Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zones 3-6 Experience)
I’ve been growing this one for several years and I am very happy with it. Grew it in the greenhouse to two stems. The yield is excellent, even though the plant itself is wispy and sparse on foliage. Great slicer. I purposely dug up an old seed packet with the picture so you can compare.
It was one of the most productive in my greenhouse back in 2014. Here is the official description from Siberian Garden…
Excellent variety. The main thing is that it sets fruit perfectly both in the greenhouse and outdoors. It handles bad weather well and counter ripens nicely if you pick it green. I will definitely keep growing it.
Green shoulders are a huge minus though, I have to cut off half the tomato. I’m going to look for a replacement just because of that.
lesyunchik wrote:
Same here, it only set 3 fruits total in my greenhouse 😠
This year is just brutal for greenhouse tomatoes overall, everyone’s yields are way lower than usual.
Marimyana wrote:
Green shoulders are a huge minus though, I have to cut off half the tomato.
Marina, maybe try feeding it more potassium so you don’t get the shoulders. This is my first year growing it. Outdoors, it was the very first to start setting fruit, pumped out giants trying to race against Pink Honey. But they just refused to turn red on the vine, I had to pick the big ones green because with this crazy weather I was terrified of late blight.
irunchik wrote:
Weird, mine is very meaty, not watery at all, and stored okay.
I wouldn’t call it watery either. Juicy, yes. It’s rare for a variety to boast such a good combination of traits like Eagle’s Beak. Unfussy, heavy producer, plus beautiful and tasty fruits. Sure, it’s not pure “meat”, but it’s not a beefsteak anyway 😊
Aglaya wrote:
Which one is a heavier yielder, Eagle’s Beak or Rozovyi Myod (Pink Honey)?
Both turn out great.
This past season Eagle’s Beak proved its reputation as a reliable workhorse once again and rewarded me with a solid harvest.
Update: Everyone at home (and guests) loved the taste, said it was juicy and sweet and told me I was nitpicking 😊 So I guess I’m planting it again.
Kasya wrote:
But for some reason, the flesh was way too watery, juicy, and not super sweet in my opinion.
I actually love watery tomatoes. Gotta try planting this one.
Excellent variety. It grew on the “dark side” of the greenhouse. Unfussy, heavy producer, really saved the day during the questionable summer of 2017. Fruits ranged from 7 oz to 1.3 lbs (200 to 600 g). Didn’t have any green shoulders. Not watery or starchy at all, just perfect! Not the absolute sweetest, but very tasty. Wish I had a picture of them fully ripe.
APRELINA wrote:
Did you save from a male or female tomato?
How do you even tell them apart? Planning to grow this in 2020.
Shipkor wrote:
Good afternoon, can anyone tell me how it handles cracking and BER?
I didn’t have either issue with this variety. Excellent tomato, really loved it! Grew it last year.
Full Summary: Plant, Yield, Taste & Common Issues
- 🌿 Plant & Foliage: Indeterminate vine, typically reaching 5 to 6.5 ft (1.5-2 m) depending on greenhouse vs outdoor growing. It possesses classic heart-shaped tomato traits: the seedlings often look fragile, and the mature plant has a very wispy, spindly, “weeping” foliage habit that looks weak but performs exceptionally well.
- 📈 Yield & Timing: Very early for a large tomato. A remarkably heavy yielder that sets fruit reliably even in extreme heat or bad, rainy summers.
- 👅 Fruit Shape & Taste: Produces large to huge pink/raspberry fruits ranging from 7 oz to 1.3 lbs (200-600 g). The shape can vary from large rounded hearts on the lower trusses to much pointier, pronounced “beaks” higher up. While some find the flesh to be perfectly meaty and sweet, a few growers noted it can become overly juicy/watery or lose shelf life quickly if overwatered.
- ⚠️ Challenges: The most commonly reported flaw is a tendency to develop “green shoulders” (hard, unripened tops), though some growers completely avoided this by supplementing with potassium. No reports of cracking or blossom end rot (BER).
In this thread, user APRELINA asks about saving seeds from a “male or female” tomato. This is a very old and popular gardening myth in Eastern Europe. The myth claims that tomatoes with a small dot at the blossom scar are “males,” while those with a wider line or larger scar are “females.” According to the wives’ tale, “female” fruits are meatier, have fewer seeds, and produce better crops. Botanically, tomatoes have perfect flowers (containing both male and female parts), and the shape of the blossom scar is simply determined by how the petals dropped or fused. There is no such thing as a male or female tomato fruit!Regarding the frequent mentions of green shoulders: User DenIra correctly points out that supplementing with potassium can often fix this issue. Some older heirlooms are genetically prone to green/yellow shoulders, especially when exposed to direct, harsh sunlight or grown in soils with low potassium availability.
