I used to pile straw right up to the stem of my tomatoes to keep the soil damp: when I pulled the mulch back a month later, I understood what was eating the base
That innocent pile of straw against your tomato stem is quietly rotting the plant from the ground up. Within weeks, crown rot softens the tissue, attracting slugs, pillbugs, and cutworms that finish what fungal pathogens started. The fix is simpler than you think—but the details matter more than most gardeners realize.