when mildew isn't mildew

[T]

Hi All,

I freaked out for no reason on the powder mildew front on my Ronde de Nice Zukes. Turns out that is the way they are suppose to look.

That doesn't mean I am home free. Just panicky. (Powder mildew has destroyed a lot of my zukes in years past.)

[songbird]

five or six years ago i think we started trying to grow cucumbers here. some failures sure. a few times we didn't get much at all (because of location or failure to water them enough). experience helps. :)

the past few years have been pretty good.

on the whole, remember that annuals have a life cycle too, that they can start strong and do ok for a while, but then they may fade or struggle. and that may be ok, just how it goes sometimes.

i try not to freak out about diseases or insects. sometimes diseases are best avoided by picking other plants/varieties. and bugs can sometimes be worked around too. like the other day. i had a red chard plant. the leaves have been chewed a bit by grasshoppers. i don't mind that at all. they don't eat the whole thing. so i just rinse the leaves off to make sure there's nobody hanging on and then chop 'em up. tasted like red chard to me. :)

peace,

songbird