Tomatoes are likely just starting to grow in May, and it is incredibly important to feed them nitrogen now before them begin to bear any fruit. Nitrogen is the nutrient needed to grow foliage and helps the plant absorb sunlight to make energy, which is why it is so important in late spring. 

If tomatoes do not receive enough nitrogen, they will be unable to grow strong stems capable of supporting fruit, resulting in small, shrivelled tomatoes or even none at all. Luckily, Denis a gardener and creator of Gardening Noob, has shared a usual yet very effective way to help tomatoes get enough nutrients is to add sheep wool to the soil 

Denis said: “The sheep wool is incredibly rich in all sorts of nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron and sulfur. Once it breaks down, it releases all these nutrients into the soil and thus feeds the vegetable plants.”

He added: “I haven’t mention this yet, but I have also been using sheep wool when growing tomatoes in pots in a similar way as in the garden. I mix some of it with the soil when putting it into the pots. 

“And, once tomato seedlings are transplanted, I also mulch the surface of the pots with it. I do it to slow down water evaporation during those hot, summer days.”

It may seem bizarre, but sheep wool is incredibly helpful when growing tomatoes it is helps give them a good dose of nitrogen and also retains lots of moisture to keep them hydrated as the weather heats up. 

It will also helps smother any weeds which may grow near your vegetables and the wool is coated in a natural oil that many insects hate so will keep pests such as slugs away as well.

Sheep wool will slowly release both nutrients and water into the soil to help give tomatoes a boost, stop weeds growing and keep pests away to make growing them so much easier.

How to use sheep wool to help tomatoes (and other crops) 

You can often buy sheep wool as pellets at garden centres but many local farms sell wool-based products for gardening in spring since it is shearing season.

Once you have your wool, all you need to do is spread a thin layer around the base of a tomato plant, and make sure not to let it touch the stems.

Wool is a very thick material and can clump up easily so make sure to thinly stretch it out so water and sunlight can still get into the soil. You looking for a layer that is around three to five centimetres. 

After adding the wool make sure to give your tomato a deep watering to help the wool work its way into the soil and help it start to decompose. 

Although tomatoes are technically classified as a fruit they are usually grown among other vegetables so you can also use sheep wool to also help grow other crops like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, peppers and eggplants. 

However, it should be noted that sheep wool is a slow acting feed that takes three to six months to completely break down so will not be very effective with any crops that are quick to grow in the garden.

Denis said: “The fast-growing and quick-maturing vegetables such as lettuce, radishes, bush beans and peas would be ready for harvest way before the wool started to break down.”