Hi Scoot and welcome to GW. The answer depends on a few things. How well does your soil drain and is it clay, sandy, etc, are the planted rows raised above the paths between them so the plants 'feet' do not get waterlogged for an extended period of time?

Can you dig a diversion channel to drain the standing water away from the garden? You may loose a few things if the plants are still young. If your soil drains pretty well it would help.

I'm in E. Tn., and that was some week huh? I had 5 gal. buckets in the driveway and they filled halfway up! I guess we shouldn't complain, we'll more than likely be crying for rain come August.

What happens to the water in a garden is a measure of our drainage. Are you in a low spot? How much higher is the actual root zone than the base of the rows? In clay-based soils, like much of the Southeast, depending on a number of factors, you're going to get some drainage issues from time to time.

I'm on a gentle slope, and I garden in 4' x 18' permanent beds - no walls around the beds. I've amended the beds with organic matter and the soil has loosened to where it sits 6" - 8" above the natural level of the ground. That means, even when I have water in the rows, the plant roots are raised 6" - 8". I use wood chips in the walkways, and they too amend the soil underfoot to promote drainage. No problems from standing water.

What is the soil type there? Have you added organic matter? There is little cause for bailing out a backyard garden, but I have seen people use pumps on large fields of 'bottom land'.

Instead, I would use the opportunity to form a plan for the future. If you're going to continue with rows, there are ways to raise them up, and still rotate the walkways and the rows each year. If you do have clay, one cannot under sell the value of organic matter to help with drainage.

If though, you are in the sandy part of N.C.... wow, now that's an issue requiring more thought!

ETA: Jack was typing as I was... yep, if you can form a channel to a lower area for drainage, you'll have a good temporary solution to standing water.

The soil is clay. I've been adding some mulch and compost the last couple years so it's starting to loosen up but still a lot of clay. The tops of the rows where the plants are at are still a couple inches above the water. It's funny, I created the rows against the slope of my yard to retain water. It's just doing too good of a job right now. A couple of the rows have washouts in the middle where the water buster through. I may go out later today and drag a hoe through the middle of all of the rows to give the water another place to run downhill and escape the garden.

With 7" of rain there's no easy way out. If you step into the garden to try to help it don't do what I did a few years ago and lose your shoes as you sink into what is best described as Quickmud. Most of what you planted should survive ok if they have matured beyond the seedling stage.

Good news. The dam broke on a couple rows and only one cucumber and one okra were lost. The rest of the water has drained off or been soaked up. Hopefully the warm weather over the next few days will dry everything out. Thanks all for the help/info!