NevaMO wrote:I'm wanting to plant some Russian Heirloom tomatoes that I grew this year but I'm thinking about trying something different and here's what I'm thinking on:
when watering my plants this year, the ground would soak up water but the next day it would seem like i hadn't even watered any bit.....so i was thinking about putting some hay down on top of the ground and then either put soaker hoses down on top or on the bottom...
anyone tried this before? would really like to see how this has turned out
First Welcome to Helpful Gardener.
I think it's a great idea to lay down a heavy mulch. Straw, Hay, weeds, grass clippings, but install the drip line first. Your soaker hose / drip line will last longer. Also some mulches get matted down and shed water.
You may even think about installing the soaker hose, covering it with cardboard then a mulch of choice.
Either way you should have less fluctuation in water saturation. Fruit less prone to splitting. Cleaner fruit and less disease
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Double%20Dog%20Farm%20%20%20Garden%20Vegetables/GardenAugust9th2011002.jpg[/img]
Eric