• Toadstool

    From Jim the Geordie@jim@geordieland.com to uk.rec.gardening on Fri Apr 10 11:42:40 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.gardening


    I bought a pack of Westland Cacti & Succulent Mix online.
    I awoke this morning to find a toadstool (or mushroom) had pushed
    compost all over my windowsill.
    I imagined the compost should be sterile or is this common?

    Jim the Geordie
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  • From The Natural Philosopher@tnp@invalid.invalid to uk.rec.gardening on Fri Apr 10 16:24:06 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.gardening

    On 10/04/2026 11:42, Jim the Geordie wrote:

    I bought a pack of Westland Cacti & Succulent Mix online.
    I awoke this morning to find a toadstool (or mushroom) had pushed
    compost all over my windowsill.
    I imagined the compost should be sterile or is this common?

    It's not , But I once had a morel spring up out of some bark mulch. We
    ate it.

    If it's edible eat it!
    --
    WOKE is an acronym... Without Originality, Knowledge or Education.

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  • From Chris Hogg@me@privacy.net to uk.rec.gardening on Fri Apr 10 17:20:46 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.gardening

    On Fri, 10 Apr 2026 16:24:06 +0100, The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:

    On 10/04/2026 11:42, Jim the Geordie wrote:

    I bought a pack of Westland Cacti & Succulent Mix online.
    I awoke this morning to find a toadstool (or mushroom) had pushed
    compost all over my windowsill.
    I imagined the compost should be sterile or is this common?

    It's not , But I once had a morel spring up out of some bark mulch. We
    ate it.

    If it's edible eat it!

    Only if you can identify it with absolute certainty! Otherwise, chuck
    it! Most toadstools are fairly harmless, but not worth eating. Some
    are quite tasty, but a few are highly poisonous.
    --

    Chris

    Gardening in West Cornwall, very mild, sheltered
    from the West, but open to the North and East.
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  • From Bill Davy@Bill@XchelSys.co.uk to uk.rec.gardening on Fri Apr 10 19:14:05 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.gardening

    On 10/04/2026 17:20, Chris Hogg wrote:
    On Fri, 10 Apr 2026 16:24:06 +0100, The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:

    On 10/04/2026 11:42, Jim the Geordie wrote:

    I bought a pack of Westland Cacti & Succulent Mix online.
    I awoke this morning to find a toadstool (or mushroom) had pushed
    compost all over my windowsill.
    I imagined the compost should be sterile or is this common?

    It's not , But I once had a morel spring up out of some bark mulch. We
    ate it.

    If it's edible eat it!

    Only if you can identify it with absolute certainty! Otherwise, chuck
    it! Most toadstools are fairly harmless, but not worth eating. Some
    are quite tasty, but a few are highly poisonous.


    But if not edible, no regrets
    --- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From The Natural Philosopher@tnp@invalid.invalid to uk.rec.gardening on Fri Apr 10 20:16:14 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.gardening

    On 10/04/2026 17:20, Chris Hogg wrote:
    On Fri, 10 Apr 2026 16:24:06 +0100, The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:

    On 10/04/2026 11:42, Jim the Geordie wrote:

    I bought a pack of Westland Cacti & Succulent Mix online.
    I awoke this morning to find a toadstool (or mushroom) had pushed
    compost all over my windowsill.
    I imagined the compost should be sterile or is this common?

    It's not , But I once had a morel spring up out of some bark mulch. We
    ate it.

    If it's edible eat it!

    Only if you can identify it with absolute certainty! Otherwise, chuck
    it! Most toadstools are fairly harmless, but not worth eating. Some
    are quite tasty, but a few are highly poisonous.


    Its pretty simple to ID the really lethal ones. Most of the rest vary
    from stomach upset to really disgusting or vaguely edible.
    Only a few are worth eating though
    --
    How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't think.

    Adolf Hitler


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  • From Jim the Geordie@Jim@geordieland.com to uk.rec.gardening on Tue Apr 14 10:07:53 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.gardening

    On 10/04/2026 20:16, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
    On 10/04/2026 17:20, Chris Hogg wrote:
    On Fri, 10 Apr 2026 16:24:06 +0100, The Natural Philosopher
    <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:

    On 10/04/2026 11:42, Jim the Geordie wrote:

    I bought a pack of Westland Cacti & Succulent Mix online.
    I awoke this morning to find a toadstool (or mushroom) had pushed
    compost all over my windowsill.
    I imagined the compost should be sterile or is this common?

    It's not , But I once had a morel spring up out of some bark mulch. We
    ate it.

    If it's edible eat it!

    Only if you can identify it with absolute certainty! Otherwise, chuck
    it! Most toadstools are fairly harmless, but not worth eating. Some
    are quite tasty, but a few are highly poisonous.


    Its pretty simple to ID the really lethal ones. Most of the rest vary
    from stomach upset to really disgusting or vaguely edible.
    Only a few are worth eating though



    I did get a reply from Westland. The gist was that all their composts
    are heat treated for bugs and such, but over-doing that would leave the compost useless.
    I suspect that they may have used 'spent' mushroom compost in their mix
    - which, incidentally, if you can get it, makes wonderful soil conditioner.
    --
    Jim the Geordie
    --- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Jeff Layman@Jeff@invalid.invalid to uk.rec.gardening on Tue Apr 14 10:45:12 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.gardening

    On 14/04/2026 10:07, Jim the Geordie wrote:
    On 10/04/2026 20:16, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
    On 10/04/2026 17:20, Chris Hogg wrote:
    On Fri, 10 Apr 2026 16:24:06 +0100, The Natural Philosopher
    <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:

    On 10/04/2026 11:42, Jim the Geordie wrote:

    I bought a pack of Westland Cacti & Succulent Mix online.
    I awoke this morning to find a toadstool (or mushroom) had pushed
    compost all over my windowsill.
    I imagined the compost should be sterile or is this common?

    It's not , But I once had a morel spring up out of some bark mulch. We >>>> ate it.

    If it's edible eat it!

    Only if you can identify it with absolute certainty! Otherwise, chuck
    it! Most toadstools are fairly harmless, but not worth eating. Some
    are quite tasty, but a few are highly poisonous.


    Its pretty simple to ID the really lethal ones. Most of the rest vary
    from stomach upset to really disgusting or vaguely edible.
    Only a few are worth eating though



    I did get a reply from Westland. The gist was that all their composts
    are heat treated for bugs and such, but over-doing that would leave the compost useless.
    I suspect that they may have used 'spent' mushroom compost in their mix
    - which, incidentally, if you can get it, makes wonderful soil conditioner.

    Just for info, note that mushroom compost contains chalk and so is best avoided as a soil conditioner for fussy ericaceous plants.
    --
    Jeff
    --- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Adam Funk@a24061a@ducksburg.com to uk.rec.gardening on Tue Apr 14 13:07:53 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.gardening

    On 2026-04-10, Jim the Geordie wrote:


    I bought a pack of Westland Cacti & Succulent Mix online.
    I awoke this morning to find a toadstool (or mushroom) had pushed
    compost all over my windowsill.
    I imagined the compost should be sterile or is this common?

    I assume you'd already opened the compost and put it in an open
    container? It's quite possible for spores to blow on the wind and land
    there, although I'm not sure how long it takes for them to form
    fruiting bodies.
    --- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Jim the Geordie@jim@geordieland.com to uk.rec.gardening on Tue Apr 14 18:13:39 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.gardening

    On 14/04/2026 13:07, Adam Funk wrote:
    On 2026-04-10, Jim the Geordie wrote:


    I bought a pack of Westland Cacti & Succulent Mix online.
    I awoke this morning to find a toadstool (or mushroom) had pushed
    compost all over my windowsill.
    I imagined the compost should be sterile or is this common?

    I assume you'd already opened the compost and put it in an open
    container? It's quite possible for spores to blow on the wind and land
    there, although I'm not sure how long it takes for them to form
    fruiting bodies.

    FWIW it was fresh from a new pack (indoors)
    Anyhow, see my earlier answer from Westland.
    --
    Jim the Geordie
    --- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2