As Summer is drawing to a close – warm days and comfortable nights welcome us into Fall here on the Central Coast. In this area, there is no better time of year to enjoy your outdoor living spaces than September & October. This means it can also be a good time to get your garden improvements and upgrades in, whether small DIY projects or you’re having a landscape design and installation! Here are six ideas on how you can enjoy this beautiful Fall weather with friends and family.

1. Have a Bonfire

There’s nothing better than gathering with friends or family (or both) around a fire. Whether it’s the sounds of the crackling firewood, the beauty, and magic of the fire itself, the warmth on your bare feet, the great conversation that ignites, the joy of sipping on a glass of wine after a long day, or the delicious smores that are roasting – there is something for everyone to love about a bonfire! And what better time than at fall? The temperatures are starting to drop in the evenings without being cold, and you could get a leaf blower like this one (https://thebestleafblowers.com/echo-backpack-leaf-blower-pb-580t/) to gather the beautiful fall leaves and use them as kindling.

If you don’t already have a backyard fire pit – considering you can get fire glass for sale (which will help limit the maintenance process of tidying up), now is a great time of year to buy one, or better yet build one!

2. Play Bocce Ball or Horse Shoes.

This is a pretty easy one. If you don’t already own a set of bocce balls or horseshoes, most local sporting goods stores sell them, or you can even try thrift stores since we have so many on the Central Coast. Once you have the toys, it’s time to play. Either game can be played on pretty much any surface – but if you want to get serious about your game you can also create a custom bocce ball court and/or horseshoe pit for your enjoyment.

3. A Game of Putt-Putt

Installing a small area of golf turf can provide for endless fun! Kids will love to play putt-putt with friends, and adults can knock a couple of strokes off their golf game by mastering the putt. Have fun with it and add some fun props and garden art.

4. Install a shed

If you’ve got the space, you might want to consider an additional storage facility in your garden in the form of shed. Depending on your garden, this may require some landscaping beforehand. You might want to find out more about shed site prep cost so that you can begin planning your project and consider the financial side of things in advance.

5. Raise Chickens

Even if you have a small yard – you can raise chickens! Raising chickens is a great family activity, and you’ll never go back to store-bought eggs. Research the different types of chickens, or visit your local Farm Supply for some help in this department, and select the right type for you. You can build your own coop, purchase a kit, or pick one up that is already built (visit Troesh Coleman Pacific at 2280 Hutton Road, Nipomo for the one pictured here).