Irrigation vs Mines in the ancient age

[Artifex]

Starting out a new game. I have been building mines on grassland squares and havent irrigated any land. What is a good ratio on land improvments in the ancient era. DO you all go for mines mostly or irrigate squares for your budding cities?

[Marquis de Sodaq]

I will only irrigate plains. The only time I'll make an exception and irrigate grassland is if that city has few grassland or will use many mines. Otherwise the cities grow too fast and reach their population caps millenia before hospitals.

[Ethelred]

Irrigate plains. Mine grasslands. Road every tile that is being worked and the connecting tiles.

I do occasionly irrigate one or two square in my civ under despot. If I can irrigate a tile with a food bonus I can get one extra food and that can speed up settler building considerably.

[PerpetualNewbie]

Don't waste time developing tiles you aren't going to be using, unless you really have nothing better to do. I usually find it much better to spend my worker time blazing new roads out into the wilderness to hasten the settler/defender travel time.

Remember that when you max out at 12 pop, you will want exactly 22 food from your 12 best tiles, maybe less if you are weak on luxuries. Any additional land development is time that your workers could have been doing something better.