Get Your Yakima Backyard Ready for Summer Fun

The yard is mowed, sprinklers are set, the flowers and garden areas are weeded and ready to go. Your backyard is already ready for spring and the summer to come. Or is it? We have some safety tips and thoughts you might not have thought of when it comes to the area just outside of your house. Check them out below.

The Best Memories Are Made Outside

Some of the best memories I have growing up deal with backyards. At the Naches, Washington house I grew up in, and at the house I spent many weekends and summers at in Yakima (my grandparents').

Playing catch and baseball practice with my brother in the backyard. Breaking windows on our camper because I was good, ONE TIME, hitting a ball with the bat. Building the above-ground pool. OUR CLUB HOUSE!

At my grandparents' house, all the Easter Egg hunts, roughhousing with my cousins, falling off my bike, and cracking my head when I was 12 (I didn’t say they were ALL good). My memories are plentiful and bring me joy (even the bike incident, because my grandma was there to sew me up… she was a no-nonsense nurse in her youth).

Yard Tips To Keep In Mind For The Warm Weather Play

The fine folks at the TurfMutt Foundation have shared some key things to keep in mind when getting your yard ready for memory-making this spring and summer!

“Your family yard is an extension of your home – providing a respite from stress, offering an outside entertainment area, expanding your living space, and giving kids and pets a safe place to play.” – TurfMutt.com

Plan Ahead! Whether it’s replacing a tool or installing an irrigation system, get a jump start on it now, so it’s less hassle (and heat) later this year.

READ MORE: Yakima Valley Kids Will Remember These Fun Summer Toys!

Plant For Your Family! The yard is a big playground for children and pets, and there are many types of grass that can be great. Work with a local landscaper or garden center to find what works best for your yard and family.

Design For Your Yard! Give your yard your personal feng shui, whether it’s a fire pit, pergola, outdoor furniture, waterfall, garden, etc. This can be part of the plan-ahead phase, even if you want just a plain old green grass yard.

Remember Wildlife! A very important one from TurfMutt.

“Nature starts at your back door. Grass, trees, shrubs, and flowering plants provide food and habitat for birds, small mammals, and pollinators; plant accordingly.”