"John T. Jarrett" wrote:

...And how long does a basic Wal-Mart soaker hose last if buried?

I'm not familiar with that brand, but they're probably cheap plastic.
The plastic might last 2-5 years depending on what chews on it, but the
fittings (also cheap) can degrade when buried (particularly if you have
acid soil). Get a soaker hose that you can replace the fittings on when
they go bad (i.e. a hose with a round cross section, or one that can be
expanded to fit onto one of those plastic replacement fittings).




And do you snake them around the plants? Or just lay it in a straight run?

It depends on the type of soil you have. In sandy soil the water will
not spread out much, so you want it as close to the plant as you can get
it. In clay soil it will spread out a lot, so the straight run should be
fine.




And do you place it on the dirt under the mulch or do you actually bury it
an inch or two?


If it is exposed to the sun, expansion and contraction will cause it to
"walk" around the garden. You can pin it in place, but it will move
around between the pins. Burying it a couple of inches is recommended,
whether it's buried in dirt or under mulch is probably irrelevant.