Last year my squashes and cucumbers were growing like weeds in the garden out back. I was proud, happily envisioning months of delicious stewed squash, cucumber sandwiches, and refreshing cucumber water.
Then I noticed a dusting of white powder on many of the leaves. I had a sense something was amiss but hoped it was merely dust that settled onto the leaves after a dry-weather lawn mowing session. I mean it easily wiped off. I told myself all would be right as rain when, well, it rained.
But as things deteriorated I had to resign myself to the awful truth that my cukes and squashes were in serious trouble. I consulted Google, which readily informed me that the “dust” I was seeing was actually powdery mildew. We found a home remedy, and it seemed to help somewhat, but I’d let the matter go too far. Although the plague did not kill the plants, they ceased to produce, and what vegetables had been on the way shriveled up and died on the vine. I was utterly heartbroken.
This year my squashes are looking wonderful, but you can rest assured I’ve got my eye on the underside of their leaves as this is where the dirty business gets started. About a week ago I noticed the beginnings of the white mildew on my cucumber plants. I quickly pinched off the affected leaves. I tried this a couple of days in a row but the mildew spread to many of the leaves. I was tempted to pull up the plant and get rid of it before all my squashes were affected but decided to try my home remedy this year. Perhaps with an early start, I could beat this thing!
Fortunately, the cucumbers are in an EarthBox on wheels, so I’ve relocated them far away from the other plants in the garden and begun dousing them with my concoction of 2 part skim milk to 3 parts water. I mixed this up and put it in a little spray bottle and keep it in the fridge. I’ve been hitting the leaves every other morning, and things are definitely improving!
We aren’t out of the woods yet, but the mildew is almost gone, the cucumbers are growing and nobody else seems to have been affected.
Yeah! No nasty chemicals in my garden, the cukes are thriving, and I’m happy that I’ve learned an important lesson about being watchful with my gardening and spotting and dealing with issues early… a stitch in time saves nine!
If you plan to try this method, it’s best to spray the leaves in the morning before it gets too hot. I can see the leaves have gotten a little singed but that’s okay. I’ve won the war with this one!
