Tomato plants grow better in July with 1 thing in soil

Brits with tomatoes growing in their gardens can place one thing in the soil twice in the month of July to make sure that their fruits continue to thrive and survive the dry weather. July is one of the hottest months of the year, and 2025 has been particularly hot and dry. The UK has already experienced two heatwaves this summer and is set for another one, with temperatures getting as high as 38C in parts of the country.

Gardeners need to take extra care of their plants during a heatwave, with each flower, vegetable and other type of plant needing unique attention during a hot and dry spell. One of those plants is tomatoes. Even though tomato plants need sun, they can struggle during a heatwave. Extended periods of heat can be stressful for these plants, and gardeners may fear their growth being stunted. However, one expert shared a job he completes twice in July to make sure his tomato plants continue to grow and thrive throughout the summer.

shared his top tips for taking care of your tomato plants in July and said he does this one thing around two times in the month.

"The first thing I do is make sure that I fertilise my tomato plants regularly," he says. He then explains that his method is to use a water-soluble fertiliser for his tomato plants. He gives the plants a "nice shot of this" about once every week or once every two weeks, normally completing this task around two times in July.

"This is going to ensure that my plants are really not slowing down at this most critical stage when they are starting to fruit," he says. He says this type of fertiliser is great for keeping the phosphorus and potassium levels up, as well as nitrogen levels a little lower.

When selecting a fertiliser, he looks mainly for the NPK ratio, which details the proportions of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) in a fertiliser. He says the water-soluble fertiliser he uses is perfect as it is high in potassium and phosphorus compared to the amount of nitrogen it has.

Meanwhile, another expert explained the importance of keeping tomato plants safe in high heat. Author Craig LeHoullier told Joe Gardener: "This is the time of the year where you really need to know your plants and be in your garden because tomatoes - being a tropical crop - can handle heat.

"The question is, are we doing the things that can help them handle heat the best? So they're going to have increased watering needs because of that. They're going to have increased needs for food."