ANOTHER BUMPER CROP FROM POLKA, THE WONDER RASPBERRY
I keep writing about Polka raspberries, every year I think. I can't help it, they are so reliable. We've had such a prolonged wet winter and and such a lot of dull days and rain this spring and early summer that I didn't know what to expect from my Polka raspberries canes. In the last few days though I have picked three bowls full of them at a weight of about 1.5lb of raspberries per bowl (excluding the bowl). I eat them with my cereal and with cream for dessert.
Around flowering time, and there were lots of flowers despite the rain, I noticed that rust disease was starting once again and I picked off many spore carrying leaves, removing infected leaves from the top downwards and destroying them in order to try and stop the disease from spreading. Apparently raspberries are prone to rust disease and so it should come as no surprise if you discover it. I've noted though that although my canes have been subjected to this disease a few times, it hasn't affected the crop in any way that I have noticed. Oddly, despite long periods of rain and dull weather, the disease seems to have been halted in its tracks. Good.
Growing Polka raspberries
As I must have mentioned many times, Polka is thornless. I've never seen a single thorn on my canes. And, more amazing than that, I've never found any bugs on the fruit. I've never seen mould on them, except for those few raspberries that I have overlooked when picking and which have naturally started to decay. The canes grow in a narrow strip of soil, not even 30cm from front to back, against a west facing fence. They are very undemanding.
Polka is an autumn fruiting variety, a Primocane which means it fruits on this year's canes, but Polka can be grown as a double cropper which is what I do. It means I get fruit in June/July and, if I'm lucky, also in autumn. In the image above, all the fruit has come from last year's canes which will be cut down to the grown when fruiting is over. I grow as a double cropper not just for the long period of fruit but because the weather in autumn here on the Pennine Mountains means that the crop can be destroyed at that time by heavy winds, frost, and rain; even snow!
As Polka can get quite tall, about 7ft, the top of the canes can be higher than the top of my 6ft fence and so I grow the canes in a kind of cordon style, laying them down a little so that the cane tops are protected from the howling wind somewhat.
We are almost arrived at mid July and we've not really had much of a summer here on the Pennines of West Yorkshire, England. One year, when we had plenty of sunshine, it caused a condition on the raspberries called white drupelet disorder. Not much chance of that this year, I think. However, poor weather or not, my raspberry crop is great and there are plenty more raspberries developing on last year's canes, and lots of healthy new canes have grow to take their place after flowering has finished which is when I can cut down the old raspberry canes and tie in the new.
At the other side of my garden, on the fence facing south, I planted some Glen Ample and Glen Doll raspberry canes a couple of years ago. They were not a great success and out of about 12 canes, only about four survived. However, those are growing well and providing raspberries. The fruit, however, is much small than the Polka raspberries but these taste lovely.
I've noticed that although Polka is not particularly invasive and stays pretty much where I plant it, a cane or two have appeared over the fence on neighbouring land which is not cultivated but completely neglected. Someone is going to find a nice surprise of raspberries there one day. :)
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| Polka raspberries freshly picked 10 June 2016 These have grown on last year's canes |
Growing Polka raspberries
As I must have mentioned many times, Polka is thornless. I've never seen a single thorn on my canes. And, more amazing than that, I've never found any bugs on the fruit. I've never seen mould on them, except for those few raspberries that I have overlooked when picking and which have naturally started to decay. The canes grow in a narrow strip of soil, not even 30cm from front to back, against a west facing fence. They are very undemanding.
Polka is an autumn fruiting variety, a Primocane which means it fruits on this year's canes, but Polka can be grown as a double cropper which is what I do. It means I get fruit in June/July and, if I'm lucky, also in autumn. In the image above, all the fruit has come from last year's canes which will be cut down to the grown when fruiting is over. I grow as a double cropper not just for the long period of fruit but because the weather in autumn here on the Pennine Mountains means that the crop can be destroyed at that time by heavy winds, frost, and rain; even snow!
As Polka can get quite tall, about 7ft, the top of the canes can be higher than the top of my 6ft fence and so I grow the canes in a kind of cordon style, laying them down a little so that the cane tops are protected from the howling wind somewhat.
We are almost arrived at mid July and we've not really had much of a summer here on the Pennines of West Yorkshire, England. One year, when we had plenty of sunshine, it caused a condition on the raspberries called white drupelet disorder. Not much chance of that this year, I think. However, poor weather or not, my raspberry crop is great and there are plenty more raspberries developing on last year's canes, and lots of healthy new canes have grow to take their place after flowering has finished which is when I can cut down the old raspberry canes and tie in the new.
I've noticed that although Polka is not particularly invasive and stays pretty much where I plant it, a cane or two have appeared over the fence on neighbouring land which is not cultivated but completely neglected. Someone is going to find a nice surprise of raspberries there one day. :)