Basically, you grow a town of mutfruit, corn, and tatos. You can cook the resulting products into adhesive at a cooking station.

I was gonna ask the same, since the same thing happened to me. When I died I spawned back where I was just before I traveled to that settlement's aid.

I tried to help them again, but this time I spawned in right between three (3) super mutants with launchers and several grenades already airborne. Boom.

On the third attempt, the game didn't even bother trying: there was an instant explosion and a ragdoll animation (obviously mine) and that was it.

I couldn't help feeling that this was overdoing it a bit...

If we can 'fail' missions, it would be nice to have even the merest beginnings of a chance when we attempt them....

Thanks I didn't know you could do that, I will ahve to check it out, I am always short of adhesives.

I have the same experience, that they spawn outside the green box (but sometimes very close).

Except for Sanctuary. I have that settlement walled off and 2 supermutants was found outside the walls unable to come in, but the rest was inside the walls. And not in one location, but all over the settlement.

So either they have the "Walk through walls" perk or they actually spawned inside the settlement. (And yes I have checked every inch for gaps in the walls, and found none)