Hi Alan- have been busy so haven't been onto Forum for a while - but yes that is exactly what the beetles looked like. So I should carry on squishing them then?

it's nearly time for me to be sowing broad beans so I'm thinking ahead- last year I had quite a few orangey-red 1/2 inch long almost oblong shaped beetles cavorting on my broad beans. I think they might have been lily beetles(?). Were they doing my broad beans any harm? I kept knocking them off the ...

Thanks Primrose.
It's reassuring to know even experienced gardeners don't always have a 100% success rate. I'm quite lucky in having a south facing garden so gets sun virtually all day (when it's shining obviously) but it is quite exposed as it's 900ft above sea level and it sure gets windy at times!

Thanks guys for your suggestions- I like the idea of the balls as I can make the size exactly as needed for the rows in my bed - good to know it actually works! Cheers

Can anyone offer any advice on the best system to use for protecting veg from butterflies and birds. I've got a raised bed 3m long X 1.7m wide - I don't need to cover the whole thing - just indiviual rows. I've seen those round ball type things which connect tubing/canes which you can put net over. ...

Thanks everyone for your encouragement. Last year I made a raised bed about 3m X 1.7m - probably slightly too wide for comfort but manageable. I've also used pots/containers - maybe that's why my courgettes did poorly the first year- maybe they got too dry (?). Courgettes developed to about 1 1/2 in...

My first post to this site to say hello. I'm green in both senses - lacking experience and wanting to be wildlife friendly. This is my third year of attempting to grow my own - but last year wasn't very successful as I'm the 'bung it in and let it get on with it' type of gardener which obviously doe...