Animals can cause quite the commotion in the garden. After hours upon hours of hard work to grow delicious fruits and vegetables, it can be frustrating to find them already eaten. 

Follow the recommendations in Publication 1868, Managing Wildlife Around Your Home for information about attracting wildlife to your home and managing nuisance wildlife pests in your landscape and garden areas. 

Soil moisture (water) is essential for vegetable plant growth and production. A lack of soil moisture at critical times such as during establishment, during flowering/pollination, and during fruit formation will, at best, reduce yield and, at worst, result in crop failure. There will be times in a typical year when rainfall won't supply necessary moisture levels and irrigation will be required. The average weekly water need of vegetable plants in Tennessee during the summer is estimated at nearly 1.5 inches per 1,000 square feet or 934 gallons, which amounts to nearly 1 gallon per square foot per week. 

Overhead sprinklers can be used to irrigate the garden, but since excessive water on plant leaves/stems at night during our humid summers promotes fungal disease development, water early enough to allow plant foliage to dry before dark. Small shallow containers such as empty tuna fish cans can be placed in the garden to measure the amount of water applied by the sprinkler. Applying the targeted amount of water in 2 - 3 separate irrigation events per week spaced 2 - 3 days apart can minimize some water loss from evaporation and reduce standing water in gardens with slower infiltration rates. Irrigation methods that deliver water directly to the soil around the plant are more efficient than overhead sprinklers because they minimize water lost to evaporation and they don't water unnecessary areas such as middles between rows. They don't promote disease development on foliage since the water isn't applied to the foliage. Soaker hoses and drip tape are examples of options for applying water directly to the soil.