What to do this week

Bermuda grass is used for lawns in the South, but is an aggressive weed in this area, especially in the mid to late summer. Bermuda grass enjoys hot temperatures, withstands drought, and spreads rapidly by rhizomes and stolons. It dies back in winter but will return with a vengeance in early summer.

The best way to control bermuda grass is to pull it, but you need to remove the roots and rhizomes. If you till bermuda grass, it will regenerate from smaller root segments. Because it spreads quickly, remove stolons from garden beds as soon as they appear, or you will have a hard time controlling the infestation.

Cracks that suddenly appear in the skin of tomatoes are called 'splitting'. This usually happens when the tomato plant draws up too much water, and tries to expand the tomato faster than the skin can stretch. It can happen either after heavy rain, or if there are alternating periods of moist and dry conditions. 

The best way to avoid splitting is to provide uniform moist conditions for your tomato plants. Make sure the plants get watered on a regular schedule, and do not overwater - if the soil is moist below the surface, you do not need to water. Mulching around the plants and providing good drainage also helps.

Some varieties are less prone to splitting than others. Smaller sized tomatoes can be less prone to splitting than large tomatoes, or at least provide so many tomatoes that a few split fruit are not a problem. You can also pick tomatoes once they start to turn color and loosen on the vine, especially if the forecast calls for heavy rain.