There is a particular kind of heartbreak known only to vegetable gardeners: you nip out one July morning to admire a row of plump, healthy cabbages, only to find them reduced to green lace overnight. Cabbage white caterpillars, wood pigeons stripping your brassicas, blackbirds helping themselves to the strawberries the very day before you meant to pick them — mid-summer is peak season for garden raiders. The single cheapest and most effective defence against nearly all of them is a length of good garden netting.
Netting is one of those unglamorous bits of kit that quietly saves a crop. Get the right mesh size and put it up at the right time, and you can grow brassicas, soft fruit and salad leaves almost untouched, without reaching for a single spray. Get the wrong netting and you either let the pests straight through or, worse, trap birds and hedgehogs in loose mesh they can’t escape.
We have pulled together the best garden netting available in the UK for 2026, covering everything from budget anti-bird netting to fine insect mesh that keeps out carrot fly. All of it is available from Amazon UK, B&Q and specialist growers such as Harrod Horticultural and Gardening Naturally. Prices move around with roll size and season, so treat the figures below as a guide rather than gospel.
Our top picks at a glance
- Best all-rounder: GardenSkill Soft Butterfly & Insect Mesh (7mm) — soft, reusable and safe for wildlife.
- Best budget bird netting: Gardening Naturally Anti-Bird Netting (20mm) — cheap cover for fruit and seedlings.
- Best for cabbage whites: Gardening Naturally Soft Green Butterfly Netting (7mm) — proven brassica protection.
- Best fine insect mesh: Enviromesh / Ultra-Fine Insect Mesh (0.6mm) — stops carrot fly, flea beetle and whitefly.
- Best for strength and looks: Harrod Horticultural Soft Mesh Butterfly Netting — the premium, long-life choice.
How to choose garden netting
Match the mesh size to the pest
Mesh size is the single most important decision, and it is where most people go wrong. Too big and the pest walks straight through; too fine and you needlessly block pollinators from crops that need them.
- Around 20mm mesh: anti-bird netting for pigeons, blackbirds and other birds on fruit bushes, brassicas and seedlings.
- Around 7mm mesh: butterfly netting — stops cabbage white butterflies laying eggs on brassicas, while also excluding birds.
- Around 1.3mm to 2mm mesh: insect mesh for larger flying pests such as cabbage root fly and leaf-mining insects.
- Around 0.6mm or finer: ultra-fine insect mesh for carrot fly, flea beetle, whitefly and aphids on the most vulnerable crops.
As a rule of thumb, a 7mm mesh is the best single choice for the average kitchen garden. It handles both birds and cabbage whites, which between them cause most summer damage, while still letting rain, light and air through freely.
Material and lifespan
Most modern netting is woven or knitted HDPE (high-density polyethylene) that is UV-stabilised to resist sunlight. Cheaper extruded plastic netting is stiffer, snags easily and tends to go brittle after a season or two. Soft knitted mesh is kinder to plants, safer for wildlife and folds away neatly for storage, but costs more. If you only buy netting once, buy soft mesh.
Wildlife safety
Loose, large-gauge plastic netting is a genuine hazard — hedgehogs, birds and grass snakes can become tangled and die. The RHS and most wildlife charities recommend using taut netting on a frame rather than draping it loosely, choosing a mesh no larger than needed, and checking it regularly. Soft knitted mesh is far safer than rigid plastic diamond netting for this reason.
Support it properly
Netting works best held clear of the foliage on hoops, canes or a purpose-made crop cage. If mesh rests directly on leaves, cabbage whites will simply lay their eggs through it and pigeons will peck what they can reach. A set of galvanised hoops, some canes with bottle-top protectors, or a build-your-own frame kit will pay for itself in saved crops.
The best garden netting for 2026
1. GardenSkill Soft Butterfly & Insect Mesh (7mm) — best all-rounder
Sold widely through B&Q and garden centres, GardenSkill’s soft 7mm mesh is our pick for the typical UK kitchen garden. It is a genuinely soft, knitted netting that drapes easily over hoops, stands up to wind and lasts several seasons if you take it in over winter. The 7mm gauge stops cabbage whites and birds while letting rain and pollinators reach the crop underneath.
It comes in generous rolls — 4m x 25m and 6m x 25m are common — so it suits allotments and larger veg plots. For a single raised bed that is more than you need, but the price per square metre is excellent and offcuts always come in handy.
Expect to pay from around £30 for a smaller roll up to around £120 for the big 6m x 25m rolls.
- Pros: soft and reusable, wind-resistant, wildlife-friendly, great value on large rolls.
- Cons: only sold in big rolls — overkill for one small bed.
2. Gardening Naturally Anti-Bird Netting (20mm) — best budget bird protection
If your main problem is birds — pigeons on the purple sprouting, blackbirds on the raspberries — a simple 20mm anti-bird net is the cheapest fix on the market. This UV-stabilised HDPE netting is light, easy to cut and drapes over fruit cages, bushes and brassicas without fuss.
The 20mm mesh will not stop butterflies or insects, so it is not the net for caterpillar-prone brassicas on its own. Keep it taut on a frame rather than loose to avoid catching wildlife, and it will protect a fruit crop for several seasons.
Prices start from around £10 to £15 for a useful 2m x 10m piece, making it the budget hero of this list.
- Pros: very cheap, light and easy to handle, good for soft fruit and seedlings.
- Cons: no use against butterflies or insects; large mesh needs care around wildlife.
3. Gardening Naturally Soft Green Butterfly Netting (7mm) — best for cabbage whites
This soft green 7mm mesh has become something of a modern classic on UK allotments, and for good reason. Reviewers consistently report it standing up to high winds and lasting several years, while reliably keeping both cabbage whites and birds off brassicas. The green colour blends into the plot far better than harsh black or white netting.
Sold in a wide range of pre-cut sizes — from small 2m x 5m pieces up to long rolls — it is the easy choice if you want butterfly protection for a bed or two without committing to a giant contractor roll.
Budget around £12 to £35 depending on the size you choose.
- Pros: proven against cabbage whites, durable, discreet green colour, sensible sizes.
- Cons: dearer per metre than plain bird netting; still needs a frame to work well.
4. Enviromesh / Ultra-Fine Insect Mesh (0.6mm) — best for carrot fly and tiny pests
When the enemy is small — carrot root fly, flea beetle, whitefly, cabbage root fly or aphids — you need an ultra-fine mesh that ordinary butterfly netting won’t touch. Fine insect mesh, often sold under the Enviromesh name and by growers such as GardenSkill and Gardening Naturally, uses a woven HDPE with holes of roughly 0.6mm. It blocks the smallest flying pests while still letting light, air and rain through.
It is the go-to protection for carrots, which are otherwise almost impossible to grow cleanly where carrot fly is established, and it doubles as a light frost fleece in spring. Because it excludes pollinators too, take it off any crop that needs insects to set fruit.
A 2m x 5m piece is around £18, with 2m x 10m nearer £28 to £30, and it lasts for many years.
- Pros: stops the smallest pests, long-lived, useful for carrots and early sowings.
- Cons: pricier, and blocks pollinators so not for flowering crops.
5. Harrod Horticultural Soft Mesh Butterfly Netting — best premium option
Harrod Horticultural is the name serious kitchen gardeners reach for when they want kit that lasts. Its soft mesh butterfly netting is a heavier, better-finished 7mm knitted net than the budget options, with neat edges that resist fraying and a genuinely long service life. Paired with Harrod’s own hoops and crop cage system it makes a tidy, near-permanent brassica cage.
You pay for the quality, and it is worth it if you protect the same beds year after year. For an occasional grower it is more net than the job needs, but for a committed veg plot it is the last netting you’ll buy for a long time.
Prices typically run from around £25 for smaller pieces up to £60 or more for larger rolls.
- Pros: excellent build quality, long lifespan, fits a proper crop-cage system.
- Cons: premium price; more than a casual grower needs.
6. GardenSkill Fine Insect Mesh Carrot & Veg Netting — best for raised beds
A slightly coarser cousin of the ultra-fine mesh, GardenSkill’s insect netting (sold through B&Q) hits a useful middle ground for raised beds. It keeps out cabbage root fly and larger insects while being a touch easier to handle and cheaper than the very finest carrot-fly mesh. Sizes such as 2m x 5m and 2m x 10m suit a single bed or a short run of beds.
Expect around £18 for the smaller size and roughly £28 to £30 for 2m x 10m.
- Pros: good raised-bed size, keeps out most insects, widely stocked at B&Q.
- Cons: not fine enough for the very smallest pests like tiny aphids.
Garden netting compared
| Netting | Mesh size | Best for | Rough price | Reusable? |
| GardenSkill Soft Butterfly Mesh | 7mm | All-round veg plot | £30–£120 (roll) | Yes, several yrs |
| Gardening Naturally Anti-Bird | 20mm | Birds on fruit/seedlings | £10–£15 (2x10m) | Yes, a few yrs |
| Gardening Naturally Butterfly | 7mm | Cabbage whites | £12–£35 | Yes, several yrs |
| Enviromesh Ultra-Fine | 0.6mm | Carrot fly, tiny pests | £18–£30 | Yes, many yrs |
| Harrod Soft Mesh Butterfly | 7mm | Long-term crop cage | £25–£60+ | Yes, long life |
| GardenSkill Insect Mesh | ~1mm | Raised beds | £18–£30 | Yes, several yrs |
Which garden netting should you buy?
If you want one net to cover most situations, buy a soft 7mm butterfly mesh such as the GardenSkill or Gardening Naturally options — it defends against both birds and cabbage whites, which are the two worst summer offenders. Add a cheap roll of 20mm anti-bird net if you have fruit bushes to cover, since there is no point paying for fine mesh where birds are the only threat.
Growing carrots, or fighting flea beetle on rocket and radish? Only an ultra-fine insect mesh like Enviromesh will do the job, so make that your second purchase. And if you protect the same brassica bed every year, the extra outlay on Harrod’s premium soft mesh and a proper crop cage will pay off in years of service and a much tidier plot.
Getting the best from your netting
- Put it up early — cover brassicas before the first cabbage whites appear in late spring, not after you spot damage.
- Keep it taut on hoops or canes so pests can’t lay eggs through mesh resting on the leaves.
- Bury or peg the edges so pigeons and rabbits can’t sneak underneath.
- Check regularly for trapped wildlife, especially with larger-gauge bird netting.
- Take it down, dry it and store it over winter — soft mesh will then last many seasons.
Frequently asked questions
What mesh size stops cabbage white butterflies?
A mesh of 7mm or smaller will stop cabbage white butterflies reaching your brassicas to lay their eggs. The same 7mm netting also keeps birds off, which is why it is the most popular all-round choice.
Will butterfly netting stop carrot fly?
No. Carrot fly are tiny and slip straight through 7mm mesh. For carrots you need an ultra-fine insect mesh of around 0.6mm, such as Enviromesh, or a 60cm-high barrier around the bed.
Is garden netting safe for hedgehogs and birds?
It can be if used sensibly. The main risk is loose, large-gauge plastic netting that wildlife gets tangled in. Keep netting taut on a frame, choose the smallest mesh that does the job, prefer soft knitted mesh over rigid plastic, and check it regularly.
How long does garden netting last?
Good UV-stabilised soft mesh, taken in over winter, will typically last several years and sometimes far longer. Cheap extruded plastic netting left out year-round can go brittle within a season or two.
Can I use netting instead of spraying?
For most brassica and fruit pests, yes — a well-fitted net is more reliable than spraying and avoids chemicals entirely. It is one of the cornerstones of low-effort organic veg growing.
The verdict
For the vast majority of UK gardeners, a soft 7mm butterfly mesh is the netting to buy first: the GardenSkill and Gardening Naturally options both do a superb job of keeping birds and cabbage whites off brassicas for years at a very fair price. Back it up with a cheap roll of 20mm anti-bird net for fruit bushes, and add ultra-fine Enviromesh if carrots or flea beetle are on your list.
Whatever you choose, put it up early, keep it taut on a frame and check it for wildlife. Netting is one of the smallest investments you can make in a productive plot — and one July morning next summer, when your neighbour’s cabbages are lace and yours are perfect, you’ll be very glad you bothered.
