From flames to food, these accessories will make your fire pit perfect for year-round fun

Whether it’s hot or cold outside, spending time by the fire is rarely a bad thing when the sun goes down. From relaxing to keeping warm, campfire that’s a great thing. But there are so many other ways you can use them besides gazing into their soothing flames or roasting marshmallows for delicious s’mores. From cooking up a tasty pizza and warding off annoying mosquitoes To produce natural fertilizer, fires fulfill many different functions and have different applications.

Here are five great ways to use your fire pit that you may not have thought of. If you’re looking for more reasons to build a safe, satisfying fire, you’ve come to the right place. (To learn more about fire pits, you can read about the best way to clean them and how save money by buying one.)

1. Mosquito repellent

Pest control probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think of fire pits. Still, they can be a powerful tool for deterring some of the most unwelcome outdoor guests: mosquitoes. Burning herbs is an old method of keeping biting insects at bay. While smokeless fires won’t have enough smoke to keep those insects away, they’ll still make a difference.

Studies confirm that burning popular spices, especially thyme, is particularly effective. One field study found that directly burning thyme leaves provided 85% to 89% protection against mosquitoes for up to 90 minutes. Next time the bugs are out in full force, throw a few sprigs into the fire.

2. Cook on it

Grilling enthusiasts may take this for granted, but cooking food over a wood fire usually yields delicious results. Chicken, fish, and all kinds of red meats benefit from time spent over hot coals. The fire pit is no different. Two big names in the smokeless fire pit industry are already attesting to that.

Breeo sells its Outpost Grill Kit which can be used as a standalone campfire grill. It can also be attached to one of the company’s campfires. Oh, and not to mention Breeo Live Fire Pizza Oven for this delicious wood-fired pizza. Is it ever delicious?

Fire pit manufacturer Solo Stove also offers a range of cooking accessories for its fire pits. In addition to the Pi Fire for baking pizza with the Solo oven, there are several additional cooking elements to enhance the usability of your smokeless fire pit. Solo Stove offers a cast iron grill, grate and wok that all work with the Hub. Oh! Don’t forget about Popcorn by the campfiretoo.

3. Take him camping

Next time you go camping in your car or truck, consider taking a portable fire pit. There are fire pits designed for travel, such as lightweight Solo Stove Ranger and foldable Pop-Up FireSome brave campers even take bigger ones with them. Breeo Y Series pits in the woods. While not very large, the Breeo Y series has foldable, built-in legs to adjust the height and raise the fire pit off the ground.

Regardless of which brand you choose, the advantage of using your own pit in the wild is big. It’s always ready to go. And you don’t have to rely on the condition or lack thereof at your specific campsite.

4. Make a Swedish torch

In the heart of winter, it’s hard to sell spending time outdoors. Change that logic by lighting up Swedish torch. This traditional fire-making technique involves stacking wood vertically in the center of a pit. It burns from top to bottom and from center to outside.

These conditions create a fire that produces much more heat than a standard fire pit. Because you add as much wood as you can at first, the fire pit will burn for quite a while with minimal intervention.

5. Reuse the ash

Once the fire has burned out and the fire pit has cooled, you may be tempted to throw the remains in the trash. Think again, because the ashes from the fire pit make excellent fertilizer.

Full of potassium and other trace minerals, a sprinkling of wood ash is a boon to plant health. Studies have shown that applying wood ash to the soil promotes plant growth and drought resistance. But you only need a little. The experiments used a low ash-to-soil ratio of 1%. A typical 10-inch (2.5 to 3-gallon) garden pot requires a little less than half an ounce of ash.

To learn more, here’s how to build a custom fire pit and how to start a vegetable garden.

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