When most of us start our first gardens, we have a clue that we'll have to deal with weeds and pests,

but a lot of times it's the diseases that catch us off guard.

One of those diseases that plagues my garden every year and has plagued many of yours too,

from what I have heard, is powdery mildew.

In my garden, this is the time of year that it gets bad and it affects my crops more this time of year than any others, although it can strike

pretty much all season. For today's episode, I have put my research cap back on and I have done the work so that you don't have to.

I don't know everything there is to know about powdery mildew, but I've tried my best to get my

hands on the best sources that I could to bring you an episode that kind of demystifies this

disease, but not only explains it, but also tells you what you can do about it.

Hi, I'm Jill and in 2013 I started my first garden, having no background, knowledge, or experience

whatsoever. Now I am embarking on my eighth season of growing my own vegetables, fruits,

and herbs, and I'm proof that you don't have to have decades of experience

to grow your own garden, big or small. I certainly don't know at all, but I can share what I've

learned and bring guests along who can offer much more wisdom than I have. I'm so glad you're

here at the Beginners Garden podcast today. Let's dive in. For the most part, powdery mildew is pretty easily recognized.

Most of us can spot powdery mildew because we see leaves specifically of certain plants like

in the cucurbit squash family that look like they have had a dusting of flour or

talcum powder on the top of the plant. That's usually the best way that we

are able to see what it is. But even before we start seeing that powdery substance on the leaves,

we can also spot it by noticing discolored areas on the leaves that shows that the fungus is

present. A lot of times this fungus actually covers

the upper surface of the leaves,

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