Hello,
I love Bear Creek, however, not very productive. Is the a cross out there in the Tomato World that has it's great flavor but more productive?

Old Chef

Isn’t Bear Creek itself a cross between Brandywine and Cherokee Purple? What are you looking for, a similar cross with one of Bear Creek’s parents or a cross of Bear Creek with another tomato?

Isn’t Gary O’ Sena a potato leafed cross of the same parents as Bear Creek? I’ve not grown Gary O’Sena, though.

Have you tried Carbon? I Don’t know the parentage of Carbon, but Carbon was a bit more productive the only time I have grown Carbon and Bear Creek in the same season. It really wasn’t much of a difference in production between the two. Bear Creek produced 20 fruit and Carbon 26, this in a garden hampered with excessive shading.

Productivity with tomatoes seems to be a slippery subject. Good year, bad season type of factors, weather variables, pollination conditions, I have read enough threads on TJ to understand that productivity bounces around quite a lot even with the same variety, year to year, garden to garden and even within the same garden, same year, different plants.

I’ve grown Bear Creek one time and I didn’t get a sense it was prone to being not very productive as productivity relates to other dark tomatoes I have grown. I have Bear Creek on my 2024 grow list.

Of the dark slicer sized tomatoes I grew this year, Black Krim produced 44 tomatoes that made it inside, Carbon 26,True Black Brandywine 22, and Bear Creek 20. Bear Creek had the overall average largest tomatoes of that group, by a hair, they were all fairly close. Black Krim might be more productive, but is more tart than Bear Creek.

In my poor tomato year last year (which is repeating again this year as everything is so late), Bear Creek out-produced Carbon. Both tasted really good but Bear Creek was re-planted this year due to better productivity. Nothing ripe yet though. Mavritanskie was also very productive last season.

This year I had 2 Bear Creek plants. Each one in a different raised bed about 8 feet apart. One had great production 27 tomatoes from it, the other one not so good it only made 11 tomatoes.

Bear Creek is a cross by Keith Mueller of a Brandywine and Cherokee Purple and named after the Bear Creek Farms. In my gardens BC is productive and has the best qualities of both CP and a couple of the Brandywines. I do not know the variety of Brandy Keith used as parent but it is a keeper for sure. All the other mentioned varieties above are very much worth growing.

Thank you all for your responses. What I have in Bear Creek is a short semi determinate plant. I am very happy with the productivity of CP., Carbon & Cherokee Carbon I grow mostly black tomatoes. I am having an excellent year here in Zone 7. I grow about 75 plants a year. Have had plenty of 2# plus tomatoes

Maybe, possibly is need to consider the source of these seeds, because doesn't make sense with it's parents.

Old Chef

@Old chef If you like the dark tomatoes and want productivity with good taste then you should try Daniel Burson. Very very good flavor, nice texture and mega production.

MissS wrote: ↑Mon Aug 28, 2023 10:29 am @Old chef If you like the dark tomatoes and want productivity with good taste then you should try Daniel Burson. Very very good flavor, nice texture and mega production.

Thank you for your suggestions. I LOVE the tomato seeds you sent. LOVE

Thanks Again
Old Chef

Old chef wrote: ↑Tue Aug 29, 2023 10:07 am

MissS wrote: ↑Mon Aug 28, 2023 10:29 am @Old chef If you like the dark tomatoes and want productivity with good taste then you should try Daniel Burson. Very very good flavor, nice texture and mega production.

Thank you for your suggestions. I LOVE the tomato seeds you sent. LOVE

Thanks Again
Old Chef

If I did not send you Daniel Burson and you would like to try it, I have seeds. PM me if you want them. I have plenty to share with everyone.

karstopography wrote: ↑Sun Aug 27, 2023 9:06 am …

Productivity with tomatoes seems to be a slippery subject. Good year, bad season type of factors, weather variables, pollination conditions, I have read enough threads on TJ to understand that productivity bounces around quite a lot even with the same variety, year to year, garden to garden and even within the same garden, same year, different plants.

…

One thing to consider here is how much selection went on for productivity in the normal course of seed-saving for each seed source (and how many plants were grown each time to select from).

TL;DR, tomato productivity is a cr*p shoot.

I pretty much disregard any conclusions made on any hobbyist or horticulture site about relative productivity with any particular tomato variety. Far,far,far too many variables come into play on a tomato homegrown homegardener tomato horticulture forum.

I’m not saying that some varieties potentially are more or less productive than others, but it is difficult to come to anything like a solid conclusion with all the regions, gardens, weather, fertility, subjectivity on productivity, etc., this type of relevant information.

I mean I’m glad people share what their experiences, including productivity, are with a particular tomato variety, but I think there’s plenty of evidence to support that whatever experience they had with that particular tomato variety may or may not hold true in another garden in another region in any given season.

Bottom line, are statements about a particular tomato’s productivity something I can take to the bank? No, hardly.

Old chef wrote: ↑Sun Aug 27, 2023 10:04 pm Thank you all for your responses. What I have in Bear Creek is a short semi determinate plant. I am very happy with the productivity of CP., Carbon & Cherokee Carbon I grow mostly black tomatoes. I am having an excellent year here in Zone 7. I grow about 75 plants a year. Have had plenty of 2# plus tomatoes

Maybe, possibly is need to consider the source of these seeds, because doesn't make sense with it's parents.

Old Chef

Yes, I would reconsider the seed source. That does not sound correct.

I have attempted to grow Bear Creek twice and lost it to blight one year and herbicide drift the second. Both times it was a large indeterminate plant, which squared with the description.

I have grown its sibling Gary 'OSena several times and it is also an Ind. great producer of delicious, nicely sized black tomatoes.

MissS wrote: ↑Tue Aug 29, 2023 11:43 am

Old chef wrote: ↑Tue Aug 29, 2023 10:07 am

MissS wrote: ↑Mon Aug 28, 2023 10:29 am @Old chef If you like the dark tomatoes and want productivity with good taste then you should try Daniel Burson. Very very good flavor, nice texture and mega production.

Thank you for your suggestions. I LOVE the tomato seeds you sent. LOVE

Thanks Again
Old Chef

If I did not send you Daniel Burson and you would like to try it, I have seeds. PM me if you want them. I have plenty to share with everyone.

This post came up on Google search as I was looking to see how the various site describe my absolute FAVORITE tomato of the season! I was disappointed I didn't have more of these because not one made it into a dish or bowl. Every time I sliced one it found it's way directly to my mouth! This was a weird growing season, and it did not have as much sun as would have been helpful. I'd love to try Daniel Burson. How would you describe it? Similarities? Differences?