Summer has finally arrived, and while we might not be able to jet off to an exotic location, there are plenty of ways to make your summer at home an exciting one. We've brought you a number of ways to turn your garden into your perfect staycation destination this summer.
Build yourself a fire pit
There's something insanely nostalgic about sitting around an outdoor fire late on a summer's night. Add a glass of wine and a bit of background music and you get those summer vibes.
But you don't need to be at a cool beach bar on holiday to get those vibes. It's incredibly easy to build a safe and relatively cheap fire pit in your own back yard with Wickes' How-To Guide. Just make sure you keep it away from your house and fencing.
Grow some veggies for Autumn
Now is the perfect time to start growing some vegetables in your garden for the winter months, and it's easier than you think. June is a great month to sow autumn favourites such as beetroot, courgette, carrot and broccoli.
You do not need your own allotment or greenhouse to get started, some big plant pots or even an old bucket make great beds to grow vegetables in. It's great fun for families and incredibly rewarding when you reap the fruits (or veg) of your harvest later in the year.
Check out the link below from Gardeners World for more ideas and how-to-guides on what to grow at this time of year.
Go crazy with at home Mini Golf
We've all spend nearly 2 months ordering obscene amounts online, so why not put all of those Amazon boxes to good use? Building your own mini-golf course at home or in the garden is simple. Grab yourself a few cardboard boxes, sellotape and some scissors and get stuck in.
Your golf course doesn't have to look 5 star, but as long as you're willing to improvise you'll have fun for days. You can pick up some mini-golf clubs, balls and holes for as little as £15 on Amazon, check them out here.
You'll get some cool ideas for building your own mini-golf course by clicking on the button bellow.
BBQ like a boss
Forget about burgers and sausages, barbecuing is best done with nice juicy cuts of meat. Now that the summer is here, there's nothing more satisfying than those bbq smells filling your garden and making your neighbours mouthes water with jealously.
Meatopia is a London based meat fest, bringing the best of barbecued foods from around the world to the heart of the UK. During the pandemic, they've been asking top meat-loving chefs to share their barbequing recipes with their followers on Instagram. So why not check out Chris Robers from Wales with his welsh mountain lamb, full in detailed instruction throughout the Instagram story. Or UK based Turkish-Cypriot chef Hasan Semay (aka Big Has) who barbeques a massive 800g marinated pork chop.
Create your own outdoor cinema
Host the perfect film night for your family by creating a cosy and exclusive outdoor cinema experience. Although this isn't free and requires a bit of investment, you could achieve this for as little as £60.
All you need to get started is a thick white bedsheet, a projector, some comfy garden chairs or beanbags, a portable speaker and a film of your choice on a laptop.
Attach your bedsheet to a garden fence or wall (if your really fancy you can buy a projector screen), and position your projector in the middle with your comfy chairs on either side.
In a garden after dark, we recommend at least 3000 lumens for a movie-theatre experience. These days you can pick up one of those for as little as £70!
Make your own inexpensive meat smoker
You don't have to be a seasoned pitmaster or spend thousands on expert equipment in order to smoke meats at homes. You can create your own smoker/bbq with just a few items and a little bit of DIY-savvyness.
Check out the video here to discover how to make your own bbq smoker using two clay plant pots. The results are impressive and it's super cheap!