Hi Eric – you can try mulch around the plants – they often don’t like the texture on their feet. Or aim for the sense of smell and coffee grounds can work sometimes, or compansion plant – they don’t like strong smells like mint, garlic or mustard. If you’re caging things, then make sure you go down about a foot, as they’re good diggers too! Sorry you’re having this problem!

Hi John – It’s usually a good idea to either use mulch or (sadly) a layer of plastic around or between the plants, which obviously doesn’t help when they are small and not showing much. When you’re done with growing certain veg in an area, weed it as much as you can and then put a layer or plsatic over the top to kill all the weeds, that tends to help. Its hard to stop it entirely, but catching them when they are small is key and getting the full root out. Over the years I’ve tended other people’s gardens while they were away, so finding a friend/housesitter works well too!

Thank you Malcolm – I hope its all helpful! And let me know if there are any specific guides you want me to prioritize!

Hi Robert. It is normal to get flower fall off courgettes. There are two types of flowers on a courgette plant – male and female. The male flowers have a long thin stem. If you have flowers with a swollen base, then these are the female flowers, and this swollen base is what develops into the courgette, after it has been germinated. A male flower falling off isn’t much to worry about, they usually fall off when they’ve done their bit (i.e. help towards pollinating the female flower). The female flower falling off indicates that the flower hasn’t been germinated, which could be because of too much water, high humidity or a lack of bees or butterflies for the pollination. You’re doing all the right things. The flower fall is because the plant understands that pollination is going to happen and its going to try again when conditions are better. The only other thing that you can do is encourage bees and butterflies into the garden area. Let me know how it goes!