Grafted vegetables: tomatoes, eggplant, peppers

Grafted vegetable transplants combine a desirable fruiting scion (the heirloom or hybrid variety you want to eat) with a vigorous, disease-resistant rootstock that provides the root system. Per North Carolina State University Extension, grafting of solanaceous crops (tomato, eggplant, pepper) is.

Grafted vegetable transplants combine a desirable fruiting scion (the heirloom or hybrid variety you want to eat) with a vigorous, disease-resistant rootstock that provides the root system. Per North Carolina State University Extension, grafting of solanaceous crops (tomato, eggplant, pepper) is standard practice in Asian and European commercial vegetable production and has been increasingly adopted in US specialty horticulture since the 2000s.

Home garden grafted transplants are widely available from specialty seed companies (Territorial Seed, Johnny's Selected Seeds) at a price premium of $3—$8 per plant over conventional transplants.

How vegetable grafting works

Per NC State Extension, the most common technique for commercial grafted vegetable production is tube grafting or splice grafting:

1. The scion (desired variety) is grown from seed until it has 1 true leaf
2. The rootstock seedling is grown to the same size
3. Both are cut at a 45° angle and joined — either with a small plastic clip or by inserting one cut stem into a silicone tube
4. The graft is held in a healing chamber at 26°C, 95% relative humidity, and low light for 5—7 days
5. After healing, the clip or tube is left in place; it will eventually be covered by the stem