How can I prevent powdery mildew from forming on my plants?

Hi Wahneta, use a tablespoon of baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon of liquid, soap with a gallon of water, and spray on the plants. You can also try using mouthwash.

There is a lot of info available on this problem. I go to the gardening websites. There isn't much you can do in the fall except clean up the plants and ground as best you can and burn the contaminated debris. Use the fire pit if you have one. I had it bad one year on my lilacs. This is what I did after reading & researching. First I cut off all that I could of the worst places. Then when it's going to be a sunny day, spray the plants with water to clean off more. Air circulation and sun are important so I also thinned them out. The wind is the biggest way it spreads (if I remember right). Anyway, I'd just read up on what to do for vegetables. Probably the same principle. There are also eco friendly oils to use that help a lot. There are many recipes for them and directions on when to spray etc. Good Luck and don't give up, you can get rid of it with a little work.

You can clean up your yard, which you should do anyway.

However, if Bob down the block has it and Jane 4 blocks in the other direction has it, chances are high, if your garden is not surrounded by fencing, you'll get it because it travels on the wind.

Below is a good tried and true remedy, that I and friends use. I copied the below text from this website if you want to read more.

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Numerous studies have shown milk and/or whey to be even more effective at killing powdery mildew than chemical fungicides. In a 2009 study by the University of Connecticut, which tested a milk treatment of 40% milk and 60% water on plants infected with powdery mildew, "the milk treatment provided significantly less disease than the untreated control, and the chemical treatment had equal or significantly less disease than the milk." Scientists are not sure why milk is so effective, but they believe that when milk interacts with the sun, it produces free radicals that are toxic to the fungus.

2 Ways to Use:

• Mix 60 parts water with 40 parts milk or whey, and spray onto the affected plants bi-weekly. You can even use whole milk without dilution for a strong effect.
• Mix 1 oz. powdered milk to 2 liters of water, and spray onto affected plants bi-weekly.

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Hi Wahneta, here's a good article: https://thekitchengarten.com/how-to-treat-powdery-mildew/