Jay,

Fear not, it will be fine. First of all, at this time of year and especially for your area, the time for producing new squash is probably at an end. Any new squash produced would not likely have enough time to mature before the freeze. As to the squash you already have, the rule of thumb for all winter squash is not to harvest until the stem of the squash has turned brown and dry. This indicates that the squash is no longer being fed by the plant and thus will not benefit by staying on the vine any longer. As long as the stem is green, the plant is feeding the squash. The white powdery substance is powdery mildew. It is a common fungus and it is almost impossible not to get it on your squash vines this time of year. It can be controlled by most fungicides, or if you are organic, you can try a milk or baking soda mixture. You can google that to get an exact amount. All of these solutions will only slow down the pm. It will eventually take the vine, but your squash should be fine. Another thing that should be done to slow the spread of the PM is to remove any of the infected leaves to prevent them from spreading the pm to surrounding leaves. Dispose of the leaves far from the plants to avoid continued contamination.

Best of Luck and enjoy your Squash!
Susan

AW! Thanks so much for the advice Susan! I understand what you're saying,but here in Vancouver we dont have frost until beginning of November! last year my vines grew till late sept! Hmm thats defenietly something to ponder on Susan! I REALLY appreciate the advice !!

Jay, I'm also in Vancouver and growing winter squash. So far, my plants don't have PM, but I'm sure it will happen sooner or later. Last year, there was lots of PM on the curcubits in my garden, but I still managed to get a good crop of pumpkins. Treat the PM as much as possible, and then let nature take its course. Good luck!