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Slug fence for a raised bed

Updated: 22 October 2026

You have lettuce in a raised bed, the timber is stained with slime, and a 2 m kit looks as if it should go around. A slug fence here has to match the perimeter you measure, after the slugs and eggs in that compost have been dealt with. The [snail fence comparison](/hub/garden-supplies/snail-fence) holds the ten amazon.co.uk listings and their prices. A qualifying purchase from that page can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Peter F. read those listings and the public UK pages named below. Gaps and bridges are on the [how to install a slug fence](/hub/garden-supplies/snail-fence/sub/snail-fence-how-to-install) page.

You have lettuce in a raised bed, the timber is stained with slime, and a 2 m kit looks as if it should go around.

Our top picks

Kerbl Kerbl SnailStop 20 m band

Best overall

Kerbl Kerbl SnailStop 20 m band
6.2/10about £23.45
View offer
Isotronic Isotronic 10 m electric fence

Rank 2

Isotronic Isotronic 10 m electric fence
5.6/10about £61.57
View offer
Swissinno Swissinno slug fence kit

Rank 3

Swissinno Swissinno slug fence kit
6.0/10about £25.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.A bed is not a pot
  2. 2.What is already in the compost
  3. 3.Length, not the title
  4. 4.After the line is closed

A bed is not a pot

The Wisley barrier trial used pots and raised beds. BBC News put average leaf loss at about 5.7% on lettuces in the ground and about 0.2% in pots, and the pots yielded less. The Guardian of 27 September 2018 uses the same percentages. That 5.7% is not a raised-bed-only figure. Copper tape did not erase the damage. Hayley Jones told the BBC the Society was not ruling barriers out. The trial named the grey field slug and the garden snail. Knee-high timber does not make the compost safe. Morning watering, from that same reporting, is a habit, not a feature of any listing. A planter on legs still needs the rim measured.

What is already in the compost

FiBL says a fence can cut slugs that walk in and does not control animals already in the bed. Kerbl's guide says remove slugs and eggs first. That is not a success rate for the about £23.45 band, which prints no voltage. A UK review of the 10 m net says what is inside stays inside. Eggs in the top layer are easy to miss, and a new sack can bring more. A 10 cm bury, from Plantura's sheet notes, only suits a fence tall enough to keep a lip. Grit, bark, wool pellets and eggshells did not cut lettuce damage at Wisley. They are mulch, not the fence.
Kerbl Kerbl SnailStop 20 m band

Testsieger

Kerbl Kerbl SnailStop 20 m band
6.2/10about £23.45
View offer

Length, not the title

Measure the timber and add overlap, then see what can close that line. Swissinno's manual says six panels of 33 cm, about 1.98 m of pieces, which is where a 2 m title comes from. A reviewer built about 66 cm by 33 cm. The item type says 135-degree corners against 30 degrees in a bullet. At about £25.99 and 3.4 from 93, leave the kit if the panels cannot close your perimeter. Isotronic is a stated 10 m at about £61.57, before four C cells. A 1.2 m by 2.4 m bed is about 7.2 m before overlap, so 10 m can be enough and the kit cannot. Brackets are 16 in a bullet and eight in a UK review, and the voltage quotes are 9 and 6. Kerbl is a stated 20 m at about £23.45, voltage unprinted. HanYun's 21 cm collars do not ring the timber. Who should skip a listing is the best slug barrier page.

After the line is closed

Once the length can close, a leaf, a cane or a hose undoes it. Do not stretch six 33 cm panels around a longer bed. Copper tape on the boards is not a Wisley fix. The copper mesh or plastic fence page keeps that limit. Mesh under the boards can plug a gap. Mesh on the compost is a path, which FACIACC reviews watched slugs cross. Trails inside the line mean a resident, a gap or a bridge. If every product here is short of your timber, these listings do not fence that bed.

Common questions

Are raised beds safer than open ground?
The Wisley trial does not. Ground lettuces lost about 5.7% of leaf on average, against about 0.2% in pots, and the pots yielded less. Copper tape did not remove the damage. A bed on legs is still compost with slugs in it until you have looked.
Do I still need to remove slugs if I buy a fence?
Yes. FiBL and Kerbl both say the fence does not clear residents or eggs. A UK review of the 10 m net says what is inside stays inside. Search before you close the line, and look again when you add fresh compost.
How long a fence is a 2 m kit?
Six panels of 33 cm, about 2 m of pieces. A reviewer built about 66 cm by 33 cm. That is the enclosure, not a 2 m bed. The item type says 135-degree corners while a bullet says 30 degrees. Measure the timber before you buy the kit.
Will 10 m go around my bed?
It went around one reviewer's bed, with length to spare. Your perimeter is your timber, plus overlap. The net is about £61.57 before four C cells, and animals already in the soil stay there. The 20 m Kerbl band is longer on the label and still has no printed voltage.
Can I use twelve collars instead?
You can ring twelve small plants with the HanYun pack at about £12.99. Each collar is 21 cm across. The soil between them stays open, so the bed is not fenced. Collars are the wrong object for the whole rectangle.
Does copper tape on the timber replace a fence?
The Wisley trial included copper tape on beds and pots and did not find less lettuce damage. Tape on the boards is the claim that trial failed to support. Flat mesh was crossed in a FACIACC review. A sleeve on one plant is a different use.
What about watering?
Morning watering is a cultural point from the RHS scientist quoted by the BBC, so the surface is drier when slugs are active. It is not a setting on these fences. Trails inside the line the next morning mean a resident, a gap or a bridge.

Related pages

How to choose a slug fence

Snail fence

Best slug barrier UK: which listing fits which job

Copper mesh or a plastic fence for slugs and snails

How to install a slug fence: gaps, bridges and power

Sources

Public UK sources on barriers, the metaldehyde phase-out and product safety, plus the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Shelf prices read 21 October 2026. Updated 22.10.2026.

  1. RHS, how to stop slugs and snails (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  2. RHS, slugs and snails (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  3. RHS, gastropod barriers experiment (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  4. GOV.UK, outdoor use of metaldehyde to be phased out (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  5. AHDB, chemical and biological control of slugs (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  6. Garden Organic, slugs and snails (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  7. General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  8. Watz and Nyqvist, Crop Protection 2021 (retrieved 21.10.2026)