Janie, as soon as you start to see the conditions for powdery mildew, or start to see a little turn up on the plants, pour a fifty-cent bottle of hydrogen peroxide (undiluted) into a spray bottle and spray the entire plant. Peroxide is a great way to deal with fungus on plants.
I've just picked up some concentrated stuff called "Veggie Wash." My organic gardening guru has been talking about this for two or three years now, and I finally decided to give it a shot. I'll read the bottle and see what I can do with it this weekend.
I've been reclaiming part of my paved space outside the back door. Years ago I put some lovely pots of mint and lemon balm on the bricks I'd set after digging up turf beside the back patio. The mint vanished but the lemon balm took off. Seeded into the cracks of the brick and took off. I like lemon balm, I put it in tea all of the time. But now it is coming up everywhere, and I'm pushing at least this patch to the very back of the yard.
Earlier today I went through the back gate to look at the area above the creek and found some cacti that I tossed there a couple of months ago. These are native plants I rescued before they ploughed under the prairie to build houses across the road from us. I was tired of looking at it in disintegrating pots and knew I wouldn't plant them anywhere, so I tossed them in the back to see what would happen. They're growing happily under the trees. I think that back area needs some good root structure to keep from washing out, so I'll keep tossing all of these plants and seeds on the back of the lot and let them do their thing. I've got to spray a little poison ivy back there - I've killed most of it. That was the ground cover back there when I moved in, but I'd prefer more benign plants. Poison Ivy is so hard on me. . .
I have an eggplant with at least a half dozen fruits ready to pick today. I took a bag of okra to the next door neighbor (I've been tossing them in the freezer) and got a squeal of thanks for it. Those same two plants are coming up with a lot more every day now so I think the next bag will come in a few days. Still no overflowing of tomatoes, just a few cherry tomatoes every so often. Janie, for the way too much basil and such, my co-workers know that when I come into the office with a couple of buckets that it's time for the fresh produce! I took a lot of basil over yesterday. Also gave away at least a half-dozen eggplants and a bunch of peppers.