whiter clumps back to life?"

They are the dead remnants of fungal mycelia. They will be decomposed by other soil microbes real soon.

No remediation is necessary. You didn't need to remove the soil, so just put it back.

Good to know, thanks so much!

Those white strands are the mycella, the vegetative part of a fungi. It is not dead but is alive and is how fungi propagate.

kimmq is kimmsr

There is TONS in the bed. If I dig down I can find solid horizontal layers of what looks like depleted soil/broken down wood chips that is white like this. I've been taking it out and mixing in darker worm-infested soil because it doesn't seem like it can be very good for the plants. Like someone said above it doesn't even seem like there is any soil left in the white clumps. So if the fungi is alive and I don't want a fungi infestation I should take it out? Leave it? Is there something I can do to lessen/kill the fungi?

If it's not harmful I'll just leave it and put the soil back. It just doesn't look "right," but hey that's a big mistake a lot of people make when gardening.

Calm down brujitachica. You should know that fungi does not eat the same food as your crops. What fungi eats is useless to your crops - dead wood. Fungi does little or no harm to your soil and when it dies(when there is no dead wood left for it), it contributes to your soil because micro organism eats it.

The easiest and quickest way to kill fungi and mushroom is to pour urine on them. Nitrogen kills them really fast.

I'm perfectly calm and really have no knowledge of fungi, so I wouldn't know that. That's why I come here to ask questions and learn more.

I'm aware it's not harmful now, I was just wondering if I didn't like the looks of it how I could get rid of it. Thanks for the suggestion.

Fungi are part of the Soil Food Web, part of what makes a good healthy soil, although there are also fungi that can cause diseases in plants. There is no good reason to try and kill soil fungi or dig it out of the soil and throw it away. Along with bacteria, earthworms, numerous insects, those wee thingys that make up the Soil Food Web fungi serve important roles in the soil. Some people even pay money to purchase some fungi, mycorrhizal fungi, for example, fungi that form a symbiotic (mutually beneficial) relationship with some plant species.

For the most part fungi are good, beneficial, in the soil.

kimmq is kimmsr

Yes, they are turning the shredded wood (which should not have been in those bags of 'topsoil' to begin with) into organic matter that will improve the soil. It's just a little early in the process. Instead of eating a nice grilled bratwurst, you've stumbled upon the sausage factory. Just be patient and the soil will get better over time as that organic matter is digested.

Thanks all! Yeah definitely have taken to heart the difference in soil quality based on price. We were on a tight budget and the cheapest brand had a lot of wood in it. I will leave my fungi friends alone and toss back in the pot of soil I took out. And maybe pee on it for some good measure ;)

"back to life?" that mycelium is the best part of that soil. There are vegetables that benefit hugely from that thing...

Good luck, come back and keep us posted on your efforts. Although we don't need too much detail on the peeing part, we pretty much have that figured out.