Mildew

[Melanie Alderton]

My Strawberries, Courgette and Cucmber are covered in Mildew. I have been told that if I spary milk on the leaves this will solve the problem, but does anyone know how to avoid it in the first instance?

[Nick B]

very diluted vinger into water spreayed on the affected area is a cheap and organic way to do so. apply regulary. I read also, adequate ventilation is neccecary, i guess to eliminate water on leaves as christy mentioned.

[Christy Ralphs]

I'm no expert.... it's pretty hard to totally avoid mildew in Auckland with our climate if you're gardening organically but tips include never watering on the leaves, and spraying regularly with various mixtures - some based around milk, others based around baking soda like this one I suspect you need to be pretty disciplined about doing it regularly. Maybe another Ooooby member has tried this out? I try to keep my plants growing strongly with sufficient water and a seaweed brew, and then when they eventually succumb I figure they've done their dash. This year I've put in a 'late' crop of curcubits in a completely different place as the early ones start to wind down. Hope that's helpful. By the way there is a group on Ooooby called 'food growing questions and advice' which is a good place to post questions like this.