Most soils require extra lime added every few years in the fall or winter. A soil test is needed to really determine the need for lime. Special tomato fertilizer is not needed, but additional fertilizer during the season is desirable. Tomato plants can be supported by stakes driven into the ground before planting. If you use wire cages, the openings should be 6 inches square for ease in pruning and harvesting.
Plants sprawling on the ground lose many tomatoes to slugs and disease.
As you plant the seedlings, bury them in the ground with only the top leaves showing, in order to encourage rooting from the stems. If you have already planted the seedlings, mound soil up around the stems. Both techniques will encourage the leaf canopies to thicken. For larger tomatoes, pinch off suckers as they grow. In the beginnning of September, pinch off all the flowers.