Family Roundup: Building a Garden for Safe Outdoor Play

I bet some of your happiest memories of childhood are of having fun outdoors. Growing up on Bainbridge Island, I loved playing in the tree house my father built me. I also liked helping to care for our large garden, swinging on my tire swing, climbing trees and exploring the woods surrounding our home.

When my husband and I bought our home eight years ago, I wanted to create a safe and engaging “outdoor play space” for our children.  We’ve transformed our backyard over the years. We added garden beds and planted trees with the help of an arborist and added a play structure. Over time, our backyard has become the safe and engaging play area I envisioned when we first moved in.

If you are also thinking of transforming your yard this summer into an “outdoor play room,” perhaps adding a play structure or a garden bed, here are some tips from experts so your kids stay safe, while making happy memories and learning about nature.

Plan A Garden That Will Be Fun For the Whole Family 

Bill Bowlus is owner of Redmond-based Living Earth Landscapes and the father, with his wife Jennifer, of two kids. He has over 30 years experience creating gardens and outdoor spaces that are beautiful “outdoor family living rooms.” He encourages clients to provide areas for children that are “safe, visible areas to have fun in and be kids.”

When planning gardens, he suggests creating raised garden beds, which make it easier to ensure soil safety and to weed. You can give your kids their own bed to plant. “Kids must have success to remain engaged,” Bowlus said. So, help them pick plants that are easy to care for and fun to grow. Among his recommendations of plants for kids: Cherry tomatoes, summer squash, lettuce and peas. Scarlett Runner Beans can grow big enough to form a teepee to play in.

Bowlus uses environmentally-friendly methods to discourage pests. He lines garden beds with hardware cloth to keep out moles. He encourages talking to your kids about “good bugs” and environmentally-friendly ways to discourage the bad ones. “You can attract Ladybugs and other beneficial bugs by planting host plants and leaving some areas wild. Parsnips and carrots gone to seed can attract hordes of Ladybugs.” 

Make it easier on yourself when you have kids and pets by thoughtfully laying out your yard and garden, Bowlus said. “Make it easy on everyone to avoid damage to beds. Keep delicate plants out of harm's way. Use raised beds and pots. Plan for a good traffic flow. Everyone will cut across points and separating beds, so round corners or provide access paths. Remember that form follows function.”

Protect Your Kids and Pets by Limiting Pesticides

Erika Schreder is a scientist with the Washington Toxics Coalition. She said that parents should be cautious about using chemicals to treat their lawn and gardens. “Pesticides, such as insecticides, weed killers, and slug bait, contain toxic ingredients. Often these products are toxic by ingestion, inhalation, and skin contact. Pesticides are toxic to people, pets, and wildlife, and pollute our local waters,” she said.

“The good news is there is no need to use toxic pesticides, because you can create a beautiful garden with healthy soil and the right plants. To avoid the need for pesticides, build healthy soil using compost, create a diverse garden, choosing plants that are naturally pest-resistant and planting them in the right place and provide appropriate amounts of water and nutrients.”

She recommends the following resources, including the Wasington Toxics Coalition’s Fast Facts on lawn and garden care, Seattle’s Tilth’s Garden Hotline, and the Great Plant Pick’s program.

Safe Soil is the Foundation of A Healthy Garden

Emily Bishton is the owner of Green Light Gardening and an environmental educator for several local cities, including Seattle, Bellevue and Woodinville.  Bishton explained: “Building healthy soil is vital to growing healthy plants, and is especially important for vegetables, fruits and other edibles. Incorporating three inches of compost and other organic matter is the best way to build soil that is a strong foundation for healthy plants.”

She also advised: “Get to know your soil. Dig in several areas of your garden to see what type of soil conditions exist, as it can vary widely from your front to back yard. Many local cities now have new soil protection requirements as part of their Green Building regulations, but homes even a few years old may have had all the topsoil removed or buried beneath subsoil or ‘fill dirt’ during construction. If your soil is exceptionally poor, you may need to bring in a topsoil mixture to incorporate into all new beds.”

Soil safety is another important consideration. “Before deciding where to grow veggies, it’s wise for all homeowners to consider the issue of soil safety,” she said.

For instance, older homes may have been painted with lead paint, which can be present in nearby soil due to scraping and sanding that has taken place over the years. Soil near the street or in the parking strip can also have lead or other chemicals present from car exhaust from old lead-based fuels or fluid leakage. Homes in south King County or north Pierce County may have soils that contain arsenic from the now-closed Asarco Smelter.

“Soil tests are a good idea if you have any doubts about soil safety,” Bishton said. “There are several ways to ensure safe growing conditions, even if a contaminant is present.”

The Garden Hotline Garden Hotline at 206-633-0224 can provide referrals to local soil testing labs.

Make Sure A Used Or New Play Structure Is Safe

Whether you are buying a home with an existing play structure or shopping around for one for your backyard, keep safety in mind. Tim Madeley is owner of Olympia-based Big Toys, a designer and manufacturer of commercial playground equipment. He said Big Toys is committed to both the safety of children and the safety of the environment, adding the equipment the company manufactures is made from recycled and sustainable materials.

If you’re shopping for a play structure for your backyard, Madeley offered this advice: “First, insist upon equipment that meets or exceeds the American Society of Testing and Materials [ASTM] standards for residential playground equipment. Second, avoid equipment that contains polyvinyl chloride [PVC].”

Parents should be cautious when purchasing a used play structure, Madeley said. “The safety standards for playground equipment received a substantial upgrade in the early 1990s. Equipment put in place prior to that may not be in compliance,” he explained.

If you’re in doubt, Madeley recommends contacting the original manufacturer to determine if that equipment complies with current standards. The manufacturer also should be able to provide a copy of the installation instructions to ensure proper reassembly.

Have a Certified Arborist Check Out Your Trees Before Your Kids Climb in Them or You Build a Treehouse

If you are contemplating building a tree house, consider hiring a certified arborist to recommend which tree might work best and how to build the tree house without damaging the tree. An arborist also can inspect all the trees in your yard and point out potential hazards you may not see, such as trees with limbs touching power lines or trees that are diseased that should come down before they fall on your house.

You can find a certified arborist who serves the Eastside by going to the website for the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the International Society of Arborculture and clicking on the current member directory. 

And if you are searching for advice on how to build a great tree house or inspiration, check out Tree House Point  in Fall City where guests can spend the night in luxurious tree houses and where you can take a four-day workshop on how to build an amazing, safe tree house in your own backyard. 

What do you you have planned for your yard this summer?