This winter I added some planter box soil to one of my planters. Not the normal Kellogg planter box soil I use but a different brand. During the rain the last month these mushrooms popped up. Are they edible, poisonous, or hallucinogenic? This has never happened before. Thank you for your response.

It looks like a cup fungus. Just ignore it, don't eat it.

Thank you for your quick reply. I certainly won't use that brand of planter box mix anymore.

My pleasure. If your plants are growing well, don't worry about it. Fungi are a normal part of the decomposition of some woody organic matter.

Considering how much rain we have gotten this month, mushrooms may have grown in the Kellogg's too. Its a pretty common mushroom and spores can go everywhere.

Fortunately, they were only in the beds where I added the supplemental soil. We did get almost 7 1/2" of rain in 2 days. Thank you.

A lot of rain here recently too. Wish we could save some of it for August!

Mushrooms and fungi (except for something like a shotgun or artillery fungus) are harmless and normal in a garden. There's no reason to lament their presence or try to do anything to get rid of them, as long as your window boxes can drain and don't hold standing water.

Yes! Fungi (including mushrooms) are part of a working soil ecosystem. It's a good thing! There are some diseases that are caused by fungi, but overall, it is much better to have a diversity of soil flora. It helps keep the soil and the plants that grow in it healthy.

The fungus in the image is a member of the genus Peziza and it is considered edible, but it is not often eaten in western cultures. You can find it for sale for eating in the fungus sections of Chinese grocery stores.

Identifying which species of Peziza it is, is extremely difficult.
They are considered harmless but like many other mushrooms they release a lot of spores and these are not good to breathe in enclosed spaces for extended time, because they can build up in the lungs. Lung related injuries used to be common among workers who grew mushrooms but today many of the types growing commercially have been bred or altered to make them have reduced spore loads.

I do not recommend eating any fungi identified by photographs online, however the genus Peziza is instantly recognizable and is known to be safe and edible, but has been linked to illness related to exposure to it's spores.

So that is the type of fungus and the risks it specifically poses.
I've been studying mycology for a long time and know this genus well.

Thank you very much for your detailed description.

FolsomFrank said: Thank you very much for your detailed description.

It's my pleasure.

I have these in my yard where I am about to move my ducks are the harmful to them should I remove them?

purplecargir said: I have these in my yard where I am about to move my ducks are the harmful to them should I remove them?

No, don't worry about it