[Eric in the Ozarks]

Prevents stem rot and attenuates the amount of moisture at the surface.
Wife is a master gardener. She picked up this from one of her gardener classes.
We have had zero dead plants since starting the seeds.

[trisham]

That’s an excellent tip. Your wife has my deepest respect. It was my husband who taught me how to garden, and I remember when we put out our first transplants. I asked him how he could tell the plants apart. I still remember the look he gave me. :)