Monitor your plants closely for symptoms and be prepared to pull out, bag up, and throw out infected plants. It is safe to eat leaves from infected plants- the disease does not harm people. If you lose plants to downy mildew you can sow fresh seed in containers or in another part of your garden.

Warm, wet, humid weather encourages the spread of downy mildew. Plant basil in full sun locations and don’t crowd your plants. Good air circulation around plants can help reduce the risk of infection.

Cornell University has extensive information on this problem and Adrian Higgins recently reported on it for the Washington Post.

 

No word yet on problems with fresh mozzarella.