Mold On Zucchini Leaves

This is my latest gardening hurdle: there is powdery, grayish mold on many of my zucchini leaves. As it turns out, there are a few simple things you can try to combat this.

First and foremost - never put moldy leaves in your compost. The spores will survive and spread.

As for getting rid of mold on leaves, I was able to find three different organic solutions that can be sprayed directly on the plants to alleviate mold:

1. Chamomile tea. Make a strong brew and let it cool first before spraying. Chamomile tea is high in sulfur and is a natural fungicide.
2. Baking soda and water. Mix 1 tbsp of Baking Soda and 1 gallon of water and spray on leaves.
3. Skim milk and water. Combine at a 50/50 ratio and spray on. This remedy supposedly changes the pH of the surface of the leaves, which prohibits the mold from surviving.

PS - here's a handy link http://www.ghorganics.com/page15.html with more remedies for other plant diseases (in addition to mold).


Plant Avenue Home

My Good Veggie Crops This Year...

...have been tomatoes, beans, peas, zucchini and cucumber. Here's a picture of some tomatoes and beans I picked recently.

My biggest challenge with the tomatoes has been keeping them up off the ground. The plants need to be propped up, or the weight of the growing fruit will pull the branches down. (The beans require less effort to keep up because they're lighter.)

My advice to anyone who has never grown tomatoes or beans before is to plant them along the edge of your garden if it's enclosed with a fence (this is what I do, then simply tie them up against the fence). Either that or have long sticks and twine ready, or purchase plant "cages" from your local gardening store to support the plants.

While I love the Roma tomatoes and the beans from the garden, the cherry tomatoes are fabulous!! Store bought cherry tomatoes simply cannot compare. If you've considered growing them but have never tried, you should - you won't regret it :)