I realize I was supposed to post this yesterday for Death Day (held the last day of day of each month to show off all the skeletons in the closet so to speak). I had the wonderful opportunity to use this bed for one summer season to grow various squash and pumpkins, my favorite. Yay! This fall I'll be putting a semi-dwarf apple there. In the meantime I planted Jack O' Lanterns, Sugar Pumpkins, Fairytale Squash and summer Yellow Crookneck Squash. And they did great for most of the summer. However powdery mildew snuck up on me and in three strikes took out most of my plants.
The main reasons for death seem to be the following.
1.) It came on in the very hottest part of our summer which was also unusually humid for our region, the perfect conditions for powdery mildew. It didn't help that I noticed it late either.
2.) Once I realized what a terror it was going to be and galvanized myself into action, the spay bottle I was using to broke half way though the first application of a milk/baking soda mix.
3.) The next day we left for a week to go to a beach house on the Washington Coast. By the time we got back it had done its worst. As you can see the pumpkins, despite the mildew, look lovely. I think at least the winter gourds will be fine. There is no more summer yellow crook neck squash left worth eating.
8 comments:
Mine looked just like yours, but the yellow crookneck had areas of green where it was still producing. Most of the butternut was green, but so entangled in the mildewy pumpkin...I went crazy and pulled everything out yesterday. It looks so bare!
It's such a sad sight! I can't bare to pull it yet, though I should. At least the other pumpkin patch is doing well and is still pretty healthy.
Maybe you could sneak some fall/winter crops in there? It's not too late for another round of bush beans, radishes, kale, etc....
Bummer....At least the pumpkins finished maturing for ya, though.
I only have 45 days left before we get ready to leave, so radishes, lettuce and spinach might be doable. I moved a bucket of cantaloupe over under the ladder. It wasn't doing too well next to the shed, maybe the squash patch will be a better place. Toni sent me some hollyhock seeds, so I'd like to scatter those at the rear of the squash bed, up next to the fence. I haven't a lot of time to finish harvesting and start the cleanup!
The pumpkins do look good. Amazing. The plant? Ugh!!!!
Wow, Granny, only 45 days?
I can't believe how fast that PM took over. Incredible.
I'm sure it won't be long for a bunch of my stuff to look like that...PM has taken over a lot of my stuff too. But I only have one small pumpkin and it is still green!
EG, yeah I think I got lucky!
Granny, I CANNOT believe it's almost time for you to go back already! Summer flew by didn't it?
Sue & Ribbit, my sentiments exactly.
Shawn Ann, hope your pumpkin matures before the PM kills the plant.
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