grafted tomatoes

Saw a single grafted tomato in a pot for sale today. Don't remember seeing one before - didn't check the price but had to be dearer than a punnet's worth of seedlings - especially up this way where a single tomato shoved in a pot will yield dozens of volunteers.

Don't remember you serious tomato growers talking about grafts - just wondered what the story was - the purpose.

I remember italian neighbours planting one - it was the first i had ever seen. It needed a large trellis to support it and produced masses of fruit. Of course they used to make their own tomato paste. My parents were keen veg gardeners, but I think it was Don (Dino), over the road, who imfluenced me the most with his wonderful big italian garden, full of stuff my parents never ate - LOL.

I saw a grafter eggplant on the weekend at Bunnings. Thing is under the graft was a tomato plant shooting out. First time I have ever seen this. Tomato plant shoot was almost as big as the eggplant.

grafted tomatoes have been around for a while. the idea is that you get a hardier rootstock for a particular variety of plant.

I usually buy grafted tommies as they have been in pots, but now I have a new plot will only buy a few and just normal ones