36 hours of destruction.

Friday night just before sunset, I was checking out my garden.  Things all looked good.

The butternut is plumping 3 squash.  The cucumber is growing a couple cukes.  Some minor leaf miner damage but heavy looking plants.  The lemon cucumber has several baseball lemons on it, which I pick off and the plant looks thriving.  The two golden zucchinis growing beautifully and a surprise zeke ready for harvest and couple more setting up.  A big beautiful red bell pepper ready for harvest on one pepper with a couple more growing in.  The other yellow bell has several growing in.  The green beans are starting to rocket up and things overall looking pretty good.

Yesterday, family activities to take care off.  Today, we did a family outing and returned about 2PM.

I mosey outside.  Look in on the garden...

Oh my, what happened in 36 hours.  The lemon cuke looks to be giving up the ghost.  Dead dried leaves everywhere.  The other cuke showing lots of leaf miner and leaf damage.  The Butternut, leaves wilted from the mid-heat, but obvious powdery mildew having a solid grasp on at least one leaf.  The Zekes don't show mildew, but the zeke starters shriveled an dead.  

Not sure what happened yesterday when I was away.

Oh, my gosh. A black/brown out so the waterers didn't come on. Santa Ana wind? How absolutely heartbreaking.

It hasn't been that hot.  While we've 108 earlier this year and February had 90s.  This past weekend was slightly below average, with Sat & Sun ready at 79 & 78F.  Of course, a reading from anything in the sun will say 92,   (my AC unit thermometer gets the same mid-day sun.

Part of it was the time of day, md-day heat and I get leaf droop on all my broadlead plants.  Then later in the day it springs back when it's not so intense.   That's stress, but watering doesn't seem to make a difference.  in fact checking the bed, the bed isn't dry but isn't moist, two inches down, it's moist.

Today, after checking this morning, not quite so bad looking, the leaves are back up at attention.  Still, I know under the layer of bushy leaves lies a mess.  The dead/dying vine still obvious.

And my poor butternut.  Two leaves turning yellow, no mildew.  Three other leaves with small blotch or small spot.  Plus the big blotch from previous.   I'll give the milk and water spray a try today.  My son will probably have a blast when he 'helps' with the pump sprayer.  

SoCal, mid-July, hot days, marine layer nights and powdery mildew.  Sigh, this stuff wipes plants out this time of year here like plants grow in Disney cartoons.  Honestly, I have three full size butternuts on the vine that just need to ripen.  I give them less than a 50/50 chance.

I didn't do it, nobody saw me do it, and you can't prove a thing. 

Since my name is Zeke and it's used so much in NSR's post I just thought I'd clarify 
Also, I grew up in Orange County..... Virginia.

It was funny to me.  I'm assuming "zuke" is what NSR was going for, just funny to see my name popping up in the post. 

Sorry to hear about the damage    
I'm going on vacation next week, I hope my garden survives while I'm gone.  I still have to make arrangements for watering at least.

Zmoore wrote:I didn't do it, nobody saw me do it, and you can't prove a thing. 

Since my name is Zeke and it's used so much in NSR's post I just thought I'd clarify 
Also, I grew up in Orange County..... Virginia.

I was wondering what zeke was a variety of. lol
CC

LOL, that's what I get for using an iPhone.