Mosaic Virus: This disease is highly viral and can infect an entire garden if one is not careful. There is currently no way to cure this virus but there are plants and seeds that can be purchased which are already resistant to the virus. The disease can be identified by a stunting in the growth of the infected plants and the leaves will begin to curl without reason. Infected plants must be destroyed and one way to help cut down on chances of the disease is to spray plants with homemade pesticide to kill or repel any insects that might be carrying the virus.
Wilts: This disease is another one that can affect your entire garden. It can be identified by wilting of lower leaves and is often accompanied by yellow blotches. To avoid the disease altogether organic vegetable growers should watch out for cucumber beetles which carry the disease and other insect. Vegetable growers should also try to plant vegetables which are resistant to the disease.
Powdery Mildew: This disease will appear on the leaves, stems, flowers, of the vegetables in your garden. It comes in the form of a powdery mildew that will coat the affected areas with a white or gray coating. Ways to avoid the mildew are pruning plants to help encourage air circulation and removing any fallen leaves from underneath the plants. Keeping organic mulch around your plants will also help and baking soda can be used to help treat the disease and prevent it spread. Adding baking soda to water and spraying the infected plants will help cure them and prevent more infections.
Clubroot: A disease that infects cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli clubroot is a fungus that inhabits the soil. Plants that are infected with this disease will have swollen roots and will wilt in the full sun. A way to avoid clubroot is to purchase seeds that are resistant to the disease and to rotate vegetable crops each year.
Once you have conquered weeds, insects, and avoided water shortages along with diseases you must always be sure that your vegetables are receiving enough nutrients. This nutrient comes from the rich soil and compost that they are growing from. Do not be afraid to spread more compost around your growing plants to help encourage growth.
Some plants, corn especially, need compost every few weeks in order to grow properly. If you feel that your compost is not making enough of a difference consider purchasing organic manure from local nurseries and even small farms. Aged manure might sound disgusting but it can mean the difference between a healthy, thriving, garden and a struggling one.
