High yield and large fruits with a delicate taste: tomato "Eagle heart" - how to grow it yourself without hassle
A wide variety of tomato seeds are sold in horticultural markets. Large pink tomatoes occupy a special place among them. They are most popular for their juiciness, meatiness and rich taste. It is these berries that are best suited for making salads and tomato sauces.
One of the most beautiful pink tomatoes is the Eagle Heart. This variety is distinguished not only by the rich taste of the fruit, but also by its unusual heart-shaped shape. It is not difficult to grow such tomatoes in your garden. The main thing is to know the basic rules and nuances of caring for them.
The content of the article
Description of the variety
Eagle Heart is a tomato variety bred by domestic breeders from Siberia. Its originator is Dereko Vladimir Nikolaevich.
The variety was bred in 2003.
The tomato is actively grown by gardeners in all countries of the former CIS. Its seeds are also found in online stores in Europe.
Distinctive features
The main feature of the Eagle Heart is its unusual fruits.... They have a deep pink color, and the shape resembles a heart or large garden strawberries. The variety is also impressive for its size. The weight of individual berries reaches 1 kg. Moreover, all the tomatoes on the bush are large. The taste of the Eagle Heart is intense sweet, with a slight sourness.
This type of tomato rarely causes allergies.... It is recommended for baby food. The fruits contain lycopene, which helps to cleanse the body of toxins, free radicals and harmful cholesterol, and iodine, which is necessary for the normal functioning of the thyroid gland.
Indeterminate and tall bush, so a garter and pinning are necessary.
Like all varieties of Siberian selection, Eagle Heart resistant to temperature extremes... The tomato is grown in open and protected ground.
Important! The disadvantage of the variety is its exactingness to the composition of the soil. The gardener will have to constantly feed, keeping an eye on the amount of nitrogen fertilizer.
Main characteristics
The Eagle Heart tomato is planted by gardeners all over the world. Its main characteristics and description of the variety are given in the table.
| Parameter | Indicators |
| Bush type | Indeterminate (independently stops its growth after the formation of the upper inflorescence). The height of the bush varies between 100-150 cm. The plants are heavily leafed. The stems are strong and strong. The leaves are dark green and medium in size. They are slightly corrugated, without pubescence. The inflorescences are simple. Seeds are laid at a height of 6-7 leaves. Fruits are collected in brushes, 3-4 pcs. |
| Growing method | In regions with warm climates, the variety is grown outdoors. In central Russia, it is advisable to use film greenhouses. In cold regions, the tomato is planted in a greenhouse. |
| Yield | High. From 1 sq. m harvest up to 14 kg. |
| Fruit | Big ones. On average, their weight varies in the range of 300-600 g. The weight of record specimens exceeds 1 kg. The color of the berries is crimson inside and outside. There is no green spot at the base, but some fruits have yellow patches around the stalk. The shape of the fruit is cordate with a long, elongated tip. Medium ribbing is present throughout the entire area.The taste of berries is sweet, with a slightly sour taste. There is a lot of pulp and it is juicy. There are few seed chambers (3-4 on average). |
| Transportability | Average. The skin is thin but firm. Berries crumple under mechanical stress. Stored for a month. |
| Ripening terms | The tomato is mid-season. The first berries ripen 100-115 days after sowing the seeds. Fruiting lasts all summer. |
| Disease resistance | Possesses resistance to tomato diseases. |
How to grow seedlings
Mid-season tomatoes are grown in seedlings... Seeds are sown 55-65 days before their intended planting in a permanent place.
Usually, seeds are sown in early May... These dates are suitable for all regions, since in cold cities, tomatoes of this variety are grown in a greenhouse.
Council. Gardeners believe that the best seedlings are those grown in a heated greenhouse. It is in such conditions that it is possible to grow strong and squat plants.
Seed treatment
Before sowing planting material, the seeds must be prepared. Many manufacturing firms do this in the factory. If seeds from a personal harvest are used or there is no information on the dressing on the package, then the procedure is carried out at home.
How to prepare seeds for sowing:
- Before use, the planting material is sorted out... Damaged and darkened seeds are removed.
- Seeds are soaked in salted water, made from 1 tsp. salt and a glass of water. Those specimens that have sunk to the bottom are suitable for planting.
- The planting material is disinfected... It is soaked in a light pink solution of potassium permanganate or hydrogen peroxide for 20 minutes. Another option is to soak the seeds in aloe juice or baking soda solution (1 teaspoon of baking soda in 1 tbsp of water). After etching, the planting material is washed under running water.
- Growth stimulation... The easiest way to do this is to soak the seeds in one of the means: "Epin", "Sodium humate", "Zircon", aloe juice, soda solution. Another option is to hold the seeds for 3 days in the refrigerator before planting, and then keep them for another two days in a piece of cloth soaked in warm water.
Other varieties of tomatoes:
A good choice for the fastidious summer resident is the Peter the Great tomato
Gardeners' favorite tomatoes "Khlebossolny"
Tomatoes of the "Masterpiece" variety: how to get a decent harvest
A little about containers and soil
Eagle heart grown both in individual containers and in common boxes.
If you plan to grow a large number of seedlings, it is more convenient to sow the seeds first in one large container (boxes, trays, packaging for cakes and semi-finished products, cut bottles), and then plant the grown plants in individual pots with a volume of at least 300 ml.
Council. To prevent the roots of tomatoes from tangling and not being damaged when picking, some gardeners divide the box into cells with cardboard or plastic partitions. One seed is sown in each of them.
When growing several tomato bushes, it is more advisable to use peat tablets. In this case, picking the seedlings is not required.
All containers are treated with a disinfectant solution... They are soaked in boiling water, copper sulphate (0.5 tsp for 2 liters of water) or a dark pink solution of potassium permanganate.
The stores sell special soil for tomatoes and universal soil for seedlings. Both options will work.
There are many recipes for self-preparation of soil mixtures... The most popular option is to combine black soil and peat in equal proportions, adding 0.5 parts of sand to them. A bucket of such soil is mixed with a glass of ash.
The soil is also disinfected... It is poured with boiling water, copper sulfate or a dark pink solution of potassium permanganate.
Sowing planting material
A layer of soil is poured into the boxes and poured with warm water... In the soil, grooves are made 1 cm deep at a distance of 3 cm. The seeds are laid out in them at a distance of 2 cm from each other.
The planting material is sprinkled with earth... Seed boxes are covered with glass or foil and placed in a warm place - for example, near a radiator.
Basic rules of care
Often novice gardeners are afraid to grow seedlings on their own, preferring to buy tomatoes ready for permanent planting on the market. Quality plants are recognized by their bright green foliage, short internodes, strong stem and stockiness.
When buying seedlings on the market, it is impossible to determine exactly whether the seller is offering the right variety. It is much safer to grow seedlings yourself. Moreover, it is not difficult to do this, the main thing is to follow the rules of care:
- After all the seeds have sprout, the film is removed. Tomatoes are rearranged for a week in a cool place. This will prevent them from being pulled out. Then they are brought into the room.
- Important provide daylight hours for seedlings for 16 hours... Experienced gardeners use fluorescent lamps. This reduces the risks of pulling plants.
- Water the plants as the topsoil dries out. It is important to moisten only the soil so that the liquid does not get on the greens of the tomatoes. Use warm water.
- Tomatoes dive during the formation of the third true leaflet. Two weeks after this procedure, the plants are fed.
- Feed seedlings for the entire growing period three times with an interval of two weeks. Use special preparations for seedlings ("Krepysh", "Solution") or a product made from a bucket of water, 1 kg of chicken manure, 1 tbsp. ash.
- 10 days before the pick to a permanent place, the tomatoes begin to harden, taking them out to the balcony in the warm season.
Seedlings should not be placed in a draftotherwise the plants will freeze and die. If the plants start to lose turgor, you should make sure that they are properly watered.
Read also:
How to grow tomatoes
Tomatoes are planted permanently in May... Before this, the seedlings are watered and fed. This will help them quickly settle down in a new place and it will be easier to remove them from the container.
Planting seedlings in a permanent place
For tomatoes, choose a place well-lit by the sun.... Tomato beds should not have any other nightshade crops in the past two years. The best precursors for tomatoes are legumes, melons and cabbage.
The selected area of the garden is dug to the depth of one shovel bayonet in the fall... All plant residues are removed. The earth is mixed with fertilizers (6 kg of humus are taken per 1 square meter). If the soil is too dense, sand is added to it. With increased acidity, add dry lime or ash. In the spring, the soil is leveled with a rake and cleaned of weeds. The soil is watered with hot copper sulfate. To prepare the solution, 1 tbsp is poured into a bucket of water. l. vitriol.
Holes for the Eagle Heart are dug in rows in a checkerboard pattern. For 1 sq. m are placed from 5-6 plants... Granular fertilizers are poured into the holes. Each of them is filled with 1 liter of light pink solution of potassium permanganate. When the liquid is absorbed, plants are planted in the grooves along with a lump of earth. They are sprinkled with earth on top, the soil is compacted.
Adult plant care
Eagle heart tomato tall... It must be tied to supports or trellises. For this, a synthetic thread is used. If the brushes with fruits are heavy, they are attached to additional supports.
Bushes are formed into 1-3 stems. The smaller the trunks, the larger the fruits will be... In the process of pinching, excess leaves are removed. Cut off all the greens at the bottom of the bush and withered leaves. The procedure is carried out once a week. No more than three leaves are removed at a time.
Eagle Heart beds need to be mulched... They are covered with rotted straw, hay or humus. This measure will not only protect plant roots from freezing, diseases and pests, but also serve as an additional fertilizer.
Water the tomatoes as the soil dries... For one plant, use 2-3 liters of warm, settled water. The liquid should not get on the ground part of the tomatoes. After each watering, the beds are loosened, destroying the earthen crust. During this procedure, weeds are removed.
Fertilizers are applied every two weeks... Preference is given to phosphorus and potassium preparations. Nitrogenous fertilizing is applied less frequently. 2-3 times a season, the bushes are sprayed with a solution of boric acid. Some gardeners use sweet water to attract pollinating insects.
Possible difficulties
When growing tomatoes novice gardeners often face a number of difficulties:
- Bushes shed their ovaries and inflorescences... The most likely cause of this problem is excessive nitrogen content in the soil.
- Tomatoes do not set fruit well... Tomatoes are not pollinated. To solve the problem, the bushes are regularly shaken during flowering.
- Tomatoes do not tolerate feeding well... In order not to burn the roots of plants with fertilizers, the beds are watered abundantly before applying them.
- The fruits are cracking... This happens with excessive watering and due to the scorching sun.
Diseases and pests
Eagle heart is resistant to most tomato diseases... Thanks to this, it is not necessary to spray the bushes with chemicals, which greatly facilitates their cultivation. However, despite the high immunity of the variety, experienced gardeners recommend following the rules of prevention. With an epidemic of late blight, the bushes are sprayed with a light pink solution of potassium permanganate.
To protect tomatoes from pests, once a week they are sprayed with a solution of laundry soap (1 bar of soap for one bucket of water) or yogurt (2 liters for 1 bucket of water). The use of chemicals is not recommended, as they reduce the usefulness of the fruit.
The nuances of growing in open ground and in a greenhouse
Before planting tomatoes, the ground in the greenhouse is completely changed.... Instead, a nutritious and lightweight substrate with a high peat content is poured.
Watering the beds in the greenhouse once a week, and in the open field three times. It is important to maintain optimal humidity in the room and ventilate it regularly.
Outdoor tomato the beds are covered with foil for the night... This will protect them from night frost.
Harvesting and application of the crop
Tomatoes Eagle heart is harvested at the end of July... They are plucked from the bush one by one. The variety does not differ in maturity.
Mostly harvest consumed fresh... Berries are also suitable for making tomato juice.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
Eagle Heart Benefits:
- high productivity;
- beautiful large fruits;
- meatiness and sweet rich taste;
- immunity to tomato diseases;
- the possibility of using seeds for planting.
Disadvantages of the variety:
- increased exactingness to the composition of the soil;
- the need for garter and pinching.
Farmers reviews
Reviews of farmers about the Eagle Heart are positive. This variety has all the advantages declared by the manufacturer. Its fruits are beautiful and large, as in the photo.
Elena, Tver: “I grew the eagle heart in a greenhouse. Formed in 1 stem. In the fall, she sowed rye into the soil, which she dug up in the spring and watered it with "Baikal". After that, during the season, I applied fertilizers only twice. The tomato was not sick. From late blight in the greenhouse, I hung up an open bottle of iodine. The tomatoes grew gigantic and beautiful. The weight of the largest of them was 900 g ".
Irina, Krasnodar: “I have been planting an eagle heart in open ground for several years now. Very nice tomatoes. They resemble large strawberries. The taste is sweet, the pulp is sugar. Ideal for salads. It can also be used for pickling and juices, but it's a pity to spoil such beauty. ".
Conclusion
The Eagle Heart tomato will appeal to even the most demanding gardeners. The berries not only have a wonderful taste and sugar pulp, but also an attractive appearance. The yield of the variety is also excellent.
It is not difficult to grow such tomatoes.Follow the rules of care and apply top dressing in a timely manner, and then the harvest will not disappoint you.