Few things are as satisfying as wrapping up warm and heading out under the stars with your loved ones. Particularly when you set up around a roaring fireplace and begin sharing stories and toasting marshmallows!
The great news is, with just a little bit of planning, you can safely manage a fire in your back garden and regularly host chilled out evenings around the fire. Below, we introduce you to our top tips on how to burn your firewood outside so you can create the perfect atmosphere for your family and friends.
Choose a safe spot to start your fire
Safety is of paramount importance when you’re building an outside fireplace. The spot you choose needs to be in an open space away from trees, bushes, and fences, as these can easily ignite if the wind picks up. Equally, you should ensure your fire pit is a safe distance away from your house, as you don’t want the smoke to blow inside.
Choosing a centralised spot toward the bottom of your garden is a decent place to begin, and you will need to ensure you have a sufficient base upon which to build your fire. If you don’t have one already, you should consider building a fire pit outside your home, particularly if you’re planning to have regular fires in the garden.
Buy the right firewood for your outdoor fireplace
The wood that you select for your outdoor fireplace is going to make or break your fire, so it’s important that you get it right. First up, you should select hardwood - such as birch - to build your outdoor fire, as it is much denser than softer firewood and can therefore burn for much longer.
Our kiln-dried birch logs are perfect for any outdoor fireplace, and they have been dried to a moisture level of less than 20%. This essentially means that they are easy to light and will burn at a high temperature with a long and natural flame. When you’ve taken in your order of firewood, you’re ready to set your fire at a safe location in the garden.
Build and light your fire
When you’ve selected a safe spot to burn your firewood outside, it’s time to set about building your fire. After all, it’s not just a case of chucking your logs on and hoping for the best! You need four things to build a fire: matches/lighter, kindling, tinder, and firewood. Begin by laying the kindling and tinder, and then structure your logs in a teepee like shape around it. You don’t need to add too much wood to start your fire, as you can add more as soon as it is alight.
Our fire starter multi-pack is the ideal way to get your fire off to a roaring start, thanks to our ultra-dry kindling and Twizzlers that serve as tinder. Once ignited, the kindling and tinder will take control of the fire and ignite your firewood, and you’re just about all set to sit back and relax in front of it!
Use tools to control your fire
Building and lighting your fire is just the start of your evening, and you will need to act every so often to keep it under control and roaring to your liking. Having the right fireside tools at your disposal makes managing your fire much easier. As a minimum, we suggest investing in a fire poker stick and a log claw grabber, as these will help you to add logs to the fire as and when they’re required. If you’re planning to roast marshmallows with your friends as you tell stories around the fireplace, some roasting skewers certainly won’t go amiss either.
If you’re planning to burn your firewood outside and invite your friends and family over for a memorable evening around a roaring fire, be sure to check out our firepit bundle that contains everything you need to create the perfect fire in your back garden.