We have some raised beds in our children's garden at the museum. We only plant a few yellow squash plants because we didn't know how often the kids could return.
The squash have done well but now part of it is mildewed. I started cutting leaves off but wondered about saving the new ones. Is there something I can spray on the leaves to stop this mildew? Maybe a soap formula or a clorine bleach formula?
This message was edited Jul 22, 2011 3:07 PM
Yellow squash plant mildew
maybe try serenade
http://www.planetnatural.com/site/serenade-disease-control.html
I was hoping I could find something cheap and made at home. This garden and building date to 1881
Powdery mildew comes with our hot, damp climate. If it was earlier in the season I'd say spray with Daconil. At this date I'd say think about a replacement crop. Mine are done and I'm in the same zone. There is a method of spraying milk that is fairly effective and using cheap, off brand powdered milk is fine but it requires due diligence and is not worth the trouble once mildew has a hold. Summer squash is not really a long term crop like tomatoes or beans.
This won't help you for this season, since it looks like the pm has a strong hold now, but I found that when I lived in the south, mulching and watering from below really helped delay the onset. Of course, rain doesn't help and one can't help the rain, but I found that the less water that gets on the leaves the better. In your zone, you might get away with two crops. Maybe start some new ones somewhere else, pull out the old ones and do a fast crop of bush beans where the old ones were. I planted purple, yellow and green bush beans all mixed together with my granddaughter, and she thought the mix of colors was fun. Good luck!
PS I'd love to see photos of the garden with the house in the background. I sometimes fancy that I would like to marry an old house - and then I wake up!
Very cool. I was especially taken by the historic site in Lake Toxaway. Firstly, that is a beautiful location. Secondly, our daughter is a historic preservationist managing the conservator program for the state of Maryland. http://www.dnr.state.md.us/land/rcs/index.asp It's the oldest program of its kind in the country. People apply in hopes of obtaining a historic home and property on state owned land. They agree to restore, renovate or remodel, using their funds and under her guidance. In return for their sweat equity and/or investment they get a "life lease" on the property. It reverts back to the state upon the death of the conservators. Not for everyone, but interesting. Many of the properties are surrounded by state park lands. A certain amount of property is posted as private for the conservators. Some properties were old farms, now a part of park lands, some at the shore. A real variety of possibilities.
We have a statewide non-profit that promotes the sale and preservation of historic properties. They are excellent and have sold everything from cottages to the old Goodyear Tire Plant. I help out a little by getting people in contact with them. Their name is The Preservation Foundation of North Carolina but use the name Preservation/NC for short. Check out the website. I don't have the address right now but you can Google it.
I will. Thanks.
You may want to consider planting mildew resistant varieties next time.
Oh! I didn't know there were any but I will. Thanks for the heads-up!
Woodspirit, I checked out the preservation site and forwarded it to daughter. Very nice. Thanks.
Laurel
Hope she find something.
She is not looking for anything but would be interested from an academic and professional standpoint. She administrates a preservation program for the state of Maryland and manages the program conservators. She was formerly a historian with the National Register.