I have some extra tomato plants I want to find space for, and the most convenient space is next to my sweet corn. I have 4 rows of sweet corn (with squash and beans) growing at one end of my garden, and 4 rows of tomatoes at the other, with a row in between to separate the two. So my corn and tomatoes are separated by about 8 feet. I know I'm not supposed to plant corn near tomatoes cuz the same worm attacks both--unless I want the corn to be a trap crop, which I don't--but I'm wondering if 8 feet is far enough to make any difference anyway. Should I just go ahead and plant my extra tomatoes near the corn? Does the 8 foot separation make any difference? Would I be better off sticking the extra tomatoes in with the other tomatoes, overcrowding them a bit? Would a few interplanted tomatoes significantly raise the risk of attracting the worms to my sweet corn? Does anyone have any experience with this? Thanks for any advice.
I've always tried to stick to the 20 foot rule: never plant the two crops closer that 20 foot apart. I'd have to agree with putting the tomatoes in containers myself. Good luck.
