diff --git a/test/boost/mutation_test.cc b/test/boost/mutation_test.cc
index 2528db4cf9..508bc382db 100644
--- a/test/boost/mutation_test.cc
+++ b/test/boost/mutation_test.cc
@@ -1877,6 +1877,26 @@ SEASTAR_TEST_CASE(test_commutativity_and_associativity) {
     return make_ready_future<>();
 }
 
+SEASTAR_THREAD_TEST_CASE(test_row_merging) {
+    simple_schema table;
+    auto&& s = *table.schema();
+
+    row r1;
+    table.set_cell(r1, "v1");
+
+    row r2;
+    table.set_cell(r2, "v2");
+
+    row r3;
+    table.set_cell(r3, "v3");
+
+    r2.apply_monotonically(s, column_kind::regular_column, std::move(r1));
+
+    auto r3_backup = row(s, column_kind::regular_column, r3);
+    r1.apply_monotonically(s, column_kind::regular_column, std::move(r3));
+    BOOST_REQUIRE(r1.equal(column_kind::regular_column, s, r3_backup, s));
+}
+
 SEASTAR_TEST_CASE(test_continuity_merging) {
     return seastar::async([] {
         simple_schema table;
diff --git a/test/lib/simple_schema.hh b/test/lib/simple_schema.hh
index 26a4899d48..991715f3db 100644
--- a/test/lib/simple_schema.hh
+++ b/test/lib/simple_schema.hh
@@ -138,6 +138,15 @@ public:
         return t;
     }
 
+    api::timestamp_type set_cell(row& r, const sstring& v, api::timestamp_type t = api::missing_timestamp) {
+        if (t == api::missing_timestamp) {
+            t = new_timestamp();
+        }
+        const column_definition& v_def = get_v_def(*_s);
+        r.apply_monotonically(v_def, atomic_cell::make_live(*v_def.type, t, serialized(v)));
+        return t;
+    }
+
     std::pair<sstring, api::timestamp_type> get_value(const schema& s, const clustering_row& row) {
         const column_definition& v_def = get_v_def(s);
         auto cell = row.cells().find_cell(v_def.id);