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Fun Fall Backyard Ideas in NJ

Autumn is a wonderful time of year. The leaves are beginning to change color, and the air is getting crisp. Although the temperature is dropping, there is still time to have fun outside before the bitter cold of winter makes us hibernate inside our well-heated homes. Here are some fun fall backyard ideas in NJ before Old Man Winter starts knocking at the door.

© Mark J. Grenier - Fotolia.comCreate a leaf maze or labyrinth

Turn the chore of leaf raking into a game for your kids. Have the kids help you rank up all the leaves in the yard and create different mazes and designs with them. Your kids will have hours of fun creating different mazes and then solving them. When the leaves blow away, you can easily replace them with new ones that fall at a later time. There is no end to the amount of fun your kids will have. Plus, your leaves will be contained to one area of the yard rather than be strewn all around.

Create tiki torches out of old wine bottles

Don’t know what to do with your empty wine bottles? Combat late-season mosquitoes with homemade tiki torches with them. Just Google instructions on how to do this and you will be on your way to a mosquito-free yard. This great trick may also make sipping a glass of wine a bit more enjoyable.

Invest in a fire pit

Fire pits are a relatively inexpensive investment for your home. Fire pits add a sense of warmth and comfort to your backyard. They also create an area where people can congregate and engage in conversation. Since a fire pit provides a significant amount of warmth, it allows you to extend the outdoor entertaining season well into the autumn.

Build a scarecrow

Scarecrows are the quintessential symbol of fall. So, there is no better way to spend a crisp autumn afternoon than to build a scarecrow. Making a scarecrow is a great project because there are no hard and fast rules that must be followed. As long as you have the basic shape and process down, your scarecrow can take on any persona you desire. All that limits you is your imagination. Grab a pillow case, some hay and old clothes then let your creativity take over.

Organize a backyard football game

Fall is the perfect time of year for football. So, take advantage of a temperate fall afternoon and organize a neighborhood football game. If you have ample time, send out invitations to all of your neighbors. If you don’t have time to create invitations, phone calls will do. If many of the participants have children, keep the game family-friendly and limit it to two-hand-touch or flag football. If it’s adults only, go ahead and play tackle football. Remember to keep the game fun and not overly competitive. It’s okay to keep score but avoid any gloating. Keep the rules simple and fair for everyone involved. No matter how much the game is scaled down, everyone will still have fun, and more than likely it will become an annual event that everyone looks forward to.

Plant a fall garden

Beautiful gardens are not only for summer. You can have a fantastic garden in fall as well. Fall flowers offer a bounty of rich colors such as deep reds, yellows, and oranges. Highlight these colors with the flowers of the season. Some excellent flowers to plant in your fall garden include asters, Chinese lanterns, garden mums, and ligularia. Your fall garden does not need to be limited to flowers and plants. There is a bounty of fall vegetables you can plant as well. Any variety of fall or winter squash will grow well in a fall garden. Other excellent vegetable choices for your fall garden include beets, carrots, red cabbage, and kale.

Moonlight Halloween party

Before the weather gets too cold to socialize outside, throw a moonlight Halloween party. Halloween is a great excuse to throw a get-together, and your backyard can provide the perfect backdrop for a ghoulish evening. The best part about having a Halloween party is that your options are limitless. If you want an eerie effect, create fog with dry ice. Put up some scary decorations to turn your yard into a haunted forest. Don’t forget a caldron of potent witches brew for your guests as well. If you don’t want to go the scary route, decorating with pumpkins and other gourds create a festive atmosphere. Whichever way you choose to go, remember, the key is for your guests to have fun!

Take advantage of the wonderful fall weather and spend some time outside. There is no shortage of activities you can engage in to help you enjoy the beauty of autumn in New Jersey. If planting a fall garden is in your plans, a qualified landscaper can answer your questions or help you come up with a landscaping plan that will have you loving your yard all season long.

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