You won’t believe what happened today. I was strolling peacefully through my little vegetable garden, dreaming of coffee and some blessed peace, when suddenly, like in a B-movie horror, I noticed something strange on one of the beds. Among the mulch and slightly rotten leaves, tiny dirty field mushrooms were popping up.

They looked like miniature umbrellas. I wondered what they were doing there and what I should do with them. Pull them out and toss them in the rubbish? Burn them? Call the health authorities? Does this mean my soil is contaminated? Will it harm my vegetables in the spring? Or maybe Mother Nature is just playing a joke on me?

I decided to do a little research online. It turns out, field mushrooms aren’t that rare in garden beds. On the contrary, they are part of the natural ecosystem and work in symbiosis with plants. They even help maintain soil moisture and structure! Basically, they’re like gardeners, only uglier.

I also learned that most field mushrooms are not poisonous, but they aren’t edible either because their texture is extremely rubbery. So it’s not worth picking or destroying them — doing so would only harm ourselves and our plants. It’s better to leave them alone and enjoy their charm as eccentric little tenants of our garden bed.

Now I know that the field mushrooms in my bed aren’t a problem. They’re a sign that my soil is healthy and full of life. Proof that nature has a sense of humour and likes to surprise us right under our feet. And me? I no longer see them as intruders, but as tiny, dirty helpers. Maybe I’ll even give them names.