The correct statement about their investigation is:
The growth of the tomato plants is the dependent variable and the type of fertilizer is the independent variable.
In this context, the growth of the tomato plants (such as height, number of leaves, etc.) is what the students are measuring and is influenced by the type of fertilizer they apply, making it the dependent variable. The type of fertilizer is the factor that the students are changing in the experiment, making it the independent variable.