Polka Raspberry Canes

• Variety: Polka, large red raspberries from late July into autumn
• Fruit type: Raspberry, Rubus idaeus 'Polka'
• Group: Autumn fruiting (primocane): it fruits on this year's canes, with the potential for a second crop
• Season: From late July, with the biggest yield in autumn
• Fruit: Large, red, fresh flavoured, and it keeps well
• Canes: Stout and slightly thorny, 1.5 to 2.5m tall
• Self-fertile: Yes
• Spacing: 40 to 60cm between canes, 1.5 to 2m between rows
• Support: The RHS advises growing it in rows between parallel wires
• Pruning: Cut every cane to the ground in late winter
• Best soil and site: Drained loam or sand, neutral to acid, in full sun with shelter
• Hardiness: H6, hardy through the British winter
• RHS AGM: Yes (2009)
• Wildlife value: RHS Plants for Pollinators
• Stock: UK grown and certified virus-free
• Delivered: Bareroot canes, November to April. Collection from Castle Cary also available

Polka is an autumn fruiting (primocane) raspberry with large red berries that start to ripen in late July and crop most heavily in autumn. It holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit, is self-fertile, and our canes are UK grown and certified virus-free.

Polka Raspberry Canes

'Polka' this modern variety is an early cropping primocane (which are generally called Autumn fruiting) that begins to fruit in late summer. These big raspberries are exceptionally sweet and mature plants will crop very well: up to 2.5kg per plant in fertile soil and full sun. Polka's fruit have firm flesh and store very well, for a raspberry.
It's possible to get two smaller crops per year from Polka. By leaving part of the old stems each year, you can get a late spring crop and another one in late summer. Cut the stems down to the ground after their second crop.

Polka is a tough plant that will perform well in rainy, humid parts of the country. These are certified raspberry plants grown from virus-tested parent material in the UK.

Browse all of our other Raspberry Canes.

Growing Polka Raspberries:

Raspberries are easy to grow, but they do need good conditions: a rich soil that drains well & is kept moist in dry weather, lots of sun and ideally some shelter from strong wind.

History & Trivia

This Polish variety was bred at the Fruit Experiment Station in Brzezna by Dr Jan Danek's team. One of its parents is Autumn Bliss. It's the champion of the UK National Fruit Show in Kent, where it has been declared the best all-round raspberry for 5 years in a row.

Standard practice is to deliver raspberry canes with last year's growth cut back to 45-60 cm.

Therefore, Autumn fruiting raspberries should crop fairly well in the Autumn following planting, but not as well as the year after.

Planting Companions

Plant a summer raspberry beside it and one bed fruits from June to October: Glen Ample is the heavy cropping summer choice on canes without spines. Joan J is the other autumn variety with a 2009 AGM, and Autumn Bliss is the old standard of the group. Dust the roots with Rootgrow as you plant, and mulch every spring.

Why Buy Raspberry Canes from Ashridge

All our raspberries are UK grown and certified virus-free. Your Polka canes are lifted to order while dormant and sent bareroot, ready to plant on arrival. Ashridge Nurseries is a Which? Best Plant Supplier 2025, and bareroot plants are guaranteed for 12 months.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I prune Polka raspberries?

In late winter, cut every cane down to ground level. Everything that grows the following spring will fruit for you the same year. You cannot get it wrong.

Can I get two crops from Polka?

The RHS says Polka has the potential for two crops a year. If you want both, leave part of the old canes standing in winter for the early crop, then cut those down once they have fruited.

How far apart do I plant raspberry canes?

40 to 60cm between canes, with 1.5 to 2 metres between rows, so that you can pick without treading on the shallow roots.

How deep do I plant bareroot raspberry canes?

Shallow. Planting too deep is the commonest reason your canes would fail. Spread the roots, cover them with a few centimetres of soil, firm them in and water.

Does Polka need support?

Autumn raspberries mostly hold themselves up, but Polka reaches 1.5 to 2.5 metres and the RHS advises growing it in rows between parallel wires.

Will Polka fruit in its first year?

Yes. It fruits on the current season's canes, so you will pick in the autumn after planting, though not as heavily as you will the year after.