Fig. 1. Experimental design of the field trial.

A Experimental neighborhoods were constructed by planting a focal plant in the center of a ring of neighbor plants (or none), with fully factorial combinations of focal and neighbor plant species. Each block contained 12 comparisons, with focal and neighbor plant abbreviated (T = tomato, P = pepper, B = bean, and N = no neighbor), respectively. Focal plants were harvested and replaced each month, while the neighborhoods were left to continue growing. Shown are a tomato focal plant with tomato neighbors (top) and a pepper focal plant with bean neighbors (bottom) at the time of initial planting. B A pepper neighborhood surrounding a bean focal plant at the time of harvest number 3. C The biomass of neighborhood plants (g) increased to varying degrees with time for each plant species by harvests 1–3.