It is almost time to harvest buttercup squashes (200 plants) and I usually wait until the first light frost thinking that the starches get turned to sugars with the cold and the quality improves (but not the storage)...........this year powdery mildew is infecting 33% of the leaves and they are beginning to turn brown ( healthy plant leaves are still green)...........should I harvest now (the stems are getting mostly corky and brown) or should I wait till the first light frost of October? Powdery mildew can change the taste of the fruit according to Rodale.......I have sampled some of the infected fruits and they are good but not great.....I am inclined to harvest 25% now and wait for the frost for the other 75% ........thanks from Atlantic Canada