I certainly wouldn't plant them any closer than 10". If you try to cram too many plants in there, they won't do well and may not make ears. Even at that spacing, be sure you are really on the ball with watering -- tightly packed plants and drought are a recipe for failure. Both of the kinds you are planning are normal, open pollinated corns, so they don't have the issue of making "flinty" kernels like some hybrids can when different classes are planted together. In theory, if you were to plant them about 3 weeks apart, you probably could do what you are planning and get relatively pure seed from each strain. However, I don't know if it works differently in Arizona due to climate, but here in Michigan, it seems like staggered plantings all seem to mature at about the same time anyway -- probably a function of our cool springs where the early plantings just sit, and then all start to grow when it warms up. With the planting density, I don't think you should have any problems with pollination, but OTOH, with such a small bed, it sure wouldn't be very hard to do some hand pollination, so it might be worth the few minutes work just as an insurance policy.

Hi! I'm running a little hydroponics set up and bought seeds late. The only tomatoes I could find were Ferry Morse pelleted Sweet 100. The plant is much too big for my set up and it's sucking up gallons of nutrients and water. I'd like to trade my 17 remaining pelleted seeds for any kind of dwarf tomato. I'm fine with an uneven exchange as long I get enough seeds to produce a plant or two. Thanks!

Aker's West Virginia Marianna's Peace Pruden's Purple Trust me, you'll probably never fully make up your mind (I don't), and there'll always be at least one or two varieties you'll wish you had planted after it's too late (me too). Pick out a few, try 'em and make notes/save seed for next year. Otherwise you'll go nuts, like all the rest of us. :-)

Yes, please email me at DW711325@gmail.com