Q+A: Powdery Mildew on Cuc and ZucchiniCAROL WROTE: (in late July)We've had a nice steady stream of cucumbers, and the zucchinis have been good too...except that I'm pretty sure we have powdery mildew. I ignored it for a long time. I feel like the production of zucchini has definitely slowed. What should I do about it?
Response: 
Powdery mildew on squash and cucumbers is pretty much a given here in Toronto, so expect it every year. By fall my plants often have lots of powdery mildew. I don’t worry about it because by that time I’ve harvested lots and the season is drawing to a close. This time of year is a bit early [Carol emailed me in July]—but that’s not a surprise given the heat and humidity we’ve had, coupled with some cooler nights. Here’s the challenge with powdery mildew: by the time it’s really noticeable, it’s too late to effectively treat it (even with the hard-core products that commercial growers can buy.) Our average first fall frost is usually mid October. Many varieties of Zucchini take 40-50 days from seed to produce. You could probably seed some now for fall harvest. (I just seeded some cucumbers last week where my potato crop succumbed to rot from all the rain early in the season).
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