A Fire Pit for Fall Nights: Ring, Bowl or Fireplace

The best part of fall on a ranch is the hour after supper, when it's cool enough for a jacket and nobody wants to go inside yet. A good fire makes that hour last. Whether you want a simple ring in the yard or a fireplace on the porch, here's how to choose, from the plainest to the grandest.

Wherever it goes, set it well away from the house, the barn and anything that hangs low, on gravel, stone or bare dirt rather than a wooden deck. In dry country, check for burn bans before you light it.

A ring: the closest thing to a campfire

A fire ring is the simplest way to have a real fire: an open circle, logs inside, chairs around it. This 36-inch steel ring has cutouts that feed air to the fire and throw patterns of light. It comes apart in sections, so it can live in the yard or ride in the truck to camp.

A bowl: off the ground and easy to tend

A fire bowl lifts the fire to a comfortable height and keeps the ash in one place. This 29-inch bowl is wide and deep enough for bigger logs and a long burn, with a drain hole so rain doesn't sit in it, a spark screen and a poker.

For a plainer pit with room for a good-sized fire, this 30-inch steel one comes with a mesh screen and a poker.

And for a small patio or a corner of the porch, an 18-inch pit on four legs, with a mesh spark lid.

A chiminea: fire and supper in one

A chiminea's chimney carries the smoke up and away from the chairs, which makes it a good choice when the wind can't decide which way to blow. This one has a removable stainless grate for cooking over the fire, so the same fire does supper and the evening.

A fireplace for the porch

An outdoor fireplace gives you the look of a hearth with a chimney to lift the smoke and doors to hold in the sparks. The Heritage is 42 inches wide, with three tiers of firewood storage at the side, so it fits a porch without taking it over.

For a patio that deserves a centerpiece, the Canyon is an 82-inch fireplace in manufactured stone and steel, with log holders on both sides. It has the presence of a built fireplace without the masonry work.

A roof over it all

If you want to sit out in every season, put a roof over the gathering spot. This 13-by-15-foot gazebo has a cedar frame and a two-tier steel roof, with a hook in the ceiling for a light. Keep any fire well outside it.