An expert has shared the ingredient they put into their compost for and why it works so well. Tomatoes are a favourite for many British gardeners to grow at home and for many, they will be reaping the rewards pretty soon as they use their tomatoes to feature in their barbecues or their summer . There are many ways we can make sure that our tomatoes are as fresh, juicy and flavourful as they can be when we grow them at home.

Speaking to the Daily Express at the 2025 , one compost expert shared their special ingredient for their specific tomato blend and why this unusual component makes for great tomato food. Simon Bland is one of the co-founders of Dalefoot Composts, a business that produces and sells peat-free sustainable compost featuring the special ingredient of sheep's wool. This ingredient is fantastically beneficial for a number of plants, including tomatoes, which get fed slowly by it.

Bland explained the sheep's wool in the compost is "an amazing way to feed it nitrogen". He said: "You get this slow release so it carries on feeding your plants right through the season. The potassium is coming from the material I use in the compost."

The expert and his team have been making compost for nearly 30 years. The business sells special compost blends for a variety of and crops, with one specifically designed for tomatoes.

He explained: "All the composts are doing a different job. We're making a strength compost and then we dilute that down to make a tomato compost. That tomato compost is going to feed your tomatoes right through. Then we dilute it a little bit further for your .

"Plants like a little bit of feed all the time. It's going back to nature and using nature in the right way to benefit the plants."

According to the experts at Compo, sheep's wool is very high in nutrients, containing "macronutrients that are vital for plants", most notable nitroigen and potassium.

There is also sulphur, phosphate and magnesium which are beneficial to the plant. It releases its nutrients slowly because it also contains keratin, which is also what hair and nails are made from.

Things like nitrogen are released slowly as keratin is broken down and decomposed by soil, so that's why it realses slowly.