As distance to nearest neighbor decreases, competition begins
to increase (Vandermeer, 1986). Thus, the proper spacing between
individuals in a mixed planting should maintain a balance that
maximizes facilitative interactions and minimizes competitive
interactions. Additionally, small scale producers often are more
limited on space and farm more intensively to increase yields on a
per area basis. A system incorporating three or four species would
be optimal for small scale production systems where manual
harvesting is common practice. These findings also suggested that
a three or four species system can also be utilized without
sacrificing fruit quality, given that optimal planting dates can be
found.