Q: I have seen grafted tomatoes listed in a couple of vegetable catalogs. The catalogs say they produce better, but of course they say that. They are much more expensive than non-grafted tomatoes. I am wondering if it is worth trying.

A: One of the benefits of writing articles about gardening is that sometimes I get samples. Last summer, I was fortunate to have grafted tomato samples from Harris Seeds. I can tell you that the side-by-side comparison of the same varieties in grafted and non-grafted was amazing. The grafted tomatoes grew bigger, faster and had far more tomatoes than the non-grafted plants.

I had samples of Brandywine, Cherokee Purple and San Marzano. Several times, I harvested more than 50 of the large Roma style San Marzano tomatoes off the same plant. Neither of the Cherokee Purple tomatoes did great, but the grafted one was definitely better. The grafted Brandywine gave about twice as many tomatoes as the non-grafted one. If you can't find grafted tomatoes at your local garden center, Harris Seeds has these three tomatoes as a sample pack of two of each on their website at www.harrisseeds.com.

Check out my website www.greenerview.com to see pictures of these tomatoes and to ask me more questions.

Grafted tomato plants are grafted in an effort to get around a deficiency in the upper half of the plant. Many tomato varieties don't produce large root systems or are not resistant to soil borne disease organisms. By grafting a good tomato onto a strong rooting tomato or a disease-resistant tomato that doesn't produce many fruit, you get the best of both varieties.

You do have to be careful to not bury the trunk of the grafted tomato plant. When we plant a non-grafted tomato we often bury the trunk section because it will send out more roots. We did this because many tomatoes weren't good at rooting and because tomato plants with more roots get more water and grow more fruit. The graft on the tomato is only a couple of inches above the soil, so make sure it stays above the ground.

Another sample from Harris Seeds that I tried last summer was the 2014 All American Selections winner Mascotte Bean. This stringless been only grows 18 inches tall and is perfect for a window box or container. They are supposed to bear pods 50 days after planting, but mine were about 65 days.

Another company that is selling grafted vegetables and who won a Green Thumb Award in 2011 for grafted tomatoes is the Territorial Seed Company. They have grafted basil, cucumber, eggplant, pepper, tomato and watermelon plants. They even have some tomatoes that produce two different kinds of fruit on the same plant.

If your local garden center doesn't stock them, try www.territorialseed.com to find them.

Both of the companies mentioned in this article sell to retail stores, but if you can't find the plants check their websites. They both have many organic, and heirloom vegetable seeds and plants.

Email questions to Jeff Rugg at info@greenerview.com. To find out more about Jeff Rugg and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.