You can add lime to your soil any time the ground is not frozen - so early fall or spring once things warm up. In the summer it is hard to apply lime as the plants are filing up the soil. As for removing the buds on tomatoes, I do not think that is necessary. For bigger fruit plant the tomato varieties such as 'Big Boy\" or other large fruited types. The smaller tomatoes do ripen sooner than the large fruit. Keep growing, Marianne Binetti