How to start a fire by River Valley Gardens of Gurnee.

Nothing is more relaxing than watching the football game in front of a roaring fires. Three things a fire needs to get going is fuel, air and a source of ignition. Maybe an adult beverage. When stacking your wood in the fireplace you should start with at least 5 to six smaller pieces of wood. Do not tightly stack the wood in your fireplace. The wood should be stacked on a grate with at least 2 to three inches of space from the bottom of the fireplace. The wood should be crossed stacked on the grate, Lincoln log style. Doing this will insure proper air flow around the wood. Having a gas starter is super helpful. If you do not have a gas starter use Fat wood, Dragon in a Box, newspaper, or some sort of kindling. Now that your fire is properly prepared light it up. After the wood gets going usually about 5-10 minuets you will knock the pile down and again add more wood in the same Lincoln log style.

The next time you go to start a fire do not clean out all the ash. Your next fire will be easier to start if there is some ash left in your fireplace. What the ash does is to keep the heat closer to the bottom of the firewood and makes it easier to get that hot bed of coals.