I am wondering strategically how best to use my garden space in 2020.
One of the tomato populations that will be really interesting to grow out is a 3/4 domestic. Including 1/2 Big Hill. Joseph sent it to me and that seems an honor. I had 13 F1 plants in 2019 and saved as much seed as possible. None segregated to be elites or edible. However all 13 seemed self incompatible so must have been heterozygous. There is huge potential here for favorable segregation in the F2.
I will plant all the seed in 2020 or the vast majority of it (always a good idea to hold back a little). However the question then becomes how much space to give the seedlings. I suspect that if well spaced I could allow them the entire garden. However that might be excessive. So I need some kind of middle ground. Perhaps I could well space a couple rows, and crowd a couple.
Advantages crowding: less garden space. Can still save seed from favorite fruits. Expect lots of inedibility so spacing would be good.
Advantages spacing: can tell plants apart. May enable ruthless culling. Faster progress possible. With culling could make some elite to elite crosses in 2020.
For spacing to work well, plants would need quite a bit, perhaps, ten feet apart.