Grow Your Own Magazine

I've got several butternut squash and cucumber plants, all of which have been doing quite well.

However, one of each plant are now looking decidedly ill The leaves are turning sort of 'papery' and losing their colour. I've looked up info on diseases and the one it looks most like is powdery mildew but it also says that's more common in a drought (which we're certainly not having here!). Is there something else it might be? They're outdoors, about 3m away from each other. The cucumber is in a bucket and the squash is in a wheelbarrow.

I'm not sure what to do! I'm loathe to destroy the two affected plants if I'm just being daft and getting in a flap about nothing but if I'm about to lose my entire curcubit crop, then I'd best go out in the rain and get rid of them right now!

Any advice gratefully recieved!

Claire

I've got that with a pumpkin, I watched it on Wednesday and each leaf went limp one at a time, I still dont know, someone said maybe its a root problem

I think probably weather damage seahorse. Curcubits are fussy weatherwise and the weather has been miserably cold, wet and windy. Some of mine died by inches. The squash are doing fine but what's left of my cucumbers are struggling. I hope yours will be OK.

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From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.

Thanks. I think I'll take off the damaged leaves and see what happens then. It has been horribly wet and cold here. I'm much happier thinking it's bad weather than some awful lurgy that will wipe out the whole crop!

Claire

I took off the leaves that had powdery mildew last week, and the plants have grown better because of it.

Due to only having a small space, and the plants not being a huge distance aprt because of our limited space, i don't think they will grow as well as they could.

Loathe to take them out, think i might treat this year of more of an experiment, and see how the fruits are they produce, although i do have spilt stems and a dark green base where the plant meets the soil already.

Good luck helping them grow, we all hate it when things don't grow as well as they could!

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Vegmonkey and the Mrs. - vegetable gardening in a small space in Cheltenham at www.vegmonkey.co.uk

my squash leaves have become very pale and thin too - not sure why. There's been plenty of rain and I've even watered if it's been dry for more than a couple of days. I've fed them with some tomorite and they've really perked up. Have you been feeding yours?