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This year i grew ELEVEN types of potato over summer..
Waiporoporo Taewa Potato that were [ready early](/plantings/shiny-front-lawn-pots-an…
Last edited by CloCkWeRX on November 02, 2026. View history
Urenika Taewa Potato
No scientific name recorded
Also known as
urenika (EN)
blue potato (EN)
tūtae kuri (EN)
A variety of Te Māori taewa potato
How to sow urenika taewa potato: Direct seed outdoors after last frost. Each piece must have one eye.
Sun requirement for urenika taewa potato: Plant in Full Sun
Pre-European potato from Aotearoa New Zealand. Potatoes that have been growing in the islands of New Zealand since before the 19th century are known as "Taewa". Potatoes that arrived later are called "Riiwai".
A long potato with dark purple skin that retains its colour when cooked. i can appear dull brown until washed.
Waxy when small, floury when large. Great boiled or steamed. Produces big crops but needs a long growing season. Plant in August and harvest in March.
Widespread around NZ long tubular dark purple skin and flesh, waxy when young, drier when larger, require a long long growing season to produce a heavy crop.
Ure is Maori word for "penis". "Nika" is a transliteration of an offensive english word beginning with N. The name of this potato is offensive. The potato is also known as "tutaekuri", which means "dog poo". Despite the terrible names, this is a quintessential Maori potato and the most recognisable taewa.
- 7
- plantings
- 6
- harvests
- 4
- seed packets
Urenika taewa potato facts
Lifespan
Annual
living and reproducing in a single year or less
24 weeks
median lifespan
First harvest expected
22
weeks after planting
Last harvest expected
22
weeks after planting
Grown for
tuber harvested 6 times
Optimal temperature
15–25 °C
Absolute temperature
7–30 °C
FAO EcoCrop
Optimal rainfall
500–800 mm/year
Absolute rainfall
250–2000 mm/year
FAO EcoCrop
Optimal soil pH
5–6.2
Absolute soil pH
4.2–8.5
FAO EcoCrop
Crop cycle
90–160 days
FAO EcoCrop
Max altitude
2800 m
FAO EcoCrop
Optimal light
very bright
FAO EcoCrop
What are growing degree days?
A plant grows with warmth, not with days. A growing degree day is one day's worth of useful warmth: how many degrees the day's average temperature is above the lowest temperature the crop grows at. Add them up from planting and you know how far along the crop is, whatever the calendar says.
Say that lowest temperature is 10°C. A day averaging 17°C gives 7 growing degree days. A day averaging 8°C gives none, as it is too cold for the crop to grow. That is why the same lettuce takes about 50 days in a summer and 90 in an autumn: it needs the same total warmth either way.
For urenika taewa potato, the FAO EcoCrop database gives a lowest growing temperature of 7°C and a shortest growing cycle of 90 days at its best temperature, about 1170 growing degree days to a first harvest.
Where you've told us where your garden is, we use this and the weather there to predict when your urenika taewa potato will be ready to harvest. We don't use it for how long a plant lives or when it finishes: we go by what members have logged for that.
How members grow urenika taewa potatoes
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Plant urenika taewa potatoes with
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Urenika taewa potato plantings
Urenika taewa potato harvests
Urenika taewa potato seeds
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Where urenika taewa potatoes grow
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What people are saying about urenika taewa potatoes
The year of the potatoes
by shiny,
waiporoporo taewa potatoes
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huakaroro taewa potatoes
Te Māori taewa potatoes
scots potatoes
moemoe taewa potatoes
pink fir apple potatoes
Robyn Adair potatoes
Whataroa taewa potato
Stewart island potatoes
urenika taewa potatoes
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overwintering the taewa
by shiny,
I had some Urenika Taewa Potato and Stewart island potato already sprouting at the end of last summer - and instead of leaving these rare potatoes to rot, I put them into the soil They're both known to grow in the cold south, so they s…
urenika taewa potatoes
Stewart island potatoes
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Taewa (Pre-european potato)
by shiny,
Generally, "Taewa" is the term used for potatoes that have been in New Zealand since before 1800, and cultivated by Maori people - but the word can be used for all potatoes.
The kūmara is a distant cousin of the potato. Both the ta…
kūmara
Whataroa taewa potato
urenika taewa potatoes
waiporoporo taewa potatoes
Te Māori taewa potatoes
Read more
Who's planted urenika taewa potatoes
- Steenz Garden
- AthenaJose Potatoe Garden
- shiny back yard shaded garden · Wellington, NZ
- Katsveggiepatch Garden
Steenz
Urenika taewa potato harvests
-
shiny harvested not specified.
7 months ago
-
shiny harvested not specified.
over 1 year ago
-
shiny harvested not specified.
almost 7 years ago
shiny harvested not specified.
View all urenika taewa potato harvests
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Time to harvest
If sown now, expect a first harvest in about 90 to 160 days.
From the growing cycle in the FAO EcoCrop database, which is the same wherever it is grown.
Ecological requirements
Data from the FAO EcoCrop database for Solanum tuberosum L.
| Family / Taxonomy | Magnoliopsida Asteridae Solanales Solanaceae |
|---|---|
| Killing temperature | growth: 0 °C, rest: -1 °C |
| Life form | herb |
| Life span | annual |
| Habit | erect |
| Optimal soil depth | medium (50-150 cm) |
| Optimal soil texture | medium, organic |
| Optimal soil fertility | moderate |
| Optimal soil drainage | well (dry spells) |
| Optimal soil salinity | low (<4 dS/m) |
| Photoperiod | short day (<12 hours), neutral day (12-14 hours), long day (>14 hours) |
Learn more about urenika taewa potatoes
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