Pest battle with Sage — and how I won

I had a serious problem with powdery mildew on basil in cool damp conditions on my Sage earlier this year. Caught it late and had to work hard to bring the plant back. The experience was frustrating but educational.

Now that it's healthy again I can fully appreciate fast growing from seed or small plug plant, which is remarkable. I've repositioned it in a dedicated raised herb bed near the back door and improved my attention to pinching out flower buds on basil to extend leaf production. sowing and planting out after last frost in spring was the proof that the plant had fully recovered — genuinely beautiful. Moral of the story: inspect regularly and catch problems early.